Priming A Coil
All vapers have been through it. You put in a new coil on your atomiser or tank, vape it, and get a nasty surprise in the form of burnt cotton. It hurts your throat, taste buds, and, most importantly, your pride.
You think you’ve graduated from being a noob to becoming an intermediate vaper, all because you’ve successfully replaced the old coil head on your atomiser.
But it all went up in smoke.
Not only have you ruined your triumphant moment, but you’ve also ruined your coil.
What Does Priming Do?
The reason why you’ve ruined your coil head is that the cotton inside has been burnt.
Unless you built your own coil, you’ll need to put in a new one.
While skipping the priming step on a rebuilt coil can easily be remedied by simply adding a new wick, those who use disposable coil heads aren’t so lucky.
The reason why it’s important to prime a coil is to ensure you don’t burn the cotton prematurely.
To prime, a coil is to ensure that e-liquid has fully saturated your wick and that the juice flow (for tanks) is all set and ready to go.
Without priming, the coil gets red hot on dry cotton. We all know what that means—a nasty burnt wick.
How to Prime A Coil?
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve rebuilt your own coil or use a disposable one; priming a coil is the same for both.
However, there are differences between atomisers and tanks.
To prime a coil for atomisers:
- Slather a generous amount of e-liquid on the wick
- If the wick and coil are inside a coil head, put in about 5 to 7 drops (depending on how large the wick is)
- Do a visual check to ensure the wick is fully saturated
- Wait for about five minutes before taking your first puff
Done. It’s straightforward, and while some may feel like it’s a waste of time, believe me, it’s a small price to pay to ensure you get a perfect vape the first time around.
For tanks, the procedure is similar, save for a few extra steps:
- Place several drops of e-liquid onto the wick.
- Once the wick is saturated, place it inside the tank
- Fill the tank accordingly
- Take a few dry pulls – meaning you take a few drags without activating the atomiser – so that the e-juice starts flowing into the juice holes to the wick.
- Let the tank stand for about 5 minutes to make sure the wick is saturated correctly
Save for a couple of extra steps, priming a tank’s coil is just the same as with atomisers.
Why Prime at All?
Aside from the apparent burning of the wick, what are the other benefits of priming a coil?
- Better Taste!
First off, it improves the flavour significantly. Ensuring the wick is fully saturated means you won’t get any burnt tastes whenever you vape.
Just the full flavour of the e-juice.
You can still use a burnt wick for vaping, but be aware that each vape you take will have a burnt flavour, ruining the whole experience.
- Longer Lasting!
Another reason is that priming adds to a coil’s longevity.
Burnt wicks reduce the life of coils. By priming the coil, you ensure that it is tempered by a fully saturated wick each time the coil burns hot.
Coils that are allowed to burn freely without a wet wick will always wear out quicker than ones cooled by saturated cotton.
The next time you use a new coil, whether a rebuilt one or a disposable one, always make sure you prime the wicks properly.
Sure it takes a few minutes to do so, delaying the time you can take a drag off it, but doing so ensures the best flavour and the best performance out of the coil.
You may think that priming a coil is a waste of time, but from one vaper to another, believe that it’s all worth it. Once you make a habit of it, you will appreciate the benefits of priming a coil.
