Dry Hit After Refill: What to Do

Technical guide · Puff Club Vape Leduc

Part of Coils, priming and burnt hits

A dry hit is a sharp, burnt-tasting inhale that happens when the wick inside your coil has little or no e-liquid on it. Instead of turning liquid into vapor, the coil heats a near-dry wick, and you taste scorched material. Dry hits are common right after a refill because the fresh liquid has not yet soaked into the wick. This guide explains why the problem happens, how to fix it, and how to prevent it.

Why it happens

A coil has a heating element wrapped around a wick. The wick is the absorbent material, usually cotton, that draws e-liquid to the heating element. When you refill a tank, the wick needs time to become fully saturated again. If you fire the device before that happens, the dry portion of the wick overheats and produces a dry hit. Firing means pressing the button that sends power to the coil.

Several conditions make this more likely:

• The wick is not primed. Priming means soaking a new or dry wick with e-liquid before first use.
• Air bubbles are trapped against the wick ports. These are the small openings where liquid enters the coil. A bubble blocks the flow of liquid.
• The wattage is too high for the coil. Wattage is the power setting on your device. Excess power heats the coil faster than the wick can supply liquid.
• The e-liquid is too thick. Liquid made with a high ratio of VG, or vegetable glycerin, is thicker and wicks more slowly than liquid with more PG, or propylene glycol.
• The coil is near the end of its life. A worn wick absorbs liquid poorly and scorches easily.

Step-by-step fix

1. Stop firing immediately. Every dry hit scorches the wick further. Once a wick is burnt, the taste usually cannot be removed.
2. Set the device aside and let the liquid soak. Wait five to ten minutes with the tank upright. This gives the wick time to pull in fresh liquid.
3. Take a few unpowered draws. Inhale gently through the mouthpiece without pressing the fire button. This pulls liquid into the wick ports and clears air locks. Do not draw too hard, as strong suction can flood the coil.
4. Clear trapped air bubbles. Hold the tank upright and give it a few gentle taps, or tilt it slowly in a circle so liquid covers the wick ports. If you see a bubble against a port, a light tap usually releases it.
5. Lower the wattage. If your device has adjustable power, reduce it to the low end of the range printed on the coil. Begin there and increase gradually until the vapor feels right.
6. Check the liquid level. Keep the tank at least a quarter full. Low liquid exposes the upper wick ports and starves the coil.
7. If the burnt taste remains after these steps, replace the coil. Prime the new coil before installing it, then fill the tank and wait the same five to ten minutes before the first fire.

Prevention

• Prime every new coil. Put a few drops of e-liquid directly onto the exposed wick openings before installing the coil, then fill the tank and wait before firing.
• Let every refill soak. After topping up, wait five to ten minutes before you vape, even if the coil was already primed.
• Match the liquid to the coil. If your liquid is high in VG and you get dry hits, choose a coil rated for thicker liquid, or use a liquid with a higher PG ratio.
• Stay within the coil's wattage range. The recommended range is printed on the side of the coil. Running at the high end of the range, or above it, can cause dry hits.
• Avoid long back-to-back draws. Give the wick a few seconds between puffs so it can resaturate.
• Replace coils on schedule. A coil typically lasts one to two weeks depending on use. If dry hits keep returning on an old coil, a fresh coil is usually the fix.

This guide is general technical information and is not medical or legal advice.