This is the Internet’s most comprehensive guide to fixing a disposable vape. Disposable e-cigarettes have been some of the hottest products in vaping in 2020 ever since a new U.S. government policy created some significant changes in the products available on store shelves.

At the beginning of this year, the U.S. government instituted a ban on most flavoured e-cigarette pods and cartridges in an effort to curb teen vaping. The ban, however, left disposable vapes untouched – so within a few months, the market was absolutely flooded with them. The United States is the world’s biggest vaping market, so where the U.S. market goes, the rest of the world follows. As disposable e-cigarettes began to flood the U.S., they also appeared here.

Disposable e-cigarettes are the perfect vaping products if you’re looking for a smoke-free alternative for a part-time smoking habit or simply want to vape in the easiest and most convenient way possible. Although today’s disposable vapes look a bit different from the disposables of the past, the technology has changed very little over the years – and that means you can generally expect a disposable e-cigarette to be extremely reliable. 

So, what do you do if your disposable e-cigarette isn’t working? That’s what we’re going to explain in this article. This is your complete guide to fixing a disposable vape.

Gradual Decline in Performance Is Normal

The first thing you need to understand about disposable vapes is that most of them are only good for about 200 to 1200 puffs. If puffed so frequently that the atomizer coil becomes very hot during use, though, you may get fewer puffs out of a disposable vape. If you find yourself getting smaller vapour clouds or weaker flavour out of a disposable e-cigarette that you’ve been using for a few days, that’s completely normal. The device is nearly done. 

Disposable Vape Not Hitting and Has Never Worked

If you have a disposable vape that has never worked, the problem might be as simple as an improper assembly. A disposable vape uses multiple gaskets and pads to help prevent problems like leaking and spitting. If those small components aren’t assembled correctly, though, they can block airflow and prevent the device from working at all. If you have a disposable vape that has never worked properly, there’s a good chance that you can fix it yourself, depending on the brand. For example, Allo has the ability to be taken apart, while Nic-it disposable vapes can not.

Start by prying the mouthpiece off of the top of the disposable vape. Under the mouthpiece, you should see a fabric pad that’s there to catch stray droplets of e-liquid. Can you clearly see a hole in the centre of the pad? If not, remove the pad with tweezers. Under the pad is a silicone or rubber stopper. The stopper has a tube in the middle, and air needs to flow through the tube for the device to work properly. You can use a toothpick or thin wooden skewer to open the tube, or you can remove the stopper with tweezers and reposition it. After you’ve done that, replace the fabric pad and mouthpiece. If your disposable vape wasn’t working because air wasn’t flowing through it, this process should fix the problem.

Disposable Vape Gurgling, Spitting or Leaking

The most common problems with disposable vapes are gurgling, spitting and leaking – and when those things happen, it’s almost always because you’re puffing on the device as firmly as you would puff on a cigarette. With a cigarette, the way to get more smoke is by puffing more firmly because that’s what makes the cigarette burn down faster. 

With a disposable e-cigarette, on the other hand, the vapor production depends on the device’s operational wattage and the efficiency of the atomizer coil. The way to get more vapour is by puffing more deeply – not by puffing harder. If your disposable e-cigarette begins to spit, gurgle or leak, it’s because you’re puffing so firmly that you’re drawing e-liquid into the device’s centre air tube. You should puff with just enough air pressure to make the device’s light turn on.

If your disposable vape is gurgling, you can encourage the e-liquid to flow back down the air tube by tapping the device gently. Stop vaping for a few minutes to let the e-liquid absorb back into the device’s wick.

Disposable Vape Burned Taste

If you examine the internal components of a disposable e-cigarette, you’ll find a large piece of wet gauze wrapped around the device’s atomizer coil. When you use the device, the atomizer coil vaporizes the e-liquid suspended in the portion of the gauze that touches the coil. Through the process of absorption, the dry portion of the gauze absorbs more e-liquid. If you don’t wait between puffs, though, you’ll use your device before the gauze has time to get wet. That’s what causes a burned taste; if you wait between puffs, you won’t experience that problem.

Don’t forget that a disposable e-cigarette is good for a limited number of uses. If the device is depleted of e-liquid, it’s time to replace it. A burned taste could simply mean that there’s no e-liquid left in the device.

Disposable Vape Giving Weak Hits

The final problem that you might experience with a disposable vape is weak hits. No matter how often you use the device, you find that you just can’t seem to get a nice, satisfying puff. If that’s what you’re experiencing, the first thing you should check is the device’s nicotine strength. Many disposable vapes come in two nicotine strengths: a lower strength in the range of 20-25 mg/ml and a higher strength of around 40-50 mg/ml. If you’re using the lower strength and aren’t happy, you should consider trying the higher strength.

The other reason why you might get weak hits with a disposable vape is because the device’s airflow sensor doesn’t work well, causing the device to switch on and off when you inhale. If that’s happening, you may be able to fix the problem by tightening the device’s airflow to force more air over the sensor. Do that by placing a finger over the device’s air intake vent when inhaling.