Coil Degradation is a bit of a process to deal with no matter how much paper towel you have if you’re changing a coil or resetting your RBA / RDA Coils for a re-wick, or just generally replacing your Vape Coils!
But what is Coil Degradation and are there any tricks to reduce it and get more life out of our coils?
Coil Degradation happens normally due to the heat the atomizer produces to reach vaporizing temperatures, most coils have Kanthal metal coils and Natural, Organic Japanese Cotton as a wicking material. Cotton Wick’s little fibers slowly get clumped together due to the sticky residue that builds up in them as heat, juice and air pressure from vaping cause them to stick together rapidly, Wicks can even get browned if given enough time.
Coils get and gather black residue with time soon after, turning black and usually juice being black or being darkened at this point being noticeable and needs a reset or blast if its an RDA / RBA setup OR a new Coil if your interchanging pre-made Coil Heads. This residue is a result of your wick getting sticky and clumped together, no longer properly channeling juice to the Coil, resulting in dry hits even if you try to over-saturate the wick.
Sweetener in E-Juices, the Size of your Coil, the Airflow of your Tank / Setup and the Power you are Vaping at in relation to the suggested rating of your Coils are all factors as to how fast this degradation occurs. Also the skill when it comes to wicking and setting up an RDA / RBA come into play as well as Wick quality, Metal Material. But we do have some tips To Reduce Coil Degradation!
sually the Sweeter the E-Juice; the more Degrading the Juice and the VG/PG Ratio is a big factor as well, heavy VG juice and even 100% VG Juices will gunk your wicks up quicker as it is much thicker than PG. You can reduce your Coil Degradation and get more life out of your coils by using 50/50 VG/PG Juices, like some of the thinner Cirrus Juices and ETC.
Nicotine mg/ml Strength has a negligible effect and is not much — if any bit a factor.
If you have a Smok, Especially a Baby or a smaller such Sub-Ohm Tank you can attempt to poke tiny holes in the cotton of the pre-made Coil Head using a sewing needle / bobby pin, only do a few cause if you overdo it this will cause LEAKING!
Poke a Hole, Try it, Poke another Hole, Try it. AVOID LEAKING!
This Can be done to most Pre-Made Coil Heads although please be wary about the size and position of your tiny feeding-holes in relation to the size and shape of the Wick.
If your using a RDA / RBA or RDTA, Clean your housing AND Coils in-between resets often and invest in a nice brush to scrape your Coils as you reset your Coils to remove extra residue to keep the next wicks nice and clean.
Just beware of using a brush thats too abrasive and don’t use something that is going to create metal flakes!
If your Tank gets low on juice, below the holes that let the juice flow into the Wick of the Coil you are going to be starving your coil head of Juice leading to dry hits and much faster degradation. Always keep your Tank no matter the setup relatively topped-off and above the Wick holes!
Consider Vaping at a Lower Temperature / Turning Down The Watts / Voltage.
Less heat just about always unless there’s an airflow or wick issue equals MORE LIFE.
Or alternatively… STOCK UP ON MORE COILS!
Coil Degradation is a drag, but its always worth replacing a Coil Head before it’s all black and gross. While still healthier than a Cigarette, it’s a mild health hazard to say the least as you are supposed to replace your Coils and Wicks at some point in time, especially if they are smaller Coils / Devices.
Don’t go blasting your Coils trying to get every dollar you can out of your Coil Heads, invest in an RBA / RDA / RDTA if your willing to put in 10 minutes to make your own setups. But, you can’t really beat the convenience of Pre-Made Atomizer Heads and in recent years, especially with some of the bigger tanks; they are as good and in some cases better than some of what you can make by yourself in an RBA / RDA / RDTA.
The First of many Blogs from the Web Team here at EZ-Vape Canada. Check back soon for more Vape Hacks, Tricks and Tips with some very interesting Topics coming soon, and if there is any particular topic you would like to request, do so below!
— Edit: We have now posted a new blog on exactly what Coil Resetting is and how you can do it to save yourself money when you use a RBA/RDA/RDTA!
