In recent years, the popularity of vaping has gone through the roof. This is due to factors like people trying to quit smoking cigarettes and the appeal of the great selection of e-juice flavours.
The biggest and most innovative vape brands have developed and launched countless new vaping devices to accommodate new vapers. Beginner vape kits are designed for simplicity and make it easy for people to transition from smoking cigarettes to vaping. Meanwhile, more advanced users can explore vape kits that allow them to tailor their vaping experience with different modes and settings.
But regardless of your experience level, most vapers will encounter problems with their device at some point in their vaping journey. One of the most common issues being overheated vapes. Having an understanding of any potential issues will minimise the risk of you damaging equipment while also improving your overall vaping experience.
This article will focus on overheated vapes. We’ll be exploring the main reasons your vape will get hot, how to identify them, and how to avoid this problem and keep your vapes cool all day long.
Identifying The Hot Spot
To put it in simple terms, a vape works by sending power from the battery to the atomizer coil. This heats up and vaporises the e-liquid which can then be inhaled.
Because of the way a vape operates, it will naturally emit heat. If you notice the vape is warm, don't panic, this is meant to happen.
More experienced users will quickly understand what kind of heat levels you can expect but If you have noticed that it's getting hotter than usual, knowing how to identify the cause will help you to resolve it. Failure to do this could damage the vape kit and even become dangerous in some cases.
Common Causes Of A Hot Vape
More often than not, a hot vape will be caused by one of the following common causes. Learning about these will make it easier to avoid.
If you feel your vape getting hot, stop using your vape immediately. Try to determine the cause before resuming to minimise damage.
Chain vaping
One of the most common causes of a hot vape is chain vaping, which is when you take frequent hits off your vape with short or no breaks. Continuously vaping means the coil won't have the opportunity to cool down. This can result in vaping temperatures getting steadily higher and higher and lead to an overheated device.
Vapes typically have insulated cases to protect users' hands while vaping. However, the heat can pass through to the exterior if there is not enough chance to cool down.
When this happens, you'll tend to find the heat localised at the bottom of the vape. The vapes body may also start to warm up.
Coil gunk
Coil gunk is another common issue that can cause your vape to heat up. This is because coils with an accumulation of gunk will struggle to wick e-juice. This will result in the coil overheating and poor performance.
If you have noticed a lack of vapour and dry puffs along with excess heat, this could be the problem.
This type of problem is most common with direct-to-lung (DTL) vaping as it uses a higher VG ratio. High VG e-liquid is much thicker and coils need to work hard to absorb and vaporise it. Leftover VG can develop into coil gunk over time.
Cleaning your coils, or switching them out with high-quality replacement coils will minimise the risk of this occurring.
Restricted juice flow
The design of your vape tank or the viscosity of your e-liquid can restrict vape juice flow. This also causes wicking problems and similar issues to that of coil gunk.
A sub-ohm tank will be better designed for thick, high-VG e-liquids. Other tanks may have liquid flow control capabilities and opening this up will help.
As well as ensuring that the e-liquid is compatible with the tank, you should check it is compatible with the wick material too.
Incorrect wattage or temperature settings
Progressing to an advanced vape kit opens up the ability to tailor your vaping experience by switching between different coils and setting a different wattage. However, it’s important to remember that setting your vape at a higher wattage output means you’ll be more likely to have problems with overheating. Experienced users will be able to determine too high a wattage for their e-liquid, but this can take a bit of time to get used to.
Tiger coils, made of Kanthal wire, and Clapton coils can perform well under higher wattages and temperatures, so you may want to consider switching over to these if you prefer high wattage vaping.
A high wattage will produce vapour quickly, but it can take a bit of getting used to, which is why we recommend leaving this to more experienced users.
Overheated battery
If you feel your vape getting hot and suspect your battery might be overheating, it's essential that you stop vaping immediately.
If this happens you should disconnect the battery from the vape tank and place the mod in a safe area without flammable items nearby. These precautions should be taken in case it results in a battery fire.
If the battery is too hot to touch, place the vape kit in a cool and safe area and allow it to cool down. Consider investing in a replacement battery if you continue to have frequent issues with it overheating.
Vape batteries will naturally warm up when your device is in use. However, hot batteries can be dangerous so you should avoid leaving them in direct sunlight or other areas where they can heat up.
Batteries should be able to withstand external temperatures of up to 60°C and internal temperatures of up to 80°C. However, these are maximums and your battery should never be exposed to extremes in heat.
To stay on the safe side, you can also switch to using vape kits which offer great safety features that can protect against overheating, such as the Voopoo Drag X Pro
Heating up while charging
You might have vape kits that can also get hot when they're being charged. Many new vape kit designs, like the Vandy Vape Pulse V2 95W Squonk Box Mod, have overcharge protection as a safety feature. However, you should never leave a charging vape unattended regardless.
The heat is caused by a chemical reaction in the battery as it receives and stores energy. You will notice something similar happening when you charge your mobile phone.
You should only use chargers that have been specifically designed for your vape. If it starts to get too hot to touch, you should unplug it immediately and move potentially flammable items from the surrounding area. You can then let it cool naturally and start using your vape again once it’s cool to the touch.
Insufficient airflow
If your vape is getting too hot, the danger of the vapour you inhale being too hot as well increases. The last thing you want is a mouthful of scorching hot vapour.
If this is the case, adjusting your airflow will allow more cool air to mix in and cool it down. You should also consider lowering your wattage.
Conclusion
Hot vapes happen from time to time and it's important that you don't panic. Calmly checking the device for the cause should help you determine the best solution.
If the vape device is extremely hot, you should ensure it's not attached to a charger and is placed somewhere safe to cool down.
If you chain vape, try to allow more time in between puffs for the coils to cool. You should also ensure your coils are clean and you're using the correct e-liquid for your device.
If you have any doubts, always exercise caution. Safely using your vape kit is essential and learning the causes of your vape heating up should be a priority for all vapers.
Have any more vaping questions in mind? Feel free to contact our team of experts, we’ll make sure you have the best and safest vaping experience possible!
