When should you change the coil ?

Recurring subject: the lifespan of a coil for a clearomiser. How much time is necessary before replacing the coil ? What to do with used coils ? The question poses itself equally for amateurs of reconstructible material (rebuildables) who regularly replace their cotton fiber, but wonder if it is not necessary to also change the resistive wire. What are the indicator signs of the real wear of a coil ? Is there a risk to keep a coil which seems used ? I am going to try to approach all these questions in this article by specifying that it only concerns my point of view, because everyone has their little habits in the matter.

Before/After

The pre-assembled resistances

Let's first talk about the ready-made coils that are commonly used for the clearomisers. The coil motors your electronic cigarette, composed of a steel frame with one or several resistive wires and the fiber which absorbs the e-liquid, generally cotton. Since some time, manufacturers have put in place new coils which use a band of mesh, usually in Kanthal or Ni80. These Mesh coils bring a rendering of flavours more precise and intense to the vape, the production of vapour is equally more consequential, and all that without having to increase the power excessively.

Anatomy of a classic coil

When to change the coil ?

You can worry about the state of the coil when the taste of the e liquid is no longer as fine as before, when the loss of flavour becomes perceptible in terms of sensation. 

The question most asked is "how long will a coil last ?". 3 weeks, 2 weeks, less... The answer is not so simple, because it depends on several factors.

EC coils : from life to death!

• First, a badly primed coil, that is to say it is new, dry, which is not sufficiently primed with liquid it is going to burn the fiber from the first press on the start switch. If the fiber is not too damaged, you will be able to vape with a small aftertaste which can be a  bother. If you have really insisted on the switch, the fiber is carbonized and the coil is good to change.

• The lifespan of any coil is going to, of course, depend on the type of e-liquid used. The more vegetable glycerine there is in the composition of your e-liquid the faster the coil is going to deteriorate. The resistive wire will resemble a barbecue grate after a sausage party, and that is not very healthy. The lifespan depends also on the frequency of use of the vape. Do you vape a lot? The lifespan will decrease, because the coil only wears out when you use it. The flavour used will equally have a role to play, a gourmet or very sweet e-liquid is going to deteriorate very rapidly your coil. 
• Often manufactured on an assembly line, the quality of manufacture of the coil can be the cause. Unfortunately, no one is safe from a defect on certain batches.

What to do with used coils ?

In which compartment of selective sorting must the coil be disposed of ? The coil is not an electronic component. It is made essentially of steel, so can you put it in the bins specifically for metals. No? If you are courageous after having removed all the seals (O-rings). Vape and selective sorting do not make a good household (do not mix well) yet. 

To summarise, your coil is good to be replaced when it furnishes less vapour and the rendering of flavours is less pleasant. It is therefore your experience which makes the difference.

Reconstructable (rebuildable) coils

Fed up with the coil budget ? You throw yourself into the reconstructible ? Congratulations to the joys of the coil. 

Knowing when it is necessary to change (or renovate) the coil is much easier than with the clearomiser coils for a simple reason: we have an immediate visual access on the state of the coil. The change operates itself immediately when it concerns the cotton fiber. Changing cotton does not pose particular difficulty, there is just to verify the right quantity to put in and the fiber must not be stuck in the coil. The fiber must slide inside the coil so that the liquid circulates quietly.

The choice of cotton can turn out interesting in reconstructibility by prioritizing fibers which resist well to high temperatures with a good capillarity. I have a preference for Kings of Cotton and Kendo Vapes.

A cotton full of residues: trash !

Gunk !

For the resistive wire, it is something else. Replacing a piece of Kanthal A1 is not a problem in itself, but when it concerns a complex coil more than ten euros,  think twice. A general rule, you change the coil when it is no longer possible to maintain it. When the cable (wire) seems worn and dirty after a cleaning. There remain traces of gunk, the wire has a rusty aspect? Do not hesitate, change your cable (gunk is carbonized VG which forms a crust around the resistive) !

R.I.P. coil

"According to a study..."

I draw your attention to the works of Doctor Konstantin Farsalinos on the safety of the electronic cigarette. And who interested himself very closely in the question of resistive wires. See on this subject the article "The dry burn in question " on the blog. Doctor Farsalinos questions himself on the physical transformations that coils undergo during a dry-burn. The dry-burn consists of reddening the resistive to prepare it, to put it in shape (to have regular and aligned wraps).

During the heating, transformations could produce undesirable particles during the dry-burn. Doctor Farsalinos draws our attention to this practice of the dry-burn and his works are not finished. We wait moreover with impatience for his next results.

Basic principles for the cleaning of your coil

In the meantime, to be tranquil, it is good to adopt some simple gestures. Whether your atomiser has one or several coils, the principle is the same:

Make a dry-burn to burn all the residues of liquid (VG and aromas) with your box or a Tab. Effect a brushing with a metallic brush or else a ceramic tweezer failing that, rinse abundantly with clear water (without the box or the battery, obviously) for the coil to eliminate all presence of particles. Effect a second dry-burn to tighten the wraps or recenter the coil if needed with a tweezer. The turn is played (there you go), one has a completely clean vape! (The help of an ultrasonic cleaner is appreciable to clean the interstices of the coils).

The coil on the right is at the end of life

The trick is to give back as much metallic shine to the wire. A shine which will tarnish over the course of its normal wear. A blackened or rust-colored cable is to be prescribed.

A coil of this colour needs a good cleaning

The price of your cables will be rapidly amortized because the longevity of cables is much longer if they are well maintained. You can talk about several weeks and even months with the most complex cables! 

One can equally read on the subject: "Correctly use the coils of the electronic cigarette ".