Worn-out coils, caramelised e-liquid residue, and a blocked airflow inlet. These are just some of the possible answers to your question, “Why is my vape hot?”
Vape kits are meant to get a bit warm when used! But there is such a thing as being too hot, and luckily for you, 9 times out of 10, it’s a minor user error you can quickly fix yourself.
So if, like me, you can go without a vape battery that feels like a hand warmer or a drip-tip burning your lips when you puff, read on for some quick fixes.
Top reasons why your vape is getting hot
- Chain vaping
- Superlung puffs
- Coil confusion
- Coil Crust
- No airflow
- Wattage is too high
- Battery Issues
Cause#1: Chain Vaping
The leading cause for a vape feeling too hot is that you’re enjoying your vaping session a bit too much!
Whenever you fire up your vape and get puffing, it generates heat as part of the atomisation process. If you’re the kind of person who rarely stops puffing or you really like chain vaping, that heat build-up will get noticeable.
How to Fix It
I recommend using the puff counter that many screen-equipped vapes have to track your intake, which may be more than you thought.
Alternatively, switch to a more potent nicotine strength. This will cause you to puff from it less often, as each inhale will be more satisfying with a higher nicotine volume.
If you are new to vaping, reading our primer on how to vape can also help you fix a hot vape.
Cause#2: Superlung Puffs
Similarly to firing up your vape too often, as mentioned above, another cause of a hot vape or coil is puffing or holding down the firing button for too long, putting the coil through a stressful amount of heat exposure.
How to Fix It
As mentioned above, I recommend trying a more immediately satisfying vape juice so that you aren’t forced to keep the inhale going as long as possible.
Many vape kits will have power cutoff functions to prevent prolonged pocket-firings, though this function may also keep your big puffs in check.
Remember, prevention is the key to preventing dry hits when vaping.
Cause#3: Coil Confusion
Some coils heat up quicker than others! Generally, any coil with a lower resistance (think lower than 0.8ohms) will put up less of a fight against the electrical charge and will start to heat up before long during a session.
How to Fix It
To avoid this, try using a coil with a higher resistance and see if you can enjoy the more moderate levels of vapour production. If you’re committed to sub-ohm vaping, look into coils with mesh interiors for more even, optimised heat distribution.
Keep in mind that if you experience sore throat from vaping, the nicotine strength might be too high.
Cause#4 Coil Crust
It might sound a bit gross, but this is a common cause of overheating and the primary reason for all coil changes.
As you may know, all e-liquid contains VG—vegetable glycerin—which is a naturally sourced form of liquid sugar.
Over time, the frequent applications of heat from your coil will ‘bake in’ some of that sugar, a bit like the spun sugar at a cotton candy stand.
This will gunk up and clog your coil wicks, reducing airflow and drastically increasing heat.
How to Fix It
The solution? Get a new coil! Another thing to look out for is mesh coils; they have a wider surface area for heat distribution, so burnt-in sugar is less common.
What if you have already replaced your coil, but your vape tastes burnt? Well, it could be because you did not prime your coil.
Cause#5: No Airflow
Tightening your adjustable airflow ring or slider will often result in a thinner, more concentrated ‘beam’ of flavour. But the danger lies in letting your airflow close entirely, preventing any cooling air from reaching the coil.
How to Fix It
Always open the airflow slider enough to get a decent stream of air through it. The airflow will provide a cooling action to the coil, carrying the atomised vapour up the mouthpiece towards you.
It can be a balancing act, as a tighter draw means a richer flavour. But be sure not to kill your coil without ventilation, as burnt wicks are the worst possible flavour outcome.
Cause#6: The Wattage Is Too High
It may be that you’re simply firing the device at a too-high power setting, which is causing the coil to heat up faster than it should.
How to Fix It
Take a look at the writing on the side of your coil or the coil’s box. It should list the optimal wattage setting for your kit. Ensure you’re firing it within this range.
Some advanced kits have a Smart mod that prevents firing outside of the optimal range. Activate this mode, if you have it, to prevent this from occurring again.
Cause#7: Battery Issues
If none of these methods improves the overheating issue you’re facing, you may simply be experiencing a manufacturing issue, such as a malfunctioning battery unit.
How to Fix It
If you’re using a vape with a removable battery cell, such as an 18650 or 21700, you can quickly find out if this is causing the issue by trying a different battery.
You can save money by buying a new vape battery or mod on its own instead of a whole new vape tank. If you’re sure the tank isn’t causing the problem, then there’s no point throwing that away when you can instead use it as a spare.
Unfortunately, if your device uses an internal battery that you can’t remove, the only fix is to buy a new vape, as the internal batteries cannot be removed or fixed.
Caution: Catastrophic battery failure is rare, but you should take it seriously when dealing with electronic devices. In the instance that your vape is becoming too hot to grip, or if the battery unit is making any hissing sound, take the battery somewhere safe outside and then dispose of it safely once it’s cooled down.
I know this all sounds rather frightening, but luckily, due to how unlikely this is to happen, this advice is probably never needed. However, it’s important to know how to deal with it should it occur.
Keep Your Vape Cool
We hope these tips have helped you determine what’s causing your overheating issue! If you’ve troubleshot through all these steps and still have problems, we recommend buying a new vape.
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