Most Common Vaping Problems

When you vape, you just want to enjoy the experience – not endlessly scour Google reading different articles and forums because something’s gone wrong.

With our article, you can get to the root of the problem you’re facing and get back to what you enjoy.

Here are the 17 most common vaping problems and what you can do to fix them.

1. Debris in the charging port

Dust and debris can find their way into the charging port if you tend to put your e cigarette in your pocket or handbag when you’re not using it.

This debris can build up and clog the port and prevent you from connecting the charging cable.

How to fix it

You can clear the port by flicking out any debris using a cocktail stick and then blowing hard into the port.

2. Dirty connectors

Most vape tanks have male 510 connectors that screw into the female 510 connectors of batteries. (For the uninitiated, the term ‘510 connector’ literally means ten threads at 5mm per thread; this threaded connection is the standard for most vape pens and e cigarettes.)

If either connector becomes dirty or sooty, the connection between the tank and the battery will fail. As a result, the device won’t fire or will give you a ‘no atomiser’ warning message.

How to fix it

You should clean both connectors occasionally, using a lint-free cloth to keep them free of debris.

3. Mouthpiece thread failure

Most top-fill vape tanks have mouthpieces (also known as ‘drip tips’) that screw into place.

These mouthpieces are usually made from a form of hard plastic, often Delrin (also referred to as Polyoxymethylene).

However, the tanks are usually made from metal, such as stainless steel. As a result, the thread on the drip tip tends to get worn away by the metal. Eventually, it becomes difficult to screw on the mouthpiece or achieve a tight fit.

How to fix it

There isn’t any way around this issue, per se. But most kits feature a replacement mouthpiece you can use if your existing mouthpiece won’t screw on properly.

4. Your mouthpiece gets knocked off

Some mouthpieces are made up of two separate pieces:

1. A cap that screws onto the battery.
2. The actual mouthpiece that slots into the cap.

The latter is easy to knock off. Sometimes you won’t notice it’s missing until a few minutes later, and you can’t look for it as you don’t know when or where it was knocked off.

How to fix it

You should always carry a spare mouthpiece with you, as you can’t vape without it. Make sure you don’t wave your device about and put it in your pocket when you’re not using it.

5. A broken tank

Most vape tanks are made up of metal casings holding glass reservoirs.

The glass is easy to crack or break, and this can happen when you drop your device or knock it on a hard surface, such as a door handle.

The glass portion of a tank can also break if it knocks against something in your pocket or handbag.

How to fix it

You can purchase protective rubber bands for tanks, but you need to choose one that’s the correct diameter for your tank. These bands will prevent most breakages.

With some tanks, the glass tube is replaceable. Therefore, you should buy replacement glass and carry it with you just in case.

6. Weak nicotine hit

You may find you’re not getting the nicotine hit you crave from your puffs. There are several reasons for this, which we explain below.

How to fix it

1. Try using a higher-strength juice if the nicotine strength of the e liquid isn’t high enough.
2. Try taking longer draws, as these will deliver more nicotine with each puff.
3. Make sure your battery has a good charge. Batteries low on charge or reaching the end of their lives may deliver reduced power to the coils. This will result in less vapour being produced and less nicotine being inhaled.
4. If you suspect that the installed coil’s performance may have diminished, replace the coil. Or, if you use pods with built-in coils, replace the pod.
5. If you don’t benefit from satisfying puffs, try salt nicotine e liquids. The body absorbs salt nicotine quicker than it does freebase nicotine.

7. Not enough clouds

Let’s face it – there aren’t many more anti-climatic experiences than not getting enough vapour! A lack of big clouds can be down to a variety of reasons, as we explain below.

How to fix it

1. Check your airflow –more airflow means more cooling capacity and more vapour. You can maximise airflow and increase the air going over your coil by keeping your device’s temperature low. Doing this will enable your device to produce more vapour.
2. Adjust your power settings – the more power you have flowing from your battery through to your coil, the more heat this generates and the more vapour (ergo, bigger clouds) you’ll produce.
3. Considersub-ohm vaping. This style of vaping is more geared towards big clouds if this is what you want.
4. Check your e liquid’s ratio ofPropylene Glycol to Vegetable Glycerine. A higher concentration of VG produces more vapour than a high PG e liquid, and therefore creates bigger, thicker clouds.
5. Make sure your battery is fully charged. If it is and you still don’t notice an increase in cloud production, use a spare battery if you have one and see if that makes a difference.
6. Make sure you’veprimed your coil. If you have and you’re still not getting much in the way of clouds, you probably need to replace your coil.
7. Clean your connections (as we recommended in point 3 above) using a cotton bud.
8. Consider upgrading your kit. Small starter kits are less capable of producing big clouds because they can’t handle the amount of airflow required for cloud production.

8. Burnt hits

Now and again, you’ll experience a nasty dry, burnt taste when you take a puff. This taste is caused by the wicking material in the coil burning because it’s not absorbed enough e liquid.

Dry wicking could be down to the coil not being properly primed before use, or the device being fired when the tank or pod is empty. Dry wicking can also occur if you take too many puffs in quick succession.

