The e-liquid is a bit like the lung of the electronic cigarette. Without him, she cannot breathe and, above all, she cannot function.
But you still need to know how to fill an electronic cigarette. Not easy, especially when changing vaping models or when you are a novice vaper.
This is why we explain to you how to fill your e-cigarette, what to put inside and how it works depending on the e-cig and the clearomiser you have.
All you have to do is decide which flavour you prefer and find the bottle of e-liquid that excites you the most.
Choose, taste, vape! Here is everything you need to know about how to properly fill your electronic cigarette.
An electronic cigarette, how does it work?
An electronic cigarette needs three elements to be able to function:
- A battery: which supplies the resistance with electricity
- A clearomizer: which consists of the drip tip, the resistance and the pyrex tank
- An e-liquid: a thick liquid substance composed of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, food flavourings and nicotine
When you activate your mod, an electric current leaves the battery in the direction of the resistance. It is a small cylindrical part made up of coils (resistive wires) in metal and is located in the centre of the clearomiser.
The electrons that makeup electricity are isolated by these metal wires. The energy produced (kinetic energy) is transformed into thermal energy. In other words, it starts to heat up in your vape.
A wick of organic cotton composes the resistance of your clearomiser. It wraps around the turns formed by the coils which are themselves twisted to form a sort of spring.
The wick captures the heat and acts as a conductor. It is connected to the e-liquid present in the pyrex tank.
By heating, the wick also raises the temperature of the liquid. This is when propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, the main components of the latter, come into play.
It is thanks to them that you can inhale a dense and delicious fragrant vapour. These substances, with heat, vaporize.
The vapour thus created rises through the chimney (a slot found in the centre of the clearomiser of your ecig) and reaches the drip tip where your lips await it.
There you go, all you have to do is inhale!
Filling your e-cigarette: two possibilities
But to inhale a succulent vapour, your tank must still be filled with e-liquid. How to do it? No need to tear your hair out, we explain what there is to know.
There are several types of reservoirs. Depending on the type of electronic cigarette you have, you will not have the same filing system or even the same form of pyrex.
Pods, for example, use cartridges, sometimes disposable (and often pre-filled), sometimes refillable.
The best thing is to ask the advisers in-store or on the site if you have any questions about your particular vape model.
The product sheet of your e-cig also tells you how to properly fill your vape device, depending on the clearomizer you have.
There are still two possibilities to fill your e-cigarette depending on your clearomizer.
Top-fill clearomizers
Top-fill clearomizers are the most modern and easiest to use. They are designed to be leak-proof but also more practical.
You access the tank through the top cap of your e-cigarette, that is to say, the upper part of your clearomiser.
In general, to fill a clearomizer from the top, you just have to rotate, slide or remove the top cap (a kind of cap).
A specific opening system has been put in place by the manufacturer and is designed to make the filling as quick and easy as possible.
The TFV16 sub-ohm clearomizer from Smok, for example, fills from the top. Its 9ml bulb tank has enough to ensure maximum autonomy for vapers who have a high vapour consumption.
There are also among the clearos with filling by the top cap, the Melo 4 from Eleaf or the Zeus sub-ohm from Geek Vape.
Bottom fill clearomizers
Bottom-filling clearomizers are the most classic and the oldest. Although some manufacturers continue to use the bottom filling system on some modern models, such as the brand new Eleaf GTL tank.
A bottom fill is almost as easy as the first, with the only difference that it can (poorly done) cause fluid leaks.
A bottom clearomiser means that you have to unscrew the clearo from the battery to be able to access the tank and fill it.
Once the two elements are separated, you must unscrew the base of the tank. This is the lower part of the clearomiser. All you have to do is pour the contents of your e-liquid bottle into the pyrex and reassemble everything.
Be careful, with such a filling system, be careful not to overflow your tank. You could risk leaks or splashes of unpleasant e-liquid.
An example: the Nautilus clearomiser from Aspire has this type of bottom filling system.
Regarding the filling of your vape, be careful not to pour liquid for e-cig in the chimney of the clearomiser. This is the hole that you see in its centre. It is through this place that the steam passes to go up to the drip tip.
