Leaking, popping, spitting. It’s all part of vaping, right? It doesn’t have to be that way. There are plenty of things you can do to keep these issues to a minimum. Whether you’re using a regular tank or rebuildable atomizer, these tips will ensure a smooth experience — no matter which type of device you have.
There’s nothing worse than spilling your favorite e-juice all over your hands. Recently, manufacturers have been redesigning some of their more recent tanks to combat leaking and other annoying issues like hot pops and spitback. No matter what type of device you have, here’s what you can do to fix it now.
WHAT IS LEAKING?
Leaking happens when e-juice escapes from your tank, usually through the airflow system. Depending on the reason behind it, leaking can range from a few drops of e-liquid, to having your tank emptying all of its contents all over your vape mod. It’s a common problem with even the most popular sub ohm tanks. Best sellers of previous years, like the SMOK TFV8 Baby Beast, Uwell Crown III, Sense Herakles and the Aspire Cleito, have been troubling vapers with leaking due to design oversights or common user errors.
While there are a few common culprits, the good news is that there are ways to prevent leaking from happening. First, we will start with some general tips, and then go into more depth depending on the device you’re using.
HOW TO PREVENT LEAKING
Check your seal – It sounds obvious, but make sure your tank is fastened together properly. Sometimes if you’re in a hurry, you may cross-thread the top cap or forget to screw it together tight enough. This can cause juice to leak out of the openings. First make sure the threads are in sync and closed tightly, but not too tight. Find that sweet spot. If the threads are crossed, screw it back together carefully.
Remove e-juice from chimney – All tanks have a central airflow tube that runs from the body of the tank up to the drip tip, known as the chimney. Sometimes you can get e-juice inside this tube by accident, which usually leads to gurgling and leaking. If this happens to you, clean it out with a paper towel before vaping.
Keep your tank upright – Some tanks aren’t built to handle being on their side for long periods of time. E-liquid can start seeping out through the airflow holes if you leave it that way overnight. Try to keep your vape positioned vertically if you’re not using it for extended periods of time. Don’t get into the habit of laying your device down all the time, or you will have to deal with inevitable leakage.
Check for worn or damaged O-rings – A common cause of leaks. Take apart your tank, remove the O-rings and examine them closely. Look for signs of wear and tear, broken or missing O-rings. These things can compromise the air seal of the tank. Thankfully O-rings are cheap, just make sure you get the right size.
Put a lid on it – If you leave a tank without the top cap, it will leak out of the airflow holes. That’s due to the pressurized nature of tanks. Make sure that your tank is empty if you plan on leaving your top cap off for extended periods of time — anything longer than it takes to fill it. Closing the airflow off will work too, but it’s not as foolproof.
Check your airflow – Always make sure the airflow holes are fully closed when filling. When in use, make sure the airflow is open enough to allow you to vape without having to take strong inhales. If you inhale too forcefully, you risk bringing too much e-liquid into the coil, which may lead to leakage
Watch out when filling – Never overfill your tank. Always leave a small air pocket at the top when filling. This empty space will help prevent any liquid from leaking out.
Check for cracks – Check your tank for cracks or other damage. A thin crack in the glass or a piece of bent metal can mean the tank is no longer airtight, allowing the juice to leak out and into the air hole valve. If your glass is cracked it is usually an inexpensive and simple solution to buy a replacement.
Use the right e-juice – For coil heads that require a lot of power, anything lower than 70% VG stands a good chance of leaking due to the thin viscosity of PG. A good rule of thumb is the big cloud-chucking devices do well with 70% VG (only 30% PG) and above, and MTL devices are generally good up to 70% VG. Always look at your e-juice label to determine its PG/VG ratio.
Check your coil heads – As with most mass-produced products, there will always be a few duds. In some cases, the coil may have manufacturing flaws that stop it from holding the juice properly, causing the tank to leak. First, ensure your coil head is screwed in properly and if it is, simply replace the coil–preferably with one from a different batch to the one you’re currently using. If the problem remains, the complication is likely down to one of the other issues addressed here.
Wick carefully – This only applies to rebuildable atomizers that require you to wick them yourself. Wicking an RTA can be tricky: make sure to use enough cotton, or you will be at risk for leaking. The goal is to tuck the cotton in to the wick ports without stuffing them in. This could take some trial and error, depending on the atomizer you are using.
15 Excellent Tips To Fix A Leaking Vape
1. Fill the tank properly
Most leaks are as a result of how you fill up the tank. Most atomizers have a central tube that goes all the way up to the mouthpiece. While re-filling, if you get any of the liquid into the central tube, then you will have some leaking problems accompanied by some gurgling.
Take precaution not to have any of the e-liquid in the central tube. The best approach is to fill up the tank while tilting it. Also, leave some space in the tank. It helps to keep the e-liquid in the chamber.
2. Make sure everything is tightened up
You have to make sure all the components are properly screwed in. If there’s any gap, you will definitely have the liquid flowing out. Some of the areas you need to double check include;
- The base where the atomizer and the tank meet
- The area where the coil and the base of the atomizer meet
You can avoid the mess by ensuring you properly re-attach your atomizer head to the base and the base of the tank.
