Vape Maintenance Guide
How To Care For Your Vape: Vape Maintenance Guide
Vaping is the most popular alternative to smoking, thanks in part to its customisable and reusable nature. However, to truly enjoy all that vaping has to offer, it's essential to take good care of your vape kit.
Reusable vape kits can provide months, and sometimes even years, of long-lasting consistent performance and satisfaction, providing they’re properly maintained. Whether you're using a simple starter kit, a compact pod system, or a more advanced mod, routine care and maintenance are crucial to ensure your device stays in top shape.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about vape maintenance, from basic cleaning and upkeep to advanced tips and tricks. By learning how to care for your vape kit, you can massively expand the lifespan of your device and enhance your overall vaping experience. Now, let’s dive in!
Understanding Your Vape Kit
Before diving into the ins and outs of vape care, it’s important to remember that different vape kits require different levels and methods of care. So, depending on the type of device you have, you’ll need to approach maintenance in a certain way.
The main type of vape kits we’ll be covering here include pod kits, and devices with vape tanks such as starter kits and advanced kits. While disposable vapes are incredibly popular, they don’t require any maintenance at all!
Pod Kit Maintenance
Pod kits are perfect for beginners and intermediate vape fans. While they don’t require heaps of regular maintenance, there are a few steps to consider to keep yours in tip-top condition:
● Cleaning: If using a pod kit, it’s important to regularly clean the pod connections between your pod and the body of the device to keep them free from any e-liquid residue. You can do this with a cotton wool bud dampened with isopropyl alcohol or water. Make sure all connections are completely dry before vaping.
● Pod Replacement: If your pods feature a built-in coil, they don’t require regular cleaning as it’s recommended that you replace them every 1-2 weeks.
How To Clean A Vape Pod
Vape pods with replaceable coils offer the advantage of reusing the pod tank multiple times, which can save money and reduce waste. To maintain your vape pod and extend its lifespan, regular cleaning is required. Here’s a step-by-step guide to properly clean your vape pod:
1. Remove your vape pod from the device and take out the replaceable coil.
2. Pour out any remaining e-liquid from the pod tank.
3. Rinse the pod tank under warm running water until all traces of e-liquid are washed away. Don’t use soap or harsh chemicals, water alone will do the trick!
4. Use a paper towel or cloth to pat the pod tank dry. Let it air dry completely to ensure no moisture is left inside.
5. Once everything is completely dry, reassemble your vape pod. Insert a new coil if necessary, and fill the pod tank with your favourite e-liquid.
Starter Kit Maintenance
Starter kits are a popular choice for beginners and ex-smokers. While they’re incredibly easy to use, they do require slightly more maintenance than most pod kits:
● Cleaning: Just like with pod kits, keeping your starter kit clean is essential for optimal performance and flavour. The cleaning process for starter kits is similar to that of pod kits, with a few additional steps as starter kits feature a reusable tank rather than disposable pods. Read on to find out more about vape tank cleaning.
● Coil Changes: As most starter kits feature a removable coil, these will need to be replaced over time. Depending on your usage, you’ll need to replace your coil every 1-2 weeks, or when you notice a burnt taste, reduced vapour production or unusual gurgling sounds.
Advanced Vape Kit Maintenance
Advanced vape kits, such as box mods and mechanical mods, offer users plenty of customisable settings and features to enhance the overall vaping experience. However, with more power comes more responsibility, so advanced vapes often require more thorough maintenance.
● Cleaning: Advanced vape kits will need to be cleaned regularly to ensure a long lifespan and satisfying vape. This includes cleaning the vape tank, coils and battery connections to prevent residue buildup and possible damage to your expensive kit.
● Coil Replacements: Much like starter kits, advanced vape kits are compatible with replaceable coils. Whether you buy these pre-made or decide to go down the DIY route, your coils will need to be replaced regularly for optimal performance.
● Battery Safety: As advanced kits require a lot of power, the battery elements tend to be far larger than the ones found on regular vape devices. Read on to find out more about battery safety and maintenance.
1. Disassemble The Tank
Remove the tank from your device and separate all parts if possible, including the tank, coil and mouthpiece.
2. Rinse The Tank
Rinse all the parts except the coil under warm running water. This helps to remove any e-liquid residue.
If your tank is very grubby and needs more TLC, you can soak all parts (excluding the coil) in warm water with a drop of dish soap for around 30 minutes. Be sure to rinse thoroughly afterward to remove any soap residue.
3. Dry The Tank
Pat dry the components with a paper towel or clean cloth. Allow them to air dry completely until no moisture remains.
4. Clean The Coil Housing
If your device has a replaceable coil and you want to continue using it, rinse it under warm water to remove any residue. Let it dry thoroughly, ideally overnight, to ensure no water remains.
However, it’s always best to just replace the coil if it shows signs of wear or damage, or if it’s reached the end of its lifespan.
