Switching from traditional cigarettes to e-cigs is possibly one of the best decisions in a smoker’s life. Vaping devices are convenient to use, give you access to a wide range of flavors, and enable better control over your nicotine intake. In the long run, they are also more cost-effective than regular cigarettes.
However, in order to extend your vape’s service life and ensure that it’s a worthwhile investment, you shouldn’t neglect proper, regular maintenance. While most e-liquids won’t stain your equipment, some ingredients, such as sweeteners, can accumulate residue. Such a buildup can, in turn, negatively affect your device’s performance, making your puffs taste burnt.
Besides, proper cleaning is essential for both brand-new and already well-used devices, so learning how to take care of your tank and coils should be your top priority. Luckily, with only a few simple steps, you can ensure that your vape is ready to use at all times and serves you well!
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Disassemble Your Vape Tank
It’s always better to clean your vape before refilling it, as some heady flavors, like menthol, tobacco, or chocolate, are likely to linger until you clean the inside of the tank and coils. This will ruin your vaping experience with subtler, fruity flavors. Similarly, it would be best to clean your vape pen between switching Binoid Delta 8 THC vape cartridges if you want to make the most out of your vaping experience.
Now, the first thing to do is to break down the tank by unscrewing its glass and top components from its base so that you can clean it piece by piece. Fortunately, the majority of tanks are designed with the disassembly process in mind, so you’ll only need to make a mental note of what goes where. Here is what you need to have:
- base, including the airflow ring if your tank implies one,
- coil head,
- glass or pyrex tube or bulb,
- top cap,
- drip tip or mouthpiece.
Make sure not to lose rubber or silicon o-shaped seals that hold your glass tube in place and prevent leaks.
Clean the Tank with Hot Water
For now, put the coil aside, and let’s deal with the tank first:
- Remove the seals and place all the other tank components in a bowl with hot (but not boiling) water. Leave them to soak until the water is at room temperature.
- Take the components out of the water and scrub off any stubborn residue that might remain using a toothbrush or a small pipe cleaning brush while holding the pieces under a fast-running tap.
- Repeat the soaking process and scrub the parts one more time if you spot a lot of residues left.
Cleaning the Tank with Secondary Agents
If you notice a lingering smell or discoloration after washing your tank with hot water, you might need to clean it once again – this time with a secondary cleaning solution. Some of the agents you can use include:
- lemon juice,
- vinegar,
- ethanol alcohol,
- cheap vodka,
- water solution with baking soda.
To clean your vape tank with a secondary agent, you should repeat the steps from the above section, yet with one slight difference – leave the tank’s components to soak in a chosen solution for at least two or three hours.
It’s important to note that while all these cleaning products are suitable for washing vape tanks, the tank might need an additional soak in hot water and a thorough rinse afterward in order to ensure there are no remains of a cleaning solution left on it.
Once you’re satisfied with the cleanliness of your vape tank’s components, let them dry. Put the parts on a paper towel to soak in the excess water and leave them to air dry. You can fasten the process by drying them with another piece of paper towel, making gentle moves, or using a hairdryer set on a cool setting.
Cleaning the Coils
Finally, let’s move on to the coils. There are two types of coils:
- coil heads for tanks encased in a small metal chamber that contain an absorbent wick,
- or coils for rebuildables, which require installing the wick.
The first thing to do is to determine which type of coil your vape device has, as the cleaning process will vary greatly between those two.
Replaceable Coils
Replaceable coil heads are usually the case for sub ohm tanks and clearomizers. Unfortunately, you cannot revive them completely by cleaning, but it’s nonetheless a practical method of getting extra few days out of a tired coil head.
To clean coil heads, you can follow the already familiar soak and rinse method:
- Soak the coil in ethanol, vinegar, lemon juice, or vodka for a couple of hours.
- Thoroughly rinse it under the tap.
- Rinse once more with some distilled water.
- Blow air on the coil’s open side to force water to the wicking holes.
- Put it aside and wait for the water to evaporate fully.
Rebuildable Coils
If you’re using a rebuildable atomizer, however, you not only can but should clean your coils. Here, you need to start by removing the wicks from the coils and try a dry burning method. All you need is to pulse the fire button a few times until the remaining liquid is removed, let them cool down, and re-wick.
However, this trick will most likely work just a few times. So, if you’ve already done that, it’s time for deep cleaning.
- Remove the wick from the coil and rinse it under fast-running hot water.
- Softly brush the coil with a toothbrush or a coil cleaning tool. See whether all the brown residue rinses away.
- Dry burn to remove the last droplets of water.
- Reinstall the wick.
Now you have all the parts ready to reassemble your vaping device!
In case the coil still keeps a lot of residues or the flavor doesn’t improve after cleaning, then it’s time to rebuild your atomizer.
Takeaway
As you can see, the cleaning process is pretty straightforward and won’t take much of your time, which is another good reason why you shouldn’t neglect it altogether. Proper and regular maintenance will allow you to keep your equipment in good condition and will greatly extend the lifespan of your coils, saving you money.
Make sure to clean your vape every time you change the flavors or every two or three weeks, depending on how frequently you use it. You don’t want to leave it to the point where you notice that vapor production has reduced or your vape tastes burnt. Happy vaping!