You don’t want any unpleasant surprises when inhaling!
What to put in an e-cigarette?
E-liquid is the substance that must be put in an e-cigarette to be able to fill it. It can’t be anything other than that.
Why?
Because electronic cigarette liquid is made for vaping and vice versa. It is thanks to the harmony of all these elements (battery, clearomiser, e-liquid) that your vaping experience is successful and appreciable.
Never try to put anything other than e-liquid in the reservoir of your clearomiser. You risk severely damaging your vaping device.
Can you put water in your e-cig?
No, it is not possible to put water in an electronic cigarette. Only e-liquid should be used to fill the clearomiser of your e-cig.
However, some liquids may have a composition that includes water. It is not an essential ingredient for good vaping.
All about e-liquids
E-liquids are odorous and thick liquid substances. They are sold in vials, and their quantity is calculated in millilitres.
The smaller your vial, the easier it will be to transport it. It won’t be bulky and you can go on an adventure without risking a vaping breakdown, a terrible thing…
For heavy vapers, always look at the maximum tank capacity of an e-cig before choosing it.
The larger the tank, the more your autonomy in e-liquid increases.
FYI, a vaper who smoked more than 30 cigarettes a day would consume between 8 and 10 vials of 10ml liquid per month. Take out your calculators and do your calculations to be able to build up your reserve of e-liquids as well as possible!
The composition of e-liquids
- Propylene glycol
- vegetable glycerin
- food flavourings
- Nicotine (optional)
Other e-liquid manufacturers offer formulas with water, alcohol, or even additives.
But we are committed to presenting you with quality e-liquid bottles with a balanced PG and VG ratio adapted to the consumption of each vaper.
Propylene glycol enhances flavours caused by food aromas. It allows, associated with vegetable glycerin, to create steam.
Vegetable glycerin, on the other hand, is the darling of cloud chasers. To produce and inhale huge clouds of vapour, favour so-called High VG liquids, which have a higher rate of vegetable glycerin.
It softens the aromas and gives a sweeter side to the steam. It is also what makes it possible to produce thick, smooth and above all very dense clouds.
What is the role of e-liquid?
For the vaper, the liquid of his electronic cigarette is very important. It is he who flavours his vapour and allows you to go from a basic vape experience to an extraordinary vape experience.
The wide choice of flavours gives the possibility to the vaper to personalize his vaping as much as possible and to have fun.
The most difficult thing is to choose your e-liquids: we would like to taste them all!
To put it simply, the more you enjoy the flavour of your e-liquid, the more you will enjoy vaping, and the easier it will be to switch from tobacco cigarettes to e-cigarettes.
Create your electronic cigarette liquid
If none of the 450 e-liquid flavours appeals to you (which is highly unlikely), or if you want to take the next step in vaping, know that it is possible to create your electronic cigarette liquid.
The DIY of e-liquid (do it yourself) is an ultra-simple method. We have made it even easier for you by offering pre-filled bottles that you just have to mix to obtain your homemade e-liquid.
For a successful DIY, you need an empty bottle, a base of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, nicotine boosters if you want and of course an aroma to sublimate your vape.
You mix everything respecting the doses and voila! Easy, right? Try it, you’ll like it!
How to store your e-liquid?
An e-liquid keeps relatively well. Vegetable glycerin and propylene have an average lifespan of 2 years, whereas nicotine can last 5 years without degrading.
However, this is only possible thanks to optimal storage of your vials of liquid.
It is still advisable to vape the e-liquid within 6 months after opening.
The more time passes, the more your aromas lose intensity. Certainly, you could find an e-liquid dating from 2 years ago, but it would no longer have any taste. So you won’t enjoy it.
To properly preserve your e-liquid, store your bottle in a dry and cool place, at room temperature. Exit the cold of the fridge or prolonged exposure to the sun.
Close it after each use and remember to protect it from UV rays. Rather than slathering it on with sunscreen, store it in a dark place.
Save e-liquid
If you feel like you’re filling a leaky reservoir and your e-liquid is leaving faster than the speed of light, it may not be an impression. No doubt vaping the wrong way.
If you are a vaper who loves direct inhaling or cloud chasing, look no further!
