What is E-liquid?

E-liquid, also known as Ejuice or Vape Juice is the liquid which is used in all electronic cigarettes or vapCraige tanks and is made up of four main components which are Propylene Glycol (PG), Vegetable Glycerine (VG), Nicotine and flavourings. The VG and PG part are the carriers of the flavour and the nicotine, they both have different properties and in majority of vape juice they are combined and shows as a percentage for example 50%/50% or 70%/30%, the liquid is heated by the coil element in the vape tank which causes the liquid to vapourise, this is what you inhale when you vape.

What is a coil?

Although widely known as coils, the correct term is atomizer heads. The coil is a component inside the atomizer.
Housed within the tank, an atomizer head contains a coil of thin wire or mesh wire and wicking material, usually cotton. The atomizer creates vapour.

An atomizer head converts energy from the mod/battery and heats the coil inside, this then vaporises e-liquid that is soaked into the wicking material, which is then inhaled by you.

There are many different options to choose, depending on the type of vaping experience you want, this includes different resistances and coil materials.
Ice Vapour
Atomizer heads have an electrical resistance value measured in ohms (Ω).
Depending on the amount of electrical resistance will depend on what ‘ohm’ your atomizer head is.

Atomizer heads generally fall into two categories. High and low resistance. Also known as Mouth To lung (above 1ohm) and Direct to Lung (below 1ohm) A mouth to lung coil will be a more restrictive and produce less vapour and is more suitable for higher nicotine strength e-liquid and with a direct to lung coil this is the opposite.

When Should I Change My Coil?

Whether you’re brand new to vaping or have been vaping for a while, it’s good to know the tell-tale sales for when it’s time to change your coil.

Coils don’t last forever. It is important to take good care of your tank and clean it regularly, this can be done by using warm water and drying the glass/mouthpiece and other elements, always take your coil out before you do this.
There are some recognisable ways your tank will show you that it needs a new coil, as well as a few less obvious ones.

Your vape may taste burnt – this is the most noticeable one, most vapers will experience this at some point, this is when the cotton has burnt and you may get a burnt taste in the back of your throat, when this happens it is time to change your coil.

Your tank is gurgling – some tanks do this anyway, but if it is a consistent thing and you have had the coil in your tank for a while then this may be a sign that your coil may be flooded by e-liquid and its time to change the coil. This can also happen sometimes if the coil has not been fitted correctly, so try taking the coil out and placing it back in again.

The flavour doesn’t taste the same - This one is a little harder to define, but is another that most vapers will come across. You’ll use the same e-liquids as usual but find that they just don’t hit the spot any more. The taste may be very dull, taste a bit odd, or the flavour has completely gone.

Your coil has been used up - This one all comes down to your own personal vape usage. It’s not about how long you’ve had a coil, rather it’s about how often you vape (and occasionally the e-liquid you use!). If you’re a heavy vaper, using your vape throughout the day, you might need to change the coil every couple of days. If you are a regular vaper but not particularly heavy, it could last a week or two. Irregular or casual vapers might find they need only change their coil every four weeks. Whatever your vaping habits, you should consider changing your coil at least once a month.

Leaking - If e-liquid is seeping into your battery or leaking out of the tank, it’s time to do a thorough check-up of your device and tank. Take it apart, clean it properly, check the batteries are okay, then reassemble carefully. If it’s still leaking, take the coil out and inspect it, and the source of the leak could be quite obvious. Whether it is or isn’t, coil replacement is the next thing you should try. Hopefully changing your vape coil will stop you having to buy a whole new unit.