Dry Hits?
Posted by Courtney McElligott on Sep 9th 2016
One moment you are pulling clean, tasty vapor. The next you get a harsh, scorched mouthful that makes you wince. That is a dry hit, and almost every vaper runs into one eventually, whether you picked up your first pod kit last week or you have been rebuilding tanks for years. The good news: dry hits are almost always preventable once you know what causes them.
What a dry hit actually is
A dry hit happens when the coil heats up but the wick does not have enough e-liquid on it to turn into vapor. Instead of vaporizing juice, the coil starts to scorch the dry cotton. That is where the burnt, acrid taste comes from. Let it go far enough and the cotton chars for good, which means no amount of rinsing will bring the flavor back. At that point the coil is done.
Several things can leave a wick under-saturated. Here are the usual culprits, and what to do about each.
Common causes and how to fix them
Power set too high
Crank the wattage or voltage past what the coil is built for and it fires hotter than the wick can keep up with. The juice vaporizes faster than fresh liquid can soak back in, and you taste the difference. Most coils have a recommended range printed on the side or on the box. Stay inside it. If you are riding the top end and catching dry notes, drop the power a few watts and see if it clears up.
Airflow wide open
A lot of tanks have an adjustable airflow ring. Open it all the way and air rushes across the coil and wick. That extra airflow cools and dries the cotton faster than your draw pulls new liquid in, especially on longer pulls. Close the airflow down a touch and the wick gets a chance to stay wet between hits.
A gunked-up or worn coil
Your coil heats and wicks juice on every single puff, and over time residue builds up on the cotton and the metal. Sweeter, darker, high-VG juices gunk a coil faster than light, clear ones. Once that buildup sets in, liquid stops wicking the way it should and flavor falls off a cliff. Plan on swapping the coil roughly every one to two weeks with normal use, sooner if you vape heavily or run dessert and candy flavors. If the taste turns muddy or scorched before that, replace it early.
A new coil that was never primed
This is the number one reason a brand-new coil tastes burnt. Priming means saturating the dry cotton with e-liquid before you ever fire the device. To do it: put three or four drops of juice directly onto the exposed wicking holes of the coil, screw it in, fill the tank, and then let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes so the cotton wicks through fully. A few "primer puffs" help too. Draw on the device a few times without pressing the fire button to pull liquid into the wick. Skip priming and that first real hit will likely scorch the cotton.
An empty or near-empty tank
It sounds obvious, but it catches people more than you would think. When the juice drops below the wicking holes on the coil, the cotton has nothing to draw from and you are just heating dry wick. Try not to let your tank fall below about a quarter full, and top it off before it runs dry.
Chain vaping plays a role too
Firing puff after puff with no pause gives the wick no time to re-saturate between hits. If you tend to chain, slow the pace down and leave fifteen to twenty seconds between pulls. That small gap lets fresh liquid soak back into the cotton and keeps the next hit smooth.
Match your juice to your coil
Thickness matters. High-VG blends like 70/30 are thicker and are built for sub-ohm coils with big wicking ports. Thinner 50/50 blends flow faster and suit pod systems and tighter MTL coils. Run a thick high-VG juice through a coil with small wicking holes and it may not keep up, which shows up as a dry hit. If you keep getting them on a particular setup, check that your juice ratio fits the coil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I save a coil after a dry hit?
It depends on how bad it was. A mild dry hit from a low tank often clears up once you refill and let the wick re-saturate. But if the cotton actually charred, that burnt taste is permanent. Rinsing pulls off surface residue but will not undo scorched cotton, so the only real fix is a new coil.
How long should I let a new coil sit before vaping?
After you add a few drops of juice to the wicking holes and fill the tank, give it ten to fifteen minutes so the cotton soaks through completely. A few primer puffs without firing help draw liquid in. Vaping a bone-dry coil right after install is the fastest way to ruin it.
How often should I change my coil?
Roughly every one to two weeks with typical use is a good rule of thumb. Heavy vaping shortens that, and sweet or dark high-VG juices gunk a coil faster. If the flavor turns muddy, weak, or scorched before the two-week mark, swap it early.
Does wattage really cause dry hits?
Yes. Running a coil above its rated power makes it fire hotter than the wick can keep wet, so the juice burns off faster than it can be replaced. Check the range printed on the coil or its packaging and stay within it. If you are at the top of the range and tasting dry notes, drop a few watts.
Why does a thicker e-liquid sometimes cause dry hits?
High-VG juice is thicker and wicks more slowly. In a coil with small wicking ports, it may not soak into the cotton fast enough to keep up with your draw, which can read as a dry hit. Pairing high-VG blends with sub-ohm coils built for them, and thinner 50/50 blends with pod and MTL coils, usually solves it.
Is a dry hit the same as a burnt hit?
They are closely related. A dry hit is what you get when the wick is under-saturated and the coil starts heating dry cotton. A burnt hit is the harsh, charred flavor that results. Fix the wicking problem early and you avoid the burnt taste; let it continue and the cotton chars permanently.
These products are intended only for adults 21+. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. This article is general product information and is not a smoking-cessation claim.