Priming the coil and why it is important

by Martin B. · April 10, 2021

Taking care of your vaping device is as essential as doing good maintenance on your car or any machinery you use. The coil, being the heart of the vaping device, is one of the most important things you need to look after and the right way at that. Of course, you could just change coils and fire up the device straight away, but I do not recommend doing so.

If you don’t look after your coil, you will have to change it often, which is expensive and leaves an unpleasant, burnt taste in your mouth. The vaping kit will produce less vapor and the taste of the e-liquid will fade away more quickly. Therefore, priming your coil is crucial to getting ideal results for the best vaping experience.

First, a quick reminder of what a coil is, what it is used for and why it is beneficial to prime it.

The coil is found inside the cartridge of your device and is made of a thin wire and a wicking material, usually cotton. What happens on a basic level is that when you fire up your e-cigarette, the atomizer head, i.e., the coil in question, converts the battery’s energy into heat. This vaporises the e-liquid soaked into the cotton, producing a flavourful mist to inhale.

The main benefits of priming your coil

Avoid burnt taste

As mentioned before, you run the risk of getting dry and burnt tasting hits, if you don’t soak your cotton enough. Just imagine a new coil is dry; when you hit the fire button on your device, it is just like burning paper. Inhaling is thus exceptionally unpleasant and will taste nasty.

Flavour of e-juice

Priming your coil helps add intensity to the flavour of your e-juice. By soaking the cotton and the coil the right way (I will talk about this later), you will experience a richer taste from the first hit. Just imagine trying a Banana Vampire Vape Juice with a burned taste, due the coil not being appropriately primed. What a waste!

The lifespan of your coil

Coils need to be changed periodically. The amount of time between replacing depends on multiple factors: How much you use it, power settings, the type of e-liquid used and how well you look after your device. Priming the coil will definitely add to the life span of your atomizer head.

Now we have reached the point where I show you how to prime your coil. It is made of 4 easy steps, but I suggest looking at tutorials on YouTube for additional guidance. You will need your device, the coil, and some e-juice.

Step 1:

Place the new coil onto your device and screw it on. This is useful, because the atomizer itself is rather small and having the device already attached will give you a larger surface to hold, making it easier to handle the coil and the e-juice.

Step 2:

Now is the time to add the e-liquid onto the coil and cotton. I suggest starting at the top. Add a drop or two of e-juice onto the top of the coil, circling at the entrance to make sure it covers the entire surface of the cotton. After each drop, wait for the cotton to soak up the juice. The time this takes depends on how “thirsty” your cotton is; the amount of e-juice necessary depends on the cotton itself. Smaller atomizer coils will take just a drop or two, while bigger ones will take more. Once the absorption of the juice stops, you will know it’s enough.

Step 3:

Now you need to find the juice holes on the atomizer. These are tiny holes on the side, through which the juice is sucked up from the tank during vaping. Adding a few drops of e-liquid here as well will help saturate the cotton properly. In some cases, you will have the material sticking out of the holes, while with other devices the cotton is not showing on the outside. Both are in need of saturation, so repeat the dripping of e-juice here as well until it doesn’t absorb any more.

Tip: During both step 2 and step 3, it is important not to over-saturate, as this can cause flooding, through which the e-juice will get into your mouth. You will see spitting and hear a gurgling sound if this happens.

Step 4:

Before you start vaping properly, have a few dry hits; suck on the device without hitting the fire button to make sure it is working correctly. Take 4 or 5 hits like this, tighten the airflow, if you have one, and you will see an air bubble rising to the top of the tank. After this, you are good to go and start vaping properly.

As you see, your coil demands a special treatment in return for a long-lasting, awesome vaping experience. Note, that each device uses different types of coils, so before buying any kind of coil, check if it is compatible with your device.

Bio
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Martin B.

Ex-smoker, passionate vaper who loves to tell the world about the life-changing potential of vaping. Co-creator of Ecigclopedia with a background in Business & Finance. Prefers a dessert flavored vape and loves to innovate.