5. Reassemble The Tank
Once all parts are completely dry, reassemble your vape tank. Attach a new coil if necessary and fill the tank with your favourite e-liquid.
6. Check For Leaks
After reassembling the device, check for any signs of leaks. A well-maintained tank should not leak if properly cleaned and assembled.
7. Reattach The Tank
Place the cleaned and refilled tank back into your device. Make sure it clicks into place securely.
Battery Care
As your vape device relies on batteries for power, taking care of them is essential for both safety and performance. Good battery care can massively increase the lifespan of your vape and can reduce the risk of damage of accidents.
When talking about battery care, there are two key areas to consider - charging and storage. Battery storage is only applicable to those using spare batteries, which are often compatible with more
Use The Right Charger:
Always use the charger recommended by the manufacturer of your device. Different devices have different power requirements, and using the wrong charger can damage the battery or the device.
If you’re an advanced vaper who uses removable batteries, use a dedicated battery charger rather than any old adaptor.
Monitor Charging Time:
When your vape is fully charged, try to unplug it as soon as possible. Overcharging can cause the battery to overheat, which reduces its lifespan and can even be dangerous.
If you’re prone to forgetting to unplug your charger, consider looking at devices that use smart chargers. These automatically stop charging when the battery reaches full charge.
Look For Warning Signs:
If your battery gets excessively hot during charging or use, it may be a sign of a problem. Stop using the battery immediately and let it cool down.
If your battery doesn’t hold a charge as long as it used to or takes longer to charge, it might be time for a replacement. Using a worn-out battery can be risky.
Battery Storage
Keep Them Cool:
Store batteries in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. High temperatures can cause batteries to degrade faster, while moisture can lead to corrosion.
Use Battery Cases:
Use dedicated battery cases to store your batteries. This prevents them from coming into contact with metal objects like keys or coins, which could cause a short circuit.
Check Batteries Regularly:
Regularly inspect your batteries for any signs of physical damage, such as tears in the wrapping, dents, or leaks. Damaged batteries should not be used and must be disposed of properly.
E-Liquid Safety
Although taking care of your vape kit is a huge part of vape maintenance, managing your e-liquid properly is just as important for maintaining quality, flavour and safety. Whether you’re a seasoned vaper or just starting out, knowing how to take care of your vape juice is sure to enhance your overall experience.
When talking about e-liquid safety, there are two key areas to consider - handling and storage.
E-Liquid Handling
This section is particularly important for advanced users who prefer to mix their own e-liquid, but the same principles can be applied when using pre-packaged vape juice.
Shake Well:
Shake your e-liquid bottles before use to ensure the ingredients are evenly mixed. This helps maintain consistent flavour and an even nicotine strength.
Use Clean Tools:
If you’re DIY mixing, use only clean bottles or droppers when transferring e-liquid to your tank. This prevents contamination and preserves the e-liquid’s quality.
Label Your E-Liquid:
If you have multiple e-liquids, label them with the purchase date to keep track of their age. Although many pre-packaged vape juice come stamped with a use by date, these can rub off over time. E-liquids can degrade if you have them for a while, so it's good practice to use the oldest ones first.
E-Liquid Storage
Temperature Control:
Always store eliquids in a cool, dry place. High temperatures can cause e-liquids to degrade faster, affecting both flavour and nicotine strength.
While cool temperatures are good, freezing e-liquids can cause them to separate and lose consistency. Aim for a stable, moderate temperature.
Avoid Light Exposure:
Light, especially direct sunlight, can degrade the nicotine and flavours in e-liquids. Store them in a dark place, such as a drawer or a cupboard, to preserve their quality.
Seal Tightly:
Air can oxidise the nicotine in e-liquids, leading to a harsh taste and reduced nicotine potency. Always make sure your e-liquid bottles are tightly sealed after use.
Keep e-liquids in their original bottles with child-proof caps.
Vape Maintainance at myCigara
Here at myCigara, we exist to make the UK smoke-free. By providing vaping as a practical method to eventually quit nicotine entirely, we aim to support our customers in taking that crucial first step on their journey to quit smoking.
We offer a variety of blogs, guides, and expert advice to help you fully understand vaping and ensure the best possible experience.
If you're new to vaping and want to learn more, check out our New to Vaping blog and Basic Guide to Vaping to get to grips with the basics. For seasoned vapers, we have an Advanced Vaping Guide to take your knowledge to the next level.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us or visit your local myCigara store where our friendly staff are always ready to assist you.
Jemma Wolfe
Lead Content Writer @myCigara
I'm Jemma, a writer and ex-smoker with a passion for vaping. Since ditching the cigs over a year ago, I've used a whole host of vaping products to help me stay smoke-free and live a healthier lifestyle.
Now, my goal is to help others along their quit smoking journey by writing expert reviews and providing vaping guidance. When I’m not writing, you can find me curled up with a good book, hanging out with my cats or watching live music.
