How To Prime Your E Cigs Coils

When you start out with vaping you often find that there is a fair bit of lingo to learn. This is significantly less of an issue if you ae someone who is using a starter kit however for those looking to customise their vaping experience there is more to learn, for example, how to prime your e cigarette coils.

Priming Definition

It is important that before vaping (having replaced coils) that your wick or the cotton material within the heating coil element of an e cigarette are significantly wet enough with e juice /e liquid. This process is commonly referred to as being primed or priming. The reason for priming is to ensure that you don’t experience a burnt taste when you vape and it also reduces the risk of the coil being ruined. Priming new coils, bearing in mind that the newer coils on the market don’t absorb e liquids quite so quickly, is essential to maintain the running of the device and to ensure that your vape is as enjoyable as it may be.

Tank Filling and Coil Installation

• Start by inserting a new coil (appropriate for the device) in the bottom of the tank as per manufacturer instructions*.
• In order to aid e liquid saturation, drop a few drips of e liquid into / onto the top of the coil (when using standard coil sizes).
• To aid saturation when using larger than average coils a few drops of e liquid may be added directly onto the cotton that is exposed via holes placed around the coil itself.
• Unless the manufacturer states that a small amount of space in the tank must be left void of e liquid you may at this point fill the tank to full capacity.
• If you're using larger coils you can also add a couple of drops onto the exposed cotton through the holes around the coil.
• By filling the tank fully (or as fully as advised) you will ensure that an effective level of e liquid will be achieved (once the e juice has entered the wicking area).
• Make sure that the device is carefully put back together / screwed on. Do not of course screw the seals on too tightly otherwise damage may occur. Similarly take care to ensure that the seals sit correctly before tightening as this too will likely result in damage.
• Completely filling the tank will ensure that when the liquid enters the coil’s wicking area (where the cotton or absorbent material is situated), that a proper liquid level will be maintained during the priming process and the resulting vacuum can also play its part in priming the coil effectively.

The Priming Process

This is the part of the process which takes the longest. The filled tank needs to settle and sit for several minutes in order to ensure that the coil is fully saturated with e juice. Thankfully this only needs to be done when you replace the coils and the benefits of this small wait far outweighs any short inconvenience.

It is important that you make sure that the coil has been left to saturate long enough (look for dry sections of wicking or cotton in the coil) before you use the e cigarette. If in doubt leave the coil for a few more minutes. It is worth noting that large coils and tanks filled with thicker e liquids (i.e those with a larger concentration of VG than PG in the base) will take longer to saturate so bear this in mind when assessing how long you need to wait before vaping.

If in a desperate hurry you could expedite the process by drawing gently on the e cigarette (WITHOUT activating the e cig with the fire button!) to use the vacuum to move the e liquid in and around the coil more quickly. It can take four or five of these “dry draws” to get the job but don’t draw too hard unless you want a mouthful of e liquid.

The Priming General Rule of Thumb

• Priming does take time so only start the process if you have the time to wait for the coil to saturate and are not in a hurry.
• The longer you leave your coil to saturate the better. The general rule of thumb, depending on the coils and e liquid used is to wait anywhere from five to thirty minutes. We would say closer to the thirty-minute mark to be sure the coil is fully saturated.
• Remember than the thicker the e liquid the longer it will take for the coils to absorb the liquid fully.
• Clear up any spills immediately and keep the rest of the device clean and dry.
• Do not activate the e cigarette until you are sure that the coil has fully saturated.
• Enjoy! Taking the time to set up your e cigarette properly and prime to coils patiently will enhance your vaping enjoyment and prolong the life of the device and its parts.

*Check your e cigarette manufacturer instructions and guidance for the best coils to use and to check how to load coils into your particular device.