Today’s vaping devices are more satisfying, more fun to use and more reliable than ever. At the end of the day, though, vaping devices are still gadgets – and any gadget is going to give you problems from time to time. Is your vaping device displaying an error message? Are you having trouble getting your e-cigarette to charge? Is some aspect of your vaping experience simply not what you’d like it to be? In this article, we’re going to address the most common e-cigarette problems and explain how to fix them. The solutions here are simple, actionable and straightforward. Do you have an e-cigarette problem? Let’s fix it!

What Should I Do if My E-Cigarette Isn’t Charging?

Follow these steps to troubleshoot an e-cigarette that isn’t charging.

  • Check to make sure that it isn’t charged already. Many vaping devices automatically shut their displays or lights off when their batteries are fully charged. Does the device work? It’s probably fully charged.
  • Eliminate the charging equipment as a possible cause of the problem by using a different USB cable, wall adapter or USB port.
  • If your device has a removable battery, check to make sure that the battery isn’t rattling inside the device and that it isn’t installed backwards.
  • If you install a different battery – and your device begins charging properly – you’ll need to replace the battery that isn’t charging.
  • If your device doesn’t charge any battery – and the batteries charge successfully in an external charger – the device’s USB port may be faulty. You can still charge your batteries externally and continue using the device.
  • If you have a device with permanent batteries – and the device doesn’t charge with any USB cable or USB port – you’ll need to replace the entire device. Contact the manufacturer if the device is still under warranty.

What Should I Do if My E-Cigarette Doesn’t Turn On?

Follow these steps to troubleshoot an e-cigarette that doesn’t turn on.

  • Connect the device to a charger. If the battery doesn’t charge, follow the steps above to troubleshoot the charging problem.
  • Press the device’s fire button five times quickly. Most modern vaping devices have a lock function to prevent accidental activation. Pressing the button five times clears the lock.
  • If your device has a removable battery, replace the battery and try using the device. If the device has a fixed internal battery and neither charges nor turns on, you’ll need to replace the device.

What Should I Do if My E-Cigarette Says “Check Atomizer,” “No Atomizer” or “Atomizer Short?”

Follow these steps to troubleshoot an e-cigarette with an atomizer error message.

  • Confirm that your tank or atomizer is firmly seated by removing and reconnecting it. If your device’s threading has a floating center pin, confirm that the pin isn’t stuck. Some tanks and mods have screw threading for manual adjustments. If that’s the case, you can adjust one of the pins to get a more solid connection.
  • If you’re using a tank, disassemble the tank and install a new coil. A coil that’s faulty or not fully seated can trigger an atomizer error message.
  • Check to confirm that your tank is assembled properly. If the tank’s chimney touches the heating wire in the atomizer coil assembly, for example, it’ll cause a short.
  • Confirm that you aren’t attempting to use a nickel or titanium coil in wattage mode.
  • Connect your tank or atomizer to an external resistance tester. If the resistance tester detects a short, the tank or atomizer has a problem. If the tester detects the correct resistance, your vaping device either has a problem, or it has a problem with the tank or atomizer you’re trying to use. Try connecting a different attachment to the vaping device.

What Should I Do if My E-Cigarette Says “Check Battery,” “Battery Low” or “Low Power?”

Follow these steps to troubleshoot an e-cigarette with a battery error message.

  • Charge the battery. If you’re using a low-resistance coil and/or a high wattage setting that demands high amperage from the battery, your device may produce an error message before the battery is actually dead because the battery is depleted enough that it can no longer deliver the target voltage.
  • Use a higher-resistance coil or lower your device’s wattage. If you get an error message soon after charging your device’s battery, your current vaping configuration is asking too much from the battery. You might be more satisfied with a two-battery mod that can operate at a higher amperage.
  • Try using a different battery. After many charge-discharge cycles, the maximum capacity of a lithium-ion battery begins to decrease permanently. The problem may be that your battery no longer has the capacity to deliver adequate vaping time.
  • Check the battery for any signs of physical damage. If the battery has any noticeable bulges, warps, dents or tears, replace it with a new battery.

What Should I Do if I Don’t Like an E-Liquid?

Everyone experiences “vape tongue” occasionally. If you find it difficult to detect the subtle flavor notes in your favorite e-liquid, try using a different e-liquid for a while. You can also try a palate cleanser such as black coffee, lemon, parsley or soda water. When you return to your usual e-liquid, you’ll find that your taste receptors are more sensitive to the flavor profile.

What Should I Do if My E-Cigarette Doesn’t Produce Vapor?

