The 6 Most Common Vape Problems Solved (A Troubleshooting Guide)  

There is nothing, I repeat NOTHING, more annoying in the vaping world than a cold outside break where you ready your device to take a pull and all you get is…nothing.  Or, worse: being sprayed with hot juice or tasting something akin to burnt toast. 

When it comes to vapes of all types —whether simple pod systems or more advanced box mods — they’re electronic devices that work with the understanding of heat, liquid and airflow. Sometimes, things go wrong. But before you toss your device out in frustration, try taking a deep breath. Most vaping problems can be solved at home in just a few minutes. This quick troubleshooting guide will give you the 5 most common vape problems and how to fix them so that you can go back to vaping. 

1. The Dreaded “Burnt Taste” 

The Symptom: You take a drag and then, instead of the strawberry-kiwi loveliness you anticipated, your throat is assaulted by what seems to be ashy acridity that smells like burning cotton. It’s disgusting, and it lingers. 

The Likely Cause: This pretty much always means your coil (the heating element) is dry. The cotton wick around the coil had not been fully saturated with e-liquid, so it could burn, and this is what happened: The metal got hot and burned the dry cotton. 

The Fixes: 

• Did you prime your new coil? You simply cannot vape it right away if you replaced a fresh coil. You need to really moisten the exposed white cotton area on sides of coil with a few drops of e-liquid before putting it in. Allow the tank to sit for 5-10 minutes after filling, to make sure that cotton inside has fully soaked up the juice. 

• Are you “Chain Vaping”? Multiple long puffs in a row dry out the cotton faster than the tank can re-absorb moisture. Don’t rush it and wait 15-30 seconds between hits for your wick to re-saturate. 

• Is your tank empty? This may sound silly, but do check the level of liquid. It can’t drink if the liquid is not up to the small wicking holes in the coil. 

• Already burned: Upon scorching, cotton wants to taste that will completely vanish. You probably have a dead coil. 

2. The Leaking Tank 

The Symptom: You’ve got sticky hands, juice is in your pocket or liquid is collecting around the airflow holes at the base of your tank. 

The Likely Cause: Vapes use a vacuum seal to hold in liquid until it is heated. Sure enough, the writing was on the wall: If air comes in where it shouldn’t, liquid will come out. 

The Fixes: 

• Inspect your O-Rings: Dismantle your tank. Check the small rubber bands (O-rings) which seal the glass to metal parts. Are they torn, removed or pinched off? If so, replace them (your original vape box should have spares). 

• Don’t fill all the way: Wait until you have a bubble of air right at the top when refilling your tank. This helps to keep a reasonable level on the vacuum. 

• Check the tightness of your coil: Firstly, always check that the coil is screwed in properly. Liquid will leak through the threads and out the airflow vents at the base if it is loose. 

• Keep it upright: Vapes are made to stand on end. Thin liquid will find a way out if you leave it on its side in a hot car. 

3. Gurgling and Spitting (Spitback) 

The Symptom: You hear a bubbling or gurgling sound after inhaling. Usually, then you end up with hot e-liquid splattering into your mouth. 

The Probable Cause: Your coil is “flooded.” There is too much fluid resting inside the middle chimney, where only air and vapor should be. 

The Fixes: 

• The “Flick” Method: This may be the easiest solution. Carry your device (or tank/pod) outside or go do this over a sink. Ensure a tight grip and sharply flick your wrist downward several times, as if you were shaking down an ancient mercury thermometer. The surplus liquid is forced out of mouthpiece by centrifugal force. Wipe it off, and you’re good to go. 

• Up your power (a bit): If you’re using a variable-wattage mod, increase the wattage by 5. There are times when the liquid isn’t vaporizing quickly and it pools. A touch of extra heat will obliterate the surplus. 

• Do not blow into the vape: Some people exhale into the mouthpiece prior to inhaling. This only serves to blow condensation backwards into the coil, flooding it. 

