It’s kinda hard to top a delicious vape juice flavor that you can’t wait to try. But once in a while, something goes wrong during the vaping process, and what should be a mouthwatering flavor profile ends up tasting like burnt chemicals. When your vape tastes burnt, that’s a sign that something is wrong, but don’t lose hope, as there are some key things you can do to prevent it from happening again., even if you’re wondering whether or not you can fix the situation once the e-liquid does have a burnt taste.
What Makes a Vape Taste Burnt?
It’s happened to all of us – we go take a pull of vapor, only to end up with a foul-tasting burnt vape that’s a far cry from the e-liquid flavor profile advertised. It can be accompanied by poor vapor output, spitback, or a harsh feeling along the throat, depending on the exact circumstances.
First, let’s talk about why that vape burns your e-juice in the first place. To do so, we need to cover the basics of what’s actually happening when you go in for a draw of vapor. All vaping systems operate under the same basic technological principles. When going in for a sensational vapor hit, you’re telling the battery to provide power to the coil inside of the atomizer (cartridge, tank, etc.). The coil then heats up, which allows the e-liquid inside of the coil’s wick to vaporize due to contact with the coil’s heat. In turn, this converts the e-liquid into vapor, which makes its way out of the mouthpiece.
Simple, right? Well, sometimes things go wrong. A burnt taste is never a good sign, and can indicate that:
- Your Coil Overheated: Sometimes, your coil got too hot and needs some time to cool down. This happens most often because of chain-vaping – in other words, hitting your vape repeatedly without letting the coil get back down to temperature.
- Your Coil is Dying: If you’re using a coil that’s on its way out, it can stop heating your e-juice properly, causing it to burn the e-juice instead of vaporizing it.
- Your E-Juice is Low: If your e-juice level is too low, there won’t be enough to saturate the wick. The result is that the coil burns the wick instead, causing a burnt taste.
- Your Coil Wasn’t Primed: Failing to prime your coil by letting the wick get fully saturated can lead to burning and dry hits rather than proper vaporization.
- You’re Using the Wrong Coil/E-Liquid: Always make sure you’re using the right coil and e-liquid type (salt nic or freebase nic) to accommodate the vaping hardware that you’re using.
- Your Output is Too High: Sometimes, you have your device set at too high an output, so it burns the e-liquid instead of allowing it to vaporize.
Why Does My Disposable Taste Burnt?
Now, let’s talk about disposables for a moment. If your disposable vape tastes burnt, the issue is usually far simpler, because there’s little room for human error since you can’t adjust the coil, fill the cartridge, prime the coil, or change the output level yourself.
- If your disposable vape tastes burnt way before the device should be on its way out, it can be a manufacturing error, like a coil that wasn’t properly connected, or a battery malfunction.
- If you’ve been using your vape for a while, consider that the burnt taste is a sign that the e-juice level is low, even if the battery is still operational, and consider that a good time to replace your disposable device.
Taking too many puffs in quick succession can also dry out the wick faster than the e-liquid can soak it, leading to dry hits and a burnt taste. Give your vape a little break between puffs to allow the wick to re-saturate.
Why Does My Vape Taste Burnt, Even with a New Coil?
So far, we talked a lot about the most common culprits behind the reasons why your vape may taste burnt. And, the most common reason of all is that you simply need a new coil. Coils aren’t meant to last forever; hence they do need to be replaced pretty frequently. In fact, a burnt taste is usually the first sign that it’s time to replace that coil.
If you’ve a new coil, again, consider one of the reasons above, such as the possibility that the coil wasn’t primed properly, or you’re vaping at too high of a wattage level. If you need a refresher course on priming, go ahead and look up the steps – they’re quite simple – to make sure you’re doing it right, to prevent burning.
Why Does My Vape Keep Hitting After I Stop?
Another relatively common issue that people have is that their vape is still hitting after they stop pulling/pressing down on the firing button. You’ll know that this is happening if you hear the “ssss” sound even after you’re finished taking a puff, and you may see vapor coming out of the mouthpiece.
Usually, when this happens, it means that there’s debris somewhere in the airflow channel. In this case, you can try sticking a small object into the mouthpiece to see if you can dislodge it. Auto-firing can otherwise mean that your device has experienced too much wear and tear, and it must be replaced. Otherwise, it’s simply a sign of faulty manufacturing, and you should buy a replacement.
How to Fix a Burnt Vape
Time to cover what you can do once your vape tastes burnt:
- If you’re using a disposable, you should wait a few minutes and try to take another pull.
- If your disposable continues to release burnt-tasting vape juice, you will want to just replace the device entirely.
- If you’re using a standard mod system with a refillable cartridge or tank, try replacing the coil first to see if that remedies the solution. Also, remove the e-liquid in the tank/cartridge, and replace it with fresh juice.
Burnt Tastes Happen But Then Can Be Avoided
Yes, burnt-tasting vapes can happen to anyone, for all kinds of reasons. Thankfully, there are usually simple remedies that don’t require replacing all of your equipment and juice. Whether you’re using a disposable, a pod system, or a box mod system, you can make some simple adjustments to stop getting those poor-tasting hits of vapor. At Vape Juice Depot, we carry everything you need to prevent burnt hits from happening, from high-quality coils to hardware that is made from the best brands in the industry.