For extra precaution, check the atomizer head even if you haven’t touched it. Sometimes, it comes loose when unscrewing the tank. Try to avoid cross-threading when screwing things back. It causes the seal to have gaps that the liquid can escape from.
3. Not too tight!
Screwing everything too tight will only assure you of a leak-free tank for a short time. In the long run, it does more damage than good for your equipment. When you over-tighten, you damage the O-rings found where the parts of the tank meet.
The O-rings create the perfect seal and keep the liquid inside. By screwing the parts too tight, the O-rings can split creating an escape route for the liquid. Make sure you screw everything firmly but don’t put too much strength into it.
4. Keep the tank upright
It’s important to keep the vaporiser upright at all times even when you’re taking a break from vaping or not using the vaporiser. The vertical positioning of the vaporiser is even more important if the tank is less than half full.
In a horizontal position, some of the juice holes are exposed and the e-liquid uses them to make a run for it. The juice will flow out into the central tube or the air flow holes and eventually you have the same problem of leaking. You can avoid all these by keeping the vaporiser in a vertical position.
5. Use the Correct Coils
Even for tanks that come with replaceable coils, it’s important to make sure you use the correct coil for the right juice. If you’re using VG liquids which tend to be thicker, it’s better to use low resistance coils while PG liquids work better with higher resistance coils.
If the coils are interchanged, the thicker consistency of the VG liquids will clog up the small holes of the higher resistance coil and cause leaking. Also, the coil will not be able to vaporise all the liquid in time which will also lead to leaking.
6. Check the O-rings
If you still have the leaking problem yet you have checked that your tank is filled up right, there is no cross-threading and all the parts are firmly screwed, the O-rings could be to blame. Other than over-tightening, O-rings can also fail because of degradation. You should check them regularly and make sure they’re replaced if you notice any damage.
Sometimes, they might be just out of position. If that’s the case, just reset them and put everything back together.
7. Having more seals
In some cases, you might need to have more seals to keep your e-juice in the right place. However, some vaporisers like the Aspire Triton run into problems if you try this and they start leaking. If you find yourself in a similar fix, you can correct it by cutting the tip of the drip cover off so you just have the ring that you can place on the upper threading which is usually the cause of the leak. This tip also works for the Nautilus.
8. Bump up the power settings
Flooding is one of the leading causes of leaking. When the week has too much juice and the coil cannot vaporise all of it, you get tons of excess liquid coming out of the coil housing.
The best and simplex fix is to set the power or voltage setting higher for better vaporisation. If you decide to try this fix, you should know that you will have more vapour and the elements of the flavour might change.
9. Add more wicking material
This is a good alternative to increasing the power setting and works particularly well with RBA. The cotton around the coils should be just enough and should not bunch on either side when pulled. It should also not be too tight since it will keep the liquid from getting to the coil.
But, this tip only works for people with RBAs. It is not advisable to try and modify stock coils.
10. Try juices with a higher VG ratio
They are thicker and will be soaked less rapidly by the wick which will solve the flooding and leaking problem. This is a particularly neat fix if you don’t want to have to deal with the increased vapour and changing flavours.
11. Change your vaping technique
This tip is, particularly for new vapers. If you still have leaking problems, the problem could be your vaping technique, especially how you inhale.
When inhaling, it should be slow and soft. Unlike when smoking a cigarette, going hard does not achieve anything. In fact, it only serves to pull liquid into the coil housing. You might end up sucking some and what is left will potentially end up leaking. Take long but soft puffs for the best experience.
12. Reduce Condensation
Of all the factors that we have covered on leaking, condensation is the one you have the least control over. When you fire, you don’t inhale all the vapour produced. What is left condenses into the mouthpiece of the centre tube.
Over time, it builds up and starts causing leaks. You can prevent this by inhaling as soon as you fire up the e-cig. Once you finish inhaling, take your finger of the fire button.
You can also use a paper towel to get rid of any accumulated e-liquid out of the tube by removing the tank and soaking up the excess by blowing firmly through the mouthpiece.
13. Go for leak resistant tanks
These types of tanks will cost you more but they will save you the trouble. Its airflow is at the top of the tank and the bottom is completely sealed out. Even though it might not be the ideal tank for every vaper, it’s expected there will be more such tanks flooding the industry soon.
14. Change the coil
If you’re clearomizers is suddenly leaking, you might want to check the coil. In most cases, the leaking comes right before the coil gives up and you start getting that burnt taste. If you change the coil, don’t forget to prime before you start using the new coil.
15. Keep the device in a cool place
Eliquid is notorious for breaking down. If it’s left under intense heat like in car out in the sun, it becomes thinner and runs through the coil leaking out. To prevent this, make sure you keep your clearomizers in a safe and cool place.
If you carefully follow these tips, you can drastically reduce your chances of suffering from leaks. If they do happen, you have complete knowledge on the steps you should take to identify the problem and correct it.