My E-Cigarette Has Stopped Producing Vapour, What Should I Do?

You normally vape away without a hitch, but today your e-cigarette has stopped producing vapour? You're puffing away on your clearomiser as hard as you can, but nothing comes out when you inhale? Don't panic. This is a common issue that plenty of vapers run into, beginners and experienced vapers alike. Let's go through the possible causes of this lack of vapour together, along with the solutions to fix it.

E-cigarette: Vapour or Smoke?

Before anything else, it's high time we set the record straight. Unlike a traditional tobacco cigarette, your e-cigarette doesn't produce smoke! It produces vapour. Some might say it's just splitting hairs, but this is a common mix-up, and one that's important to clear up. Smoke and vapour have very different properties. 

Smoke comes from burning tobacco and contains a whole host of toxic substances. Vapour, on the other hand, comes from vaporising an e-liquid made up of propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), flavourings, and sometimes nicotine. Nothing is burnt, which limits the production of harmful substances when inhaling.

So, when your e-cigarette seems to have "stopped making smoke", what's actually happening is that it's stopped producing vapour.

How Does an E-Cigarette Work?

To understand why your kit has stopped producing vapour, it helps to know how it actually works.

An e-cigarette is made up of several parts:

• A battery (or box): this provides the power needed to heat the coil.
• An atomiser (or clearomiser): this holds the e-liquid and the coil.
• A coil: this is the heating element that vaporises the e-liquid.
• E-liquid: made up of vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol, flavourings and sometimes nicotine, this is the fuel for your vape, soaked up by the cotton wrapped around the coil.

When you press the fire button on your device, the battery sends current to the coil, which heats up the e-liquid to create vapour. Some devices don't even require you to press a button at all, instead activating automatically when you inhale. This is known as draw-activated firing. More and more e-cigarettes now come fitted with this system, the rechargeable puff bar being one example, even though it's not technically a clearomiser but rather a cartridge that acts as a reservoir. But let's not get sidetracked, that's not what we're here to talk about today.

Why Has My E-Cigarette Stopped Producing Vapour?

If you've noticed a lack of vapour, there could be several causes at play. Here are the most common issues you might run into:

Power Issues

One of the first reasons you might not be getting big clouds when vaping anymore is that your box's power output may be too low to properly heat the coil. Grab an e-cigarette charger and give your battery a full top-up. Then, make sure the wattage of your battery matches the coil you're using. To do this, it's always worth checking the recommended range given by the manufacturer, which is usually printed directly on the coil.

Poor Contact Between the Box and the Clearomiser

The connector on your atomiser may be dirty, or the connection may not be properly made. This is generally a minor issue. To fix it, clean the contact points between your box and your atomiser, and make sure everything is screwed on properly, without overtightening.

A Faulty or Improperly Primed Coil

A worn-out or burnt coil produces little to no vapour. You'll usually notice fairly quickly, as the taste of your e-liquid will change, and you may even get a burnt sensation when inhaling. The solution is simple: change your coil. If it's a brand-new coil, though, make sure it's been properly primed. Indeed, when you fit a new coil into your clearomiser and add the e-liquid, you need to wait a few minutes before vaping (around 10 minutes). It's also a good idea to vape at lower wattages for the first few puffs, to gradually warm the coil up. 

If you've followed all of this and you're still having issues, the coil may well be faulty, in which case you'll need to replace it.

Not Enough E-Liquid, or Unsuitable E-Liquid

If your tank isn't sufficiently filled while vaping, this can lead to a lack of vapour when inhaling. The coil needs to be properly "soaked" in e-liquid, meaning there needs to be enough in the tank for it to work properly and produce a good amount of vapour. 

The ratio of propylene glycol to vegetable glycerine also affects vapour production. This ratio needs to be suited to your kit and your coil, so be sure to check the usage guidelines on your coils' product pages.

The higher the vegetable glycerine content, the greater the vapour production. Conversely, the lower the vegetable glycerine content, the fewer clouds you'll get from your kit. That said, this ratio also affects how flavours come through, so it's down to you to find the balance that suits your style of vaping.

Closed Airflow

A classic case among beginner vapers. Airflow, a feature of your clearomiser, has a direct impact on your vape. It controls how much air can flow in, and quite simply, if the airflow is closed, air can no longer circulate, so no vapour will be produced.

An E-Cigarette Safety Feature Has Been Triggered

Modern boxes come fitted with various protections (short-circuit, overheating, and so on) that stop the device from working if an issue is detected. When this happens, the device switches into safety mode and stops working normally, meaning your e-cigarette will no longer produce vapour.

So, as you'll have gathered, if your e-cig has stopped "smoking", it's likely down to an issue with the coil, the contact between the various parts, or an unsuitable setting. And remember, it doesn't produce smoke, it produces vapour! Good maintenance and regularly checking your kit will help you carry on vaping with complete peace of mind.

Arthur