In the name of chasing the last hit or extending a vape’s life, most vapers end up enduring an unpleasant taste of burnt vape.

If you often do this, stop!

Hitting a burnt vape might seem harmless. After all, all you deal with is a foul taste. At least, that’s what you’ve been telling yourself.

But what if we tell you that a burnt vape will expose you to potential vaping risks? Believe it or not, you can get lung injury from this vaping choice.  And in the worst-case scenario, you may develop respiratory issues and even system toxicity.

Here, we will dive into the negative side effects, causes, and solutions to a burnt vape.

So, Why Is It Bad to Smoke Burnt Vape?

No matter how you look at it, smoking burnt vape has quite dire consequences for your overall health.

Vaping involves heating e-liquids or CBD oils and inhaling the released fumes. Although it’s regarded as a safer alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes, it isn’t as safe as the majority of people assume.

If the vape juice is not well heated, it can burn the coil, leaving a lasting bad taste with every hit.

But if you think that’s the worst part, then buckle up for this: A burnt coil releases harmful chemicals and toxins that hurt your health, such as:

• Acetaldehyde – this chemical causes respiratory inflammation and has been associated with an increased risk of mouth, throat, and lung cancer.
• Formaldehyde – this toxin has been associated with airway irritation, pulmonary edema, and bronchospasms.
• Acrolein – this causes lung damage and throat irritation.

Exposure to these harmful substances for a long time may lead to the issues highlighted below.

1. Respiratory Complications

Long-term smoking of burnt vape can result in respiratory issues. These arise from continued exposure to chemicals like diacetyl – a popularly used flavoring.

Diacetyl damages the lung’s small airways and causes Bronchiolitis Obliterans disease, commonly referred to as “Popcorn Lung”.

Fun fact: In the UK, diacetyl is banned from being used in vapes and vape juices.

Also, extended exposure to burnt vape can increase episodes of coughing, wheezing, chest pains, and shortness of breath.

Other respiratory conditions related to smoking burn vape also include Lipoid Pneumonia, COPD, and Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax or Collapsed Lung.

2. Increased Inflammation

Most e-liquids, especially homemade or from the black market, include Vitamin E acetate, a known thickening agent and carrier.

However,  you don’t want this compound in your vape juice. And in the worst case, if you inhale Vitamin E acetate fumes from a burnt vape, you may increase your risk of lung illness.

Vitamin E acetate was found in 2019 to cause respiratory complications, chest pains, shortness of breath, and severe lung damage.

3. Oral Health Issues

Hitting a burnt vape might severely affect your oral health. The fumes produced may stick to your teeth’s surface and create a perfect environment for cavity-causing bacteria. So, you become more susceptible to developing cavities.

Besides cavities, burnt vape increases your risk of gum inflammation, dry mouth, and gun disease.

4. Systemic Toxicity

Long-term exposure to some compounds produced by burnt vape might have adverse toxic effects on your system. For example, if formaldehyde makes its way into your bloodstream, it will affect the functionality of your internal organs.

If exposed to them for a long time, the chemicals can impair the immune system. They make you susceptible to infections and might not recover as fast as you usually do.

Why Does My Vape Taste Burnt?

There are several reasons your vape smoke might taste burnt, some of which we have highlighted below:

1. Coil Issues

Overused Coils–Despite lacking an expiry date, coils can also reach the end of their effective life span. However, their lifespan can vary depending on the type of coil used, vaping frequency, or operating wattage. If a coil reaches the end of its life and you continue using it, you will only get a burnt, unpleasant taste.

Your Coils Have Been Primed Incorrectly–This is mostly an issue when you’re vaping on a new coil. Always take your time to prime your coils properly. Ensure the wick has soaked up enough e-liquid, or else when you start to vape, the smoke will leave a burnt taste in your mouth.

Faulty Coils–This might not be your fault. Perhaps you’ve primed it correctly, yet your smoke still tastes burnt. If you experience this, then maybe the fault lies with the coil. The best course here is to stop using the coil and get a new one.

2. Type and Quality of E-Liquid

There are different brands of e-liquid. But you must be careful with the type of e-liquid you pick. Some e-liquids have a thicker consistency. Hence, they might clog up the coils, making it difficult for the e-liquid to pass through. As a result, the coils get burnt, giving your smoke a burnt taste.

On the other hand, if the e-liquid is too watery or thin, the wick won’t soak it up fast enough, and the coil ends up burning. This leads to you not being able to smoke without getting that terrible burnt flavor.

