Why Is My Vape Leaking?

You’ve probably dealt with a leaking vape tank or you’re about to deal with one. It can be a frustrating and messy experience and embarrassing at times. As much as you would like to blame your tank or the entire vape mod, sometimes it’s your fault. Knowing how to fix the leaks or even prevent them all together can come in handy in helping you avoid the same situation.

15 Excellent Tips To Fix A Leaking Vape

1. Fill the tank properly

Most leaks are as a result of how you fill up the tank. Most atomizers have a central tube that goes all the way up to the mouthpiece. While re-filling, if you get any of the liquid into the central tube, then you will have some leaking problems accompanied by some gurgling.

Why not read: 7 Reasons Why Does My Vape Taste Burnt?

Take precaution not to have any of the e-liquid in the central tube. The best approach is to fill up the tank while tilting it. Also, leave some space in the tank. It helps to keep the e-liquid in the chamber.

2. Make sure everything is tightened up

You have to make sure all the components are properly screwed in. If there’s any gap, you will definitely have the liquid flowing out. Some of the areas you need to double check include;

• The base where the atomizer and the tank meet
• The area where the vape coil and the base of the atomizer meet

You can avoid the mess by ensuring you properly re-attach your atomizer head to the base and the base of the tank.

For extra precaution, check the atomizer head even if you haven’t touched it. Sometimes, it comes loose when unscrewing the tank. Try to avoid cross-threading when screwing things back. It causes the seal to have gaps that the liquid can escape from.

3. Not too tight!

Screwing everything too tight will only assure you of a leak-free tank for a short time. In the long run, it does more damage than good for your equipment. When you over-tighten, you damage the O-rings found where the parts of the tank meet.

The O-rings create the perfect seal and keep the liquid inside. By screwing the parts too tight, the O-rings can split creating an escape route for the liquid. Make sure you screw everything firmly but don’t put too much strength into it.

4. Keep the tank upright

It’s important to keep the vaporiser upright at all times even when you’re taking a break from vaping or not using the vaporiser. The vertical positioning of the vaporiser is even more important if the tank is less than half full.

In a horizontal position, some of the juice holes are exposed and the e-liquid uses them to make a run for it. The juice will flow out into the central tube or the air flow holes and eventually you have the same problem of leaking. You can avoid all these by keeping the vaporiser in a vertical position.

5. Use the Correct Coils

Even for tanks that come with replaceable coils, it’s important to make sure you use the correct coil for the right juice. If you’re using high VG liquids which tend to be thicker, it’s better to use low resistance coils while PG liquids work better with higher resistance coils.

If the coils are interchanged, the thicker consistency of the VG liquids will clog up the small holes of the higher resistance coil and cause leaking. Also, the coil will not be able to vaporise all the liquid in time which will also lead to leaking.

6. Check the O-rings

If you still have the leaking problem yet you have checked that your tank is filled up right, there is no cross-threading and all the parts are firmly screwed, the O-rings could be to blame. Other than over-tightening, O-rings can also fail because of degradation. You should check them regularly and make sure they’re replaced if you notice any damage.

Why not read: How To Clean Vape Coils

Sometimes, they might be just out of position. If that’s the case, just reset them and put everything back together.

7. Having more seals

In some cases, you might need to have more seals to keep your e-juice in the right place. However, some vaporisers like the Aspire Triton run into problems if you try this and they start leaking. If you find yourself in a similar fix, you can correct it by cutting the tip of the drip cover off so you just have the ring that you can place on the upper threading which is usually the cause of the leak. This tip also works for the Nautilus.

8. Bump up the power settings

Flooding is one of the leading causes of leaking. When the week has too much juice and the coil cannot vaporise all of it, you get tons of excess liquid coming out of the coil housing.

The best and simplex fix is to set the power or voltage setting higher for better vaporisation. If you decide to try this fix, you should know that you will have more vapour and the elements of the flavour might change.

9. Add more wicking material

This is a good alternative to increasing the power setting and works particularly well with RBA. The cotton around the coils should be just enough and should not bunch on either side when pulled. It should also not be too tight since it will keep the liquid from getting to the coil.

But, this tip only works for people with RBAs. It is not advisable to try and modify stock coils.

10. Try juices with a higher VG ratio

If you have a stock coil and you can’t add the wick, you can try going for I Love VG juices. They are thicker and will be soaked less rapidly by the wick which will solve the flooding and leaking problem. This is a particularly neat fix if you don’t want to have to deal with the increased vapour and changing flavours.

11. Change your vaping technique

This tip is, particularly for new vapers. If you still have leaking problems, the problem could be your vaping technique, especially how you inhale.

When inhaling, it should be slow and soft. Unlike when smoking a cigarette, going hard does not achieve anything. In fact, it only serves to pull liquid into the coil housing. You might end up sucking some and what is left will potentially end up leaking. Take long but soft puffs for the best experience.

12. Reduce Condensation

Of all the factors that we have covered on leaking, condensation is the one you have the least control over. When you fire, you don’t inhale all the vapour produced. What is left condenses into the mouthpiece of the centre tube.

Over time, it builds up and starts causing leaks. You can prevent this by inhaling as soon as you fire up the e-cig. Once you finish inhaling, take your finger of the fire button.

You can also use a paper towel to get rid of any accumulated e-liquid out of the tube by removing the tank and soaking up the excess by blowing firmly through the mouthpiece.

13. Go for leak resistant tanks

These types of tanks will cost you more but they will save you the trouble. A good example is the Aspire Nautilus X. Its airflow is at the top of the tank and the bottom is completely sealed out. Even though it might not be the ideal tank for every vaper, it’s expected there will be more such tanks flooding the industry soon.

14. Change the coil

If you’re clearomizers is suddenly leaking, you might want to check the coil. In most cases, the leaking comes right before the coil gives up and you start getting that burnt taste. If you change the coil, don’t forget to prime before you start using the new coil.

15. Keep the device in a cool place

Vape juice is notorious for breaking down. If it’s left under intense heat like in car out in the sun, it becomes thinner and runs through the coil leaking out. To prevent this, make sure you keep your clearomizers in a safe and cool place.

If you carefully follow these tips, you can drastically reduce your chances of suffering from leaks. If they do happen, you have complete knowledge on the steps you should take to identify the problem and correct it.