E-cigarette technology is still quite new. Although great advancements have been made in the last couple of years, you may still experience occasional e-cigarette problems and it can be helpful to know how to troubleshoot them. The most common problem you might experience with your e-cigarette is that you puff on it and no vapor is produced. Why does this happen? The most common reason is that the heating coil in the atomizer or cartomizer is dry. However, it could also happen due to a part failure or simply because the battery needs to be recharged.

Dead Battery

If you ever experience a problem such as no vapor with your e-cigarette, make sure that you are working with a fully charged battery or connect the atomizer or cartomizer to a USB e-cigarette. Since this eliminates one potential point of failure, you’ll find that it makes troubleshooting much easier.

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Dry Heating Coil

The most likely reason for your e-cigarette producing no vapor is that the heating coil in the atomizer or cartomizer is dry. The best method for troubleshooting this depends on the method you are using to deliver liquid to the heating coil. If you are using a pre-filled cartomizer or disposable e-cigarette cartridge, it’s either time to moisten the soft filling with a little e-liquid or to discard the cartridge or cartomizer and connect a new one.

No Vapor: Boge or Smok Tech Cartomizer

If you are using a third-party cartomizer that you purchased and filled yourself, the solution depends on the type of cartomizer. If you’re using a Boge or Smoktech-style cartomizer with cotton filling, it’s possible that the top of the filling is wet but the e-liquid isn’t reaching the bottom. Using a syringe or needle tip bottle cap for filling really helps with this as it allows you to force the e-liquid into contact with the heating coil.

No Vapor: CE2 Cartomizer or Clearomizer

If you are using a CE2 cartomizer with a top-mounted heating coil, you may be best off throwing it away and trying a new one unless you’re comfortable with the idea of a little cartomizer surgery. If you take a CE2 cartomizer apart, you’ll find two small openings through which wicks deliver liquid to the coil. If the cartomizer is full, the wicks aren’t doing their job. Some people have reported success by enlarging the two wick openings or by “feathering” the ends of the wicks gently with a knife. Since cartomizers cost at most $2.00 each, this is more work than I’m willing to go through — and if you’ve already filled the cartomizer, the job will be very messy.

No Vapor: CE3 Smokymizer, G4 Cartomizer, eGo-Tank

Bottom coil cartomizers are less problematic but are sometimes unable to feed liquid to the coil quickly enough to keep up with high-voltage or fast-paced e-smoking. When this happens, not only will your e-cigarette produce no vapor, but you’ll also get a burned taste when you puff. If you’re using a variable-voltage mod, lower the power setting or puff less frequently. You might also try using a less viscous e-liquid with a lower percentage of vegetable glycerin. Since e-cigarette tank systems use a similar principle to deliver liquid to the coil, the troubleshooting method is the same; lower the power setting, puff less frequently or use a thinner e-liquid with more propylene glycol and less vegetable glycerin.

In 2012, the University of East London conducted a controlled study of electronic cigarettes with 86 randomly selected smokers. The study concluded that the electronic cigarette can “enhance working memory performance” and helps alleviate the desire to smoke.