How Long Does a Coil Last in a Vape?

If you use a refillable vape, e-liquid isn’t your only recurring expense. You also need to worry about coil replacements, which will come in the form of standalone coils or as replacement pods if you’re using a pod vape with built-in coils. You can use a vape coil or pod as long as you like, but most people find that a coil lasts at least a few days before it begins to taste burnt. When you’re no longer happy with a coil’s flavour quality, it’s time to replace it.

All of that sounds fairly simple on the surface, but the fact is that the complexities of vaping are seldom entirely straightforward. Maybe you find, for instance, that you haven’t saved quite as much money by switching to vaping as you were hoping to save – and tracking your expenses, you’ve discovered that you actually spend more on coils than you do on vape juice. Is that normal? How long should a coil last, anyway? In this article, we’ll answer all of your questions.

How Long Does a Coil Last?

The flavour quality of a vape coil will always degrade over time, and you should replace the coil as soon as the level of degradation reaches the point where it begins to reduce the quality of your vaping experience. This usually manifests itself as a burnt flavour. As we mentioned above, most people find that their vape coils last at least a few days. It’s possible to get multiple weeks of use out of a coil, though, and we’ll explain how that’s possible shortly.

A vape coil can burn out in two different ways.

• A coil can burn out because residue from your e-liquid has collected on the coil’s heating surface. This is the most common reason why coils burn out, and this process can play out over several days or as little as one day depending on how much vapour your device produces per puff. You can tell that residue has begun to form on your coil because it’ll acquire a flavour that’s somewhat caramelised and smoky. That flavour will be in the background at first, but it’ll get stronger as the layer of residue thickens. Eventually, you’ll find it difficult to taste your e-liquid at all. The members of the vaping community have nicknamed this residue “coil gunk.”
• A coil can burn out because it has overheated, and the coil’s cotton wick has been damaged as a result. When a coil overheats, it produces an incredibly harsh flavour with almost no warning. The harshness may be so extreme that it causes you to cough. If you correct the situation before the wick burns, it may be possible to continue using the coil. If the wick burns, though, you’ll taste the flavour of burnt cotton every time you vape. A coil’s wick doesn’t only burn from overheating; it can also singe due to the repeated heat stress of using the coil. If you use a coil-friendly e-liquid, the cotton will eventually degrade after you’ve used the coil for a few weeks. Even if you take very good care of it, no coil lasts forever.

Although it is possible to remove some of the residue from a vape coil by soaking it in hot water, most people find that cleaning a coil isn’t really worth the effort because the flavour quality after cleaning still won’t be as good as it would be with a new coil. If a coil’s wick is burnt, cleaning it won’t resolve the issue; you’ll need to replace the coil.

How Can You Tell Why a Vape Coil Burned Out?

In order to make your vape coils last longer, you need to know why they’re burning out in the first place. The easiest way to determine that is by paying attention to the coil’s flavour. If the coil produces an extremely harsh flavour that makes you cough, it’s overheating. If the coil tastes smoky and caramelised, residue has formed on it.

You can also determine why a coil has burned out by looking at it after removing it from your pod or tank. Look down through the middle of the coil. If the heating surface has turned dark, residue has formed on it. If the coil is still white and shiny, the wick is burnt.

How to Prevent Coil Gunk

As we mentioned above, coil gunk is the most common reason why vape coils burn out – and the culprit for this issue is sucralose. Sucralose is a popular low-calorie sweetener that tastes much the same as real sugar. It’s very popular as an e-liquid additive because it mixes well with propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine and because it can greatly enhance almost any flavour profile.

The problem with sucralose as an e-liquid additive, though, is that it doesn’t fully turn to vapour when it’s heated. A good portion of the sucralose melts and sticks to the coil, eventually forming a thick layer of coil gunk. Eventually, the gunk becomes so thick that it’s almost all you can taste when you vape.

The way to prevent coil gunk is extremely simple; all that you need to do is switch to an unsweetened e-liquid. It’s very easy to tell whether the vape juice you’re using contains sucralose or not because sweetened e-liquid has a flavour that tastes very much like sugar. It also leaves a sweet film on the inside of your mouth. If you don’t taste sugar, you’re using a coil-friendly e-liquid.

Although sucralose is by far the greatest contributor to coil gunk, almost all e-liquid flavours do leave residue behind to a certain extent. The more strongly flavoured your vape juice is, the more quickly it’ll cause your coils to burn out. If you want your coils to last weeks, try using an e-liquid that’s either unflavoured or that contains only menthol.

What If You Don’t Want to Change Your E-Liquid?

When some people learn about coil gunk and discover that they might need to change their e-liquid if they want their coils to last longer, they ultimately decide that they’d rather stick with their current flavour and put up with the reduced coil life. That’s entirely up to you. Only you can decide what your ideal vaping setup is, and only you can decide what is an acceptable amount to spend on replacement coils. If you love sweetened e-liquids and find that using sweet flavours is the only way that you can keep away from cigarettes permanently, then you probably shouldn’t change anything. Even if you need to replace your coil almost every day, you’ll still save plenty of money compared to smoking.

How to Prevent a Coil from Overheating

Although coil gunk is the most common reason why coils burn out prematurely, overheating is arguably even more annoying because it tends to happen without warning. You think you’re about to enjoy a tasty puff of vapour, but instead, you inhale noxious fumes and begin to cough uncontrollably. It’s an incredibly unpleasant experience. Thankfully, though, it’s also fairly easy to avoid. Here’s how to prevent your coils from overheating.

• When you begin using a new coil, don’t start vaping until several minutes after you’ve filled your tank or pod. The coil needs plenty of time to absorb the e-liquid and become fully saturated.
• Always refill your tank or pod before it is completely empty. As soon as you notice that the e-liquid supply is getting low, it’s time for a refill.
• When you puff on your vape, always wait several seconds before puffing again. The wick needs adequate time to absorb more e-liquid.
• If your device has adjustable wattage, make sure that you always keep the device within the suggested power range for the coil you’re using. If you’ve just installed a new coil, set the device to a lower power level while the coil breaks in. Increase the wattage slowly until you’re happy with the intensity and flavour.

Not sure what your coil’s suggested power range is? You can find it on the box. A coil’s suggested wattage is usually also etched into the body of the coil itself. Most manufacturers also list their coils’ suggested wattages online.

Do Some Coils Last Longer Than Others?

Many recent vaping devices include specialised technologies that help to increase coil life. Some of those technologies include:

• Different wick materials such as bamboo fibre, tea fibre and wood pulp, which offer greater heat resistance than cotton.
• Mesh coils, which help to eliminate hot spots by offering more consistent heating and better wick-to-metal contact than traditional coils.

It’s important to note that nothing can prevent sucralose from creating residue on a coil – so although these technologies may improve your vaping experience in other ways, they won’t make your coils last longer if the e-liquid that you use is heavily sweetened. If you’re already using coil-friendly e-liquid and would like your coils to last even longer, though, take a look at our list of the best vapes in the UK and see some of the industry’s latest creations.