The DL vape consumes more battery and especially more liquid. An overhead draft requires the production of a greater quantity of steam, which depletes the capacities of the tank more quickly.
If you want to save e-liquid, prefer the MTL vape, in indirect inhaling. The draw is tighter and the volume of vapour thinner, but your flavours are explosive and even better with this type of vaping.
And if you want to suck up big clouds, why not alternate the two? Thanks to the airflow ring of your clearomiser you can, in most cases, adjust your airflow.
For MTL vapers, choose non-sub-ohm resistors, that is to say, whose value is greater than 1 ohm.
The lower the impedance of your atomizer, the more powerful your vape, which means it also consumes more liquid.
When to fill the tank of your vape?
Remember to fill the reservoir of your clearomiser before there is no more e-liquid inside. If your cotton wick has no more liquid to absorb, then you risk feeling the dry hit.
What is the dry hit?
This is a very pronounced burning taste that you feel when the cotton of your resistance is no longer soaked in liquid.
You activate your box which sends an electric current, but, as there is no e-liquid to heat, the power burns your atomizer.
This can seriously damage your resistance, or even make it completely unusable. This is why it is advisable to always take a look at your pyrex to check the amount of liquid.
The vast majority of reservoirs are made of transparent pyrex, which allows you to monitor your liquid consumption.
In the case of pods where the cartridge is located inside the vape device, and if it is refillable, some clues can tell you that it is time to fill your clearomiser :
- A taste of light burning
- Less dense vapour
The ideal is to fill your tank when you reach an e-liquid level of 0.4ml (it’s even easier on graduated pyrex).
Initiate a new resistance
The resistance of your clearomiser changes every two to three weeks, or even less if you use High VG liquids.
By dint of being heated, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin clog your atomizer leaving burnt residue.
You must then install a new atomizer. And if there’s one thing you should remember when changing coils, it’s to prime it.
To do this, soak the cotton wick manually with a few drops of e-liquid then fill the reservoir of your clearomiser. Wait about ten minutes, then vape. A bad start will send you straight to the dry hit.
In the case of rebuildable atomizers
Rebuildable atomizers are clearomizers on which you can mount the coils of your resistance yourself. If most have pyrex tanks that must be filled as with any e-cigarette, others do not.
This is particularly the case with RDA-type atomizers, also called drippers.
How to fill a dripper?
The dripper is a rebuildable tankless atomizer. Any normally constituted vaper then asks himself: but how do you fill a dripper with e-liquid?
RDA atomizers feed e-liquid in small drops. Many have a fairly wide tank that allows you to make a short reserve of liquid.
However, the big flaw of the dripper is that it must constantly be re-impregnated with e-liquid so as not to graze the dry hit. Some manufacturers have then set up an ingenious system on some drippers and which is called conquer or bottom feeder.
This consists of injecting e-liquid into the coils using a small tube directly integrated into the box of your e-cig. It is located below and you have partial access to it so that you can squeeze the bottle to replenish your resistance.
This technique is more practical for “filling” a dripper with e-liquid.
How to choose the right dose of nicotine?
When choosing an e-liquid to refill your electronic cigarette, you are faced with several choices in terms of nicotine doses.
To choose your nicotine dosage, you must refer to your consumption of tobacco cigarettes per day. We help you:
4mg/ml of nicotine = between 10 and 15 cigarettes per day
8mg/ml of nicotine = between 15 and 20 cigarettes per day
11mg/ml of nicotine = between 20 and 30 cigarettes per day
18mg/ml of nicotine = more than 30 cigarettes per day
The risks of an incorrect dosage of nicotine
An overdose of nicotine will cause you side effects such as nausea, dizziness and even violent headaches.
On the contrary, an underdose of nicotine will not give you any effect. If you are addicted to this substance, you will immediately be confronted with cravings. You will therefore have the impression of vaping for nothing.
In short: 5 tips for properly filling your clearomizer
- Check if your clearomiser fills from the top or the bottom.
- Fill your tank before it is empty (beware of dry hits).
- Remember to always start a new resistance.
- Only use e-liquid to refill your electronic cigarette.
- Base yourself on your usual cigarette consumption to choose your nicotine level.