Back in the day, vapes were not the most user-friendly devices on the planet. To troubleshoot problems with your box mod, you’d need to go on forums and search for troubleshooting threads or—horror of horrors—make your own thread if you couldn’t find an answer to your question.
Today, vapes tend to be a lot more simple—especially pod mods. Whether you’ve got a pod mod, a box mod, or a cigalike, there are some common signs that your vape isn’t working right.
Instead of browsing around old forums, use this troubleshooting guide to fix common problems!
Your vape isn’t firing—but there’s an indicator light
When your vape is nothing more than a very bad flashlight, you’ve got a problem on your hands. The indicator light tells you the device is powered—but for whatever reason, that power isn’t turning your juice into sweet, sweet vapour. There are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot:
Check if the coil or pod is inserted properly and getting a good connection to the terminals. This is the most common problem—you’ll want to ensure that everything is properly connected. Turn off your vape, remove the pod or coil, then place them back, ensuring a tight fit. The portion of the coil or pod that connects to your vape’s terminals can sometimes get clogged with sugar from juice—wipe the connectors off if necessary.
Clean and wipe off any excess juice from the terminal. The battery terminal is the portion of the battery that connects to your device. Terminals can sometimes get juice or sugar crystals on them, which will impede their ability to deliver a charge. Wipe off the terminals, re-insert the battery, and try again.
Check if your device is holding charge. It’s possible that your device is holding a charge when you have it plugged in—but that the charge evaporates almost as soon as you unplug it. If this occurs, you’ll need to change your battery.
Check if the device works properly with a new coil or pod. When all else fails, you might have a defective coil or pod. Replace it, then see if your vape fires properly!
Your vape isn’t firing—and there’s no light!
Make sure your vape is charged and turned on. We know you’ve probably already checked this, but try again. We recommend letting your vape charge for at least 10-20 minutes before checking if it can retain charge. Better yet, let it charge overnight. Once you’re sure it’s charged—most vapes will have an indicator light to tell you that they’re charging—turn it on.
Check the rest of this guide. Your battery might not be connected properly, there may be gunk on the terminals, and there may be other underlying problems. Check these things, then check the rest of this guide to troubleshoot.
Replace the battery. If you’ve tried everything else, and the vape still won’t turn on, you’ll probably need to replace your battery.
Your vape is firing—but there’s no vapour
Your vape is on, it’s fully charged, the indicator light tells you you’re ready to go, you hear it working, you inhale—and nothing.
What’s going on?
Make sure the airflow collar is open. You can adjust your airflow to get bigger or smaller clouds—and if you adjust it too far, you’ll close off airflow altogether. This is especially common on box mods. Simply adjust the airflow open, and try taking a hit again!
Blow into the tank. Occasionally, air bubbles may form near the airflow that can impede airflow. By blowing into the mouthpiece, you’ll burst those air bubbles and allow for vapour to flow through.
Check your device’s wattage. Box mod coils are a lot like Goldilocks’ porridge—you don’t want them too cold, or too hot. Different wattages should be used for different coils—with some coils, you can even use temperature control. Check the material used in your coil, then adjust your wattage appropriately.
Clean your vape. When your mouthpiece, airflow, or other components are clogged, you may get substantially less vapour—or no vapour at all. Clean everything, then try again!
Try a new coil or pod. As always, you might have a problem with your coil or pod. When all else fails, replace your existing coil or pod with a new one!
Your vape is leaking
Obviously, a leaky vape is a sign of a problem—or so you’d think.
Almost all vapes will leak at some point or another—after all, you’re dealing with a whole lot of fluids in a pretty complex container. Here are a few reasons why your vape might be leaking:
There’s a broken, damaged, or defective seal. Look at all of the seals in your device. Remove them, check them, then replace any defective seals.
Check the juice you’re using. There are a few different factors that can affect how juice flows through your device. First, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got the right VG/PG ratio for your device and coil. We recommend this Ultimate Guide to PG/VG ratios! It will help you find the right mix for your device—and your tastes.
Check your liquid’s consistency—and sugar content. When your liquid is particularly watery—or your juice is very sugary—you’ll see more leaks. Additionally, you might find your coils burning out more quickly than usual. Changing the juice you use can help with these problems.
Replace your pod or coil. You probably saw this one coming. When your pod is defective, you might see leaks. When your coil isn’t evaporating juice fast enough, it can leak out of the mouthpiece and other sections of your vape.
Know that leaks are inevitable. You can take steps to avoid leaks—like the ones we detailed above—but it’s a matter of when, not if, you’ll get leaks.
Your vape is auto-firing
There are basically two reasons that your vape might auto-fire—because it needs to be cleaned or because it’s damaged.
Clean the terminals and airflow collar. Condensate and sugars can accumulate near the battery terminals or the airflow—and that can send mix signals to your device, causing it to auto-fire. Clean your vape regularly, including the terminals, the space where the pod connects, and the airflow collar. This should help the issue.
Get rid of any excess juice. Too much juice can cause your device to auto-fire. Pretty straightforward.
Check your device for damage. If you recently dropped your device, or it was impacted by any other blunt force, it may have damaged the battery, or the device itself. This may cause it to auto-fire—and you may need a replacement.