CHANGING COILS

ABOUT COILS

Coils are typically threaded and connected to the base of the tank. However, they can also be top mounted and therefore connected to the top cap or chimney and in some rare cases they are press fitted to the base or chimney rather than screwed into position. It is important to understand that the coil connection is an electrical connection. On the bottom of the coil in the centre is the positive pin and this connection needs to be firmly connected into position to ensure electrical conduction.

So, if the coil is not connected properly the mod wont recognise the coil and it wont fire or it may short. Regulated mods recognise coil shorts and wont fire and will often display ‘coil short’ on the screen. If the coil is shorting then it may be screwed in too tight or there is a wire sticking out of it and touching the tank case.

When installing a new coil, it is good to give all parts of your tank a wash under warm water and dry with a paper towel. This will ensure that the tank threads are clean, and that residue and dust doesn’t build up in the base and/or top. Never wet your coil, only wash the other parts of your tank and ensure that the coil only gets contact with e-liquid.

If you’re having trouble unscrewing and taking apart your tank, try using some rubber gloves, or putting thick rubber bands around the parts where you need to get the most grip.

CHANGING BOTTOM MOUNTED COILS

Bottom mounted coils are the easiest to understand. Usually these coils screw into the base of the tank and the positive pin on the coil touches the positive pin on the tank base. Finger tight will often ensure a good connection. When changing bottom mounted coils it is best to have a completely or mostly empty tank. In some cases you may be able to leave the e-liquid in the tank while changing the coil by tipping your assembled tank upside down before removing the base. Once the base is removed you will have access to the coil which is mounted in the base. In other cases, the tank will need to be empty and you will be unscrewing and removing the top cap of your tank, then gently wiggling the glass off to get access to the coil which is mounted in the base. If your glass doesn’t want to pop off, getting a finger nail (or a thin blunt object) in between the glass and base and giving it a gentle wriggle will usually free the glass away from the base.

From there, you can simply unscrew the coil from the base of the tank. If the coil is press fitted, just pull the old coil out and pop a new one in the same spot.

When reassembling your tank after changing your coil the chimney or top cap will connect to the top of the coil. This connection is not an electrical connection and is just a connection to ensure the vapour being generated in the coil moves up to the mouth piece properly.

CHANGING TOP MOUNTED COILS

Top mounted coils are often screwed into the chimney or the top cap of the tank and then as the top cap is screwed down the positive pin on the bottom of the coil connects to the positive pin (or plate) at the base of the tank. These tanks can often have e-liquid in them when the coil is being changed.

Simply unscrew the top cap and replace the threaded coil from the chimney and then as you reconnect the top cap with the new coil, the coil will displace the e-liquid in the tank to connect to the base. In some cases if you screw the coil in to hard it wont connect to the base firmly enough and therefore wont connect. Again, finger tight is usually good enough. If the coil is press fitted, just pull the old coil out and pop a new one in the same spot.

HOW TO PRIME YOUR COIL, AND WHY WE DO THIS.

Before using a new coil for the first time, it is important to prime your coil directly with e-liquid to ensure the cotton (or wicking material) does not burn. New coils are dry and any dry portions of a coil will burn when heated, so it is very important to ensure coils are adequately saturated with e-liquid prior to firing them in your tank.

It is best to prime (wick) your new coil before installing it. Simply hold the coil with one hand and then with the other take your e-liquid bottle and carefully squirt drops of e-liquid directly onto the cotton (or wicking material) on the inside of the coil. As well as applying e-liquid to the inside of the coil, it is also recommended to squirt a few drop on the actual wicking holes on the side of the coil, to ensure a really good saturation. Usually about 5 or 6 drops on the inside and a couple of drops on each of the side wick holes will be enough. However, it is up to the user to decide how much to prime (wick) a fresh coil. As long as you are satisfied that you have saturated the cotton (or wicking material) enough, then that should be good enough. Some vapers will let their coils site in a full tank of e-liquid for up to 15 minutes prior to uses to ensure that the coil is saturated.

One the coil is primed (wicked) and installed into the tank, it is important to not to turn your mod up to high initially. Simply set your mod somewhere below the minimum of the range specified on the coil and give it a few draws at a lower wattage to ensure the coil is not burning. During this initial process for getting a new coil going, you can also blow into your tank while firing it (reverse vaping) rather than sucking to avoid spit-back which may occur as a result of over priming (wicking). This process will evaporate away any excess e-liquid on the coil and get the coil into a more consistent state of saturation.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR COILS AND WHEN WILL I KNOW ITS TIME TO CHANGE THE COIL?

Generally, a coil used within its operating range and at a steady pace, will last approximately two weeks. However, this is not a guarantee, coils can burn out much quicker than this. For example, if you are vaping heavily on a high wattage, your coils may not last as long. If you use your coils above the maximum wattage specified on the coil, the cotton (or wicking material) in the coil will burn almost instantly. Once a coil is burnt, it is permanently damaged and will produce a nasty burnt taste. Burnt coils may also result in the tank leaking e-liquid from the air flow holes.

The quality of your e-liquid may also affect the life of your coil. For example, certain creamer flavours are known to be more taxing on your coils.

The important thing to remember is that the user is in control of how the coil is being used. If our focus is on ensuring that your coils last a longer time, it is then important to make sure that you are aware of the factors that will affect the life of your coil.

It will be very obvious when it is time to change your coil. You will notice, diminished flavour, less vapour, a burnt or unpleasant flavour and your tank may be leaking more than usual.