3. Chain Vaping

Chain smoking involves taking multiple puffs continuously without giving the coil enough time to cool down.

As a result, your coil burns out quicker than usual. Furthermore, the multiple puffs taken in a short span vaporize the e-liquid in the wick and might cause the coil to overheat and burn out.

Due to the damage, your smoke will taste burnt.

4. High Power Vaping

Vaping at a wattage that is deemed too high for your coil will make your vape smoke taste burnt.

High wattage implies that your e-liquid will vaporize faster, and your wick won’t be able to re-saturate quickly enough. This results in a burnt wick and a burnt taste in your mouth.

5. Counterfeit Disposable Vape

This has been a rising concern. Counterfeit disposable vapes might contain unregulated and harmful chemicals that can give your vape smoke a burnt taste.

6. You’re Out of Vape Juice

If you don’t have enough e-liquid for your wick to soak up, the coil will begin to heat the dry wick. That will result in a nasty burnt hit.

How Do You Know If Your Vape Is Burnt?

Besides the unpleasant taste, you can tell your vape is burnt through:

1. Visual Inspection

This is the easiest way to tell if you have burnt vape. A quick inspection should show you a clean and residue-free coil if your vape is functioning properly.

If not, the coil will appear crusty, dark, or sludgy. This is cause for concern since it points toward a damaged coil and should be addressed immediately.

2. Throat Discomfort

If you’re smoking burnt vape, the acerbic vapor may cause a bit of discomfort and irritation in your throat. Moreover, it might trigger bouts of coughing.

3. Lingering Aftertaste

The flavor of e-liquids usually fades after several minutes of smoking the vape. However, a burnt vape will leave you with an overwhelming and sharp aftertaste that will stick to your mouth for a very long while.

4. Reduced or Poor Vapor Production

An overheated or damaged coil usually results in reduced vapor production. Sometimes, t you won’t be able to form a cloud after a puff. Even if any vapor gets produced, it will be thin and lacking in density.

5. Leaking or Gurgling

If you hear gurgling sounds while using our vape, it might mean your coil is compromised and probably flooded with e-liquid.

Alternatively, if the coil is damaged, it can cause leakage of the e-liquid. A damaged coil is unable to vaporize the e-liquid efficiently. As a result, you might experience recurrent burnt vape problems.

So, if you frequently experience leakages or gurgling sounds, even though your device is properly primed and assembled, you might want to switch your coil.

How To Avoid Burnt Vape

1. Change Your Vaping Technique

Chain smoking depletes your supply of e-liquid and increases the risk of dry wicks and overheating coils. So, you’re likely to smoke burnt vape.

What you want to do here, is to address this issue is to take 20 to 30 breaks after every puff. The break will give your device’s coil enough time to cool and absorb the e-liquid.

2. Regularly Check Your E-liquid Level

Every time you want to vape, check the level of e-liquid you have in your vape device. Running your device on low e-liquid levels increases the chances of a dry hit.

Whenever your e-liquid reduces, refill it. And if you have a disposable vape, get a replacement as soon as possible.

3. Stick With Reputable Vape Brands

Most reputable vape brands have websites that you can visit to confirm the validity and authenticity of your device. This way you can avoid buying faulty or low-quality vape and vaping products.

4. Maintain Coil Longevity

Though coils have a limited lifespan, it doesn’t mean you can just ignore them until it’s time to replace them. Follow a few practices to ensure you get maximum coil performance without overusing it.

First, regularly clean your coil and tank to remove any residue buildup. You also want to use the right wattage for your device to prevent the coil from burning quickly. To find the correct wattage for your device, check the manufacturer’s instruction manual.

Avoid using a single flavor of e-liquid for a prolonged period. Instead, switch up flavors frequently. This prevents the accumulation of residue.

Remember to prime your new coil before usage. Priming ensures the wick gets fully saturated before a hit. Thus, you avoid hitting burnt vape.

All these practices allow you to use your coil efficiently and avoid any instances of smoking burnt vape.

Wrapping Up

Yes! It’s bad to smoke burnt vape. Leave alone the nasty taste that you get after each puff. You will have more serious issues to deal with if you continue hitting the vape.

A good example is lung injury. Even before that, you might deal with constant inflammation caused by irritation of the airways. We can’t forget the coughing and wheezing as well as some respiratory complications.

If you want to prevent these issues, keep your coil and tank clean, replace worn or damaged coils, and avoid chain smoking. Don’t forget to follow the other tips highlighted in this post.

Have we left anything out? Inform us in the comment box!

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