Filling your vape with your favourite e-liquid is, of course, a vital part of your vaping lifestyle. In most cases you should expect to be filling a device or pod at least once a day, so it’s important you know how!
Thankfully most kits come with instructions which you can find in, or on the box – it’s always best to check these first before you start trying to set up a new device, as they come in lots of different shapes and sizes with more than a few ways of filling them up depending on the kit you have chosen!
If you are unsure and the instructions aren’t the best (or maybe don’t even include a guide on how to fill at all), then this quick guide will hopefully give you the info