If your e-cigarette doesn’t produce vapor, try pressing the fire button five times quickly; your device might be on standby. If that doesn’t work, confirm that the battery is charged and that the tank or atomizer is firmly connected. If your device has a display, check it for an error message. Troubleshoot the error message by following the steps listed at the beginning of this article.

What Should I Do if My E-Cigarette Is Leaking?

Since an e-cigarette tank typically has several air intake holes at the bottom and a wide mouthpiece at the top, it’s difficult to avoid a little leaking now and then. You can usually minimize leaking if you avoid storing your vaping device on its side. If you experience severe leaking, it’s likely that your tank has an assembly problem. Disassemble the tank. Clean and dry its components. Check the tank’s silicone gaskets for stretching and tearing. If a gasket no longer fits tightly, replace it; most vaping tanks include sets of replacement gaskets. Reassemble the tank carefully, ensuring that none of the connections are cross-threaded.

What Should I Do if My E-Cigarette Is Gurgling, Spitting or Popping?

An e-cigarette tank has a narrow tube leading from the coil to the mouthpiece. Vapor may condense in the tube, eventually forming droplets that drip back down to the coil. When the excess e-liquid pools on the coil, you’ll experience gurgling, spitting and popping when you vape. You may be able to minimize the problem by increasing your device’s wattage or by slightly closing your tank’s airflow collar. You can also run a paper towel down your tank’s chimney to soak up the excess e-liquid. If your tank has mesh coils available, try buying a box. Because mesh coils limit the areas in which condensed e-liquid can pool, they operate very quietly and rarely spit or pop.

What Should I Do if I Get Dry Hits When I Vape?

Dry hits happen because the heating wire in your atomizer coil assembly is dry. Without e-liquid to keep it cool, the heating wire glows red and sends hot, acrid air into your mouth, throat and lungs. To prevent that from happening, always remember to refill your tank before it is completely empty. The e-liquid in the tank should always maintain contact with the wick openings on the side of the coil. If you still experience dry hits, your atomizer coil is drying out when you vape because you’re puffing too frequently or because your device’s wattage setting is too high. Lower your device’s wattage and wait several seconds after each puff before using your e-cigarette again. Remember that if a dry hit is severe enough to burn the cotton wick in your atomizer coil, you’ll need to replace the coil to restore the original flavor of your e-cigarette. A burned wick will always produce unpleasant flavors.

Are you sure that you’re getting a dry hit? Coil residue can cause harsh, unpleasant puffs that are similar to dry hits. We’ll describe that phenomenon next.

Why Do I My Atomizer Coils Taste Burned So Quickly?

Coil residue – vapers usually call it coil gunk – is a major annoyance that can take all the fun out of vaping. The sweetener sucralose is an ingredient of most mass-market e-liquids. Sucralose can make an e-liquid taste as sweet as candy, but it leaves a film on your atomizer coil. As you continue vaping, the film grows in thickness until it begins to burn. At that point, you’ll taste an unpleasant flavor and feel irritation in your throat. To restore your normal vaping experience, you’ll need to replace the coil.

Modern e-liquids are sweet enough to form a film on new coils in a matter of hours. If you want your coils to last longer, try using unsweetened e-liquids. Although all e-liquids can cause an atomizer coil to develop a film after a while, sucralose is by far the main culprit. If you switch to an unsweetened e-liquid, you’ll find that your coils last weeks rather than days or hours.

What Should I Do if My E-Cigarette Feels Hot?

Your e-cigarette should never become so hot that you can’t hold it comfortably. If your device feels uncomfortably hot, discontinue using it and put it in a safe place. Allow the device to cool completely. Before you resume using the device, inspect the battery for signs of damage and confirm that your atomizer coil doesn’t have a short. If everything looks as it should, your vaping configuration might be placing an unsafe load on the battery. Try a higher-resistance atomizer coil.

Many modern vaping coils for cloud chasing have high mass and thus retain heat for a while after use. If you’re using a high-mass coil, your vaping device may feel warm to the touch during and after vaping. That’s normal and shouldn’t cause concern unless the device becomes uncomfortable to hold.

How Do I Use E-Cigarette Batteries Safely?

If you’ve read about vaping in the news, you’ve probably seen reports of a few incidents in which lithium-ion vaping batteries have caught fire or exploded. A lithium-ion battery is a small package that stores a great deal of power, and it’s important that you use and store your batteries safely. Don’t charge your batteries unattended, and don’t carry loose batteries in your pocket. If the wrapper on the outside of a battery has visible damage, replace the wrapper or recycle the battery. If you build your own atomizer coils, build responsibly. Every battery has a maximum safe continuous discharge current measured in amps. Using Ohm’s law, you can determine the current that a coil will draw from your battery at a given wattage. If the current is within your battery’s supported discharge range, the coil should be safe to use.