If you’ve ever taken a puff from your vape and been greeted by a harsh, burnt taste , you’re not alone. Every vaper, at some point, has suffered that dreaded “Why does this taste like burnt carpet?” moment. And let’s be honest, it’s not just unpleasant, it’s wasteful, frustrating, and can quickly make you feel like vaping is more hassle than it’s worth.
But here’s the thing: burning your coils isn’t inevitable. With a few simple habits, you can extend the life of your coils, improve flavour, save money, and avoid that awful singed taste altogether.
Let’s walk through five practical, no-nonsense tips to stop your vape coils from burning prematurely, all written in a way that’s easy to understand, even if you’ve only just switched to vaping.
1. Prime Your Coil Properly
Think of your coil as a dry sponge. If you heat it before it’s soaked, it’s going to burn fast. That’s exactly what happens when you fire up a coil that hasn’t been properly primed.
Priming your coil means saturating the cotton wick inside the atomizer with e-liquid before taking your first puff. Without this, the wick stays dry and will immediately scorch when heated.
Here’s how to prime your coil the right way:
- Before installing the coil, drip a few drops of e-liquid onto any visible cotton sections on the coil (usually the side slots and top).
- Insert the coil into the tank and fill your tank with vape juice.
- Let the tank sit upright for at least 5 to 10 minutes, give the wick time to soak fully.
- Before pressing the fire button, take a few puffs without activating your device, just inhale to pull the liquid into the coil.
It might take an extra minute, but it’ll save your coil, your flavour, and your patience. Trust us, once you get into the habit, you’ll never skip priming again.
2. Don’t Vape Like a Smoker
New to vaping? Then you might still be drawing on your vape like it’s a cigarette, quick, sharp drags with the hope of a fast nicotine hit. Here’s the problem: vapes don’t work like cigarettes. There’s no flame, no burning tobacco, just a coil that needs time to heat and turn e-liquid into vapour.
Taking fast, aggressive puffs doesn’t give the coil enough time to wick more e-liquid between draws. This leads to the cotton drying out and, you guessed it, burning.
What to do instead?
- Inhale slowly and steadily. Give the coil time to heat up and draw more e-liquid in between hits.
- Avoid chain vaping taking multiple hits in a row without a break. Give your device 20–30 seconds to recover between puffs.
- Think of vaping more like sipping hot tea, not taking shots of espresso.
Once you adjust your style, you’ll notice the difference, better flavour, longer-lasting coils, and a much smoother experience.
3. Check Your Device Settings
If you’re using a vape mod with adjustable settings, this one’s crucial. Your wattage (power output) needs to match the resistance (ohms) of your coil. Running your coil at too high a wattage can overheat the wick and fry it, even if you’ve primed it.
Each coil is designed to work within a specific wattage range, usually printed on the coil or in the user manual. Stay within that range and you’ll be fine. Go above it, and you’ll start burning your e-liquid before the wick can keep up.
Quick guide:
- Low-resistance (sub-ohm) coils (below 1.0Ω) work best at higher wattages, usually 25–80W depending on the coil.
- Higher-resistance coils (above 1.0Ω) require less power, typically 10–20W.
Setting your wattage too low can flood the coil (too much juice, not enough heat), but too high will torch the cotton. So keep things balanced, check your coil’s recommended range and adjust your settings accordingly.
4. Choose the Right E-Liquid
Believe it or not, the type of e-liquid you use can have a major impact on how long your coils last. It’s all about the VG/PG ratio, that’s the balance of Vegetable Glycerin (VG) to Propylene Glycol (PG) in your juice.
- VG is thick and smooth, great for big clouds but harder to wick.
- PG is thin and sharp, ideal for flavour and throat hit but can flood coils if used incorrectly.
Here’s how to choose:
- For sub-ohm devices with low-resistance coils, use high-VG e-liquid (e.g. 70% VG).
- For MTL (mouth-to-lung) kits with higher-resistance coils, stick to 50/50 blends or higher PG (like 60% PG).
Using a thick VG juice in a small coil can clog and dry it out , fast. Using thin PG in a sub-ohm tank can lead to leaking or overheating.
Not sure what to try? Go with something middle-of-the-road like a 50-50 e-liquid until you know what your coil prefers.
5. Keep Your Tank Topped Up
This one’s simple but often overlooked. Don’t let your e-liquid get too low. Once the juice level drops below the coil’s cotton inlets, the wick won’t be able to draw enough liquid. If you fire your device in this state, you’re essentially dry-burning your cotton.
And once you’ve burnt a wick, that’s it. Game over. No amount of topping up will reverse the damage.
Top tips:
- Keep an eye on your e-liquid level and refill before it gets too low.
- Never let the liquid drop below the top of the coil’s wick holes.
- If your tank is hard to see through, shine a torch behind it or tilt it slightly to check the level.
Think of it like driving a car, you wouldn’t wait until you’re completely out of petrol before refuelling, right?
Bonus Tips: A Few Extra Habits That Can Help
- Let your vape cool down between sessions. Constant heat without breaks shortens coil life.
- Store your device upright to prevent flooding or leakage.
- Don’t overfill your tank, especially on top-fill models. Too much pressure can push e-liquid into the coil and cause gurgling or flooding.
- Buy quality coils and avoid knockoffs, cheap coils often use poor cotton or loose wiring.
Final Thoughts
Burnt coils are frustrating, but they don’t have to be a regular part of your vaping routine. With the right habits, priming, pacing your puffs, matching wattage, choosing the right juice, and keeping your tank topped up, you’ll enjoy smoother vaping, better flavours, and coils that last longer than ever.
Vaping is meant to be a satisfying, smoke-free alternative, not a chore. So treat your device and coils with a little care, and they’ll reward you with every puff.Need help finding the right coil or e-liquid for your vape kits? Let us know, we’re always happy to help.