4. What To Do If the Device Will Not Fire (Blinking Lights) 

The Symptom: When you press the fire button, nothing happens. Sometimes the screen is blank, or sometimes your LED light flashes like it’s trying to Morse code through you. 

The Likely Culprit: Typically, a power or connection issue, or some kind of safeguard has been activated. 

The Fixes: 

• Is it actually on? A lot of devices, you must hit the fire button five times quickly for them to turn on and/or off. It’s easy to accidentally turn it off in a pocket. 

• Test the battery: Test using a different charging cable and another plug. If you have a device that uses external 18650 batteries, remove them and place in an external charger to see if it’s retaining a charge. 

• Clean the connection: Take off the tank from the battery. Check the gold/silver pin on the top of the battery (510 connection). Do you have juice or pocket lint then? Then give it a good wiping with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab. 

5. “No Atomizer” or “Check Coil” Error 

The Symptom: Your mod has a screen, says the word “No Atomizer Found” or “Check Atomizer,” or your like resistance is reading at “0.00Ω“. 

The Most Likely Cause: Your battery “knows” she should be connected to the tank, but it can’t just “read”! The electrical circuit is interrupted between the battery and coil. 

The Fixes: 

• Tighten everything down: More than likely, the coil inside the tank has shook itself loose. Open the fuel tank, check whether the coil is tightened completely. 

• Give that 510 pin the once over, again: As in #4 a gunked up plate is faced with an insurmountable barrier of electricity. Clean it well. 

• It could be a “dud” coil: They’re made, sometimes. You could’ve just gotten a shitty coil out of the box where the internal wires aren’t working. The best way to see whether the error message has disappeared, is to put in a new coil. 

6. Vape Spitting E-Liquid in Mouth (The “Spitback” Sting) 

The Symptom: You follow through for a gentle draw, but you get hit with jets of tiny boiling-hot e-liquid droplets spurting on your tongue and lips. It stings and it’s overly powerful in taste, but here comes one of the worst side effects – your vape experience getting ruined completely. This effect is referred to as Spitback. 

The Likely Cause: Spitback occurs when e-liquid pools on the coil instead of vaporizing instantly. When the coil warms up, that pool of liquid boils and “pops” just as does bacon grease on a hot frying pan. Because the coil is directly under the mouthpiece so those popping droplets have nowhere to go but up — up and straight into your mouth. 

The Fixes: 

• Verify Your VG/PG Ratio: This is the usual suspect. E-liquids with a high Propylene Glycol (PG) content are very thin – virtually water like. If you are utilizing a powerful “Sub-Ohm” device small liquid will flow to the coil quite quickly which can flood it. Try a juice with more VG (Vegetable Glycerin)—70%VG / 30%PG is ideal. It also is thicker and does not flood the coil as easily either. 

• Sip, Don’t Suck: When you draw too hard (no sucking up a thick milkshake through a straw) then you’re creating a vacuum and pulling in liquid from the tank into the chimney. Perhaps try gentler, longer, softer “drags.” 

• Turn Up the Wattage: This seems the opposite of what you’d want, but if your wattage is low, that coil isn’t heating up enough to vaporize the liquid efficiently. The liquid boils and pops, rather than turning to steam. You could also try raising your wattage by 5-10 watts in an attempt to turn the liquid into vapor faster. 

• Replace with an “Anti-Spitback” Drip Tip: If that doesn’t help, try swapping the mouthpiece(drip tip). Something I’ve come to trust on a driptip is one that has some kind of spiral or screen inside of it. These are intended to intercept the hot droplets before they can get to your mouth but allow any vapor through. 

Vape technology has come a long way, but they still require a little bit of maintenance. 90% of the time, a good cleaning and checking your seals will solve the problem. 

However, if you’ve tried all these fixes and your device is still malfunctioning, it might be time to retire it. Batteries degrade over time, and internal chips can fail. If your vape is over a year old and acting strange, treat yourself to an upgrade!