How to fix it

Always prime your coil before using your e cigarette. Monitor your e liquid levels and top up your tank well before it empties and leave at least 30 seconds between puffs.

9. Dry throat

Vaping can lead to a dry throat. This is normal and more likely to happen when you’re vaping high-PG e liquids. In addition, some people are sensitive to PG.

How to fix it

1. Try vaping e liquids that are higher in VG. You may need to change your device or coil to one that’s more suited to high VG e liquids. Some examples include Aspire Velos 3 Kit, VooPoo Drag S Pod System, and Smok Nord 4 Kit.
2. Vape with a lower nicotine strength than you normally do.
3. Have a drink of water (pretty self-explanatory!).

10. Gurgling

Sometimes you may experience a gurgling sound in your tank, and this could be followed by e liquid dribbling into your mouth.

This issue can be caused by:

• Accidentally squeezing e liquid into rather than around your coil.
• Inhaling too hard.
• Overfilling the tank.
• Shanking the tank.

How to fix it

1. Remove the drip tip and blow through it.
2. Change the coil.
3. Drain the tank of e liquid and clean it before refilling it. Doing this will clear out any excess juice.
4. Check your tank isn’t oversaturated with e liquid.

11. Spitback

This literally-worded term describes when your tank ‘spits’ droplets of hot liquid in all directions. This process occurs when too much e liquid collects in the centre of your coil and heats up too quickly.

These super-hot droplets can often end up in your mouth as you inhale. So, it’s safe to say that spitback isn’t the pleasantest of experiences!

How to fix it

1. Point your tank away from you when you fire it up.
2. Flick your tank over the sink a couple of times to remove any excess liquid from the mouthpiece. Wipe it down with kitchen roll or tissue when you’re done.
3. Clean your tank’s centre post, or inner chamber. You can do this by unscrewing the tank, removing the mouthpiece, and sticking a small piece of kitchen roll or cotton bud down the centre post to remove any excess liquid from it.
4. Take smaller inhales.
5. Hold down the button to fire up your tank, but don’t inhale. Just let it burn off any excess e liquid and then you’re good to go.
6. Look forcoils that reduce spitback.

12. Coughing when vaping

Sometimes you’ll feel like you need to cough just after you inhale.

New vapers are particularly prone to coughing, as they may try to inhale too hard. Menthol or PG irritates some vapers’ throats and can cause them to cough.

How to fix it

Try taking slow and steady draws. If this doesn’t work, try vaping e liquids that are higher in VG, and avoid menthol flavours.

13. E liquid leaking from tank

If your tank feels sticky, you can feel e liquid on your fingers, or you can see juice running down your device, your tank is leaking.

This could be because:

• Your tank is cracked.
• You’ve overfilled the tank.
• Your o-ring has failed.
• Your mouthpiece is screwed on too tight
• Your mouthpiece is too loose.

How to fix it

There are two things you can do to stop liquid leaking from your tank. Either you can hold your tank up to the light and rotate the device to check for cracks, or you can remove and replace your mouthpiece, taking care not to over-tighten it.

If neither of these potential fixes help, then you should replace your o ring. Your kit should contain a spare.

14. E liquid turning dark

E liquids that contain nicotine may darken over time. Light, heat, and exposure to oxygen can cause the nicotine to oxidise.

How to fix it

Always store e liquids in a cool, dark and dry place. Remember – the higher the nicotine strength of the juice, the more likely it is to oxidise.

15. Poor flavour

From time to time, it is possible to experience a weak flavour or to find that the quality of a flavour has diminished.

How to fix it

Blowing through your tank may push a little more juice through the coil.

But it could be that the juice has oxidised, or the tank is dirty.

Try emptying the tank, cleaning it and then topping up again.If nothing works, try switching flavours.

Also, a cold or virus can impact your sense of taste, and this could be why your e liquid doesn’t taste good.

16. Charging port failure

Your USB charging ports will often develop issues long before the battery reaches the end of its life.

You can find that you need to jiggle the micro plug to gain a connection, and the problem worsens until you can no longer charge the battery.

How to fix it

There is no fix for this issue once it has developed. However, you can avoid or delay it by being as gentle as possible when inserting the micro plug into your vaping device.

17. A blank screen

This is a very common vaping problem that there are lots of threads and articles about. There are several reasons your screen could be blank.

How to fix it

The most likely reason you’re not seeing anything on your screen is that your device is in stealth mode. If this is the case, hit the fire button three times to enter the menu and then you should be able to just turn stealth mode off.

Another potential reason for your blank screen may be that the device’s firmware needs updating. You’ll need to visit the manufacturer’s website to find out how to install an update.

The other reason is that the screen is simply broken. Again, the manufacturer’s website is your best bet if you need help in this instance.

Check out our handy vaping guides

We hope our article has solved whatever problem(s) you had prior to landing on our website!

If you’re interested in reading more top tips pieces and learning the ins and outs of vaping, here’s some other content we’ve written:

‘How To’ Guides

Buying Guides

Beginner Guides

Advanced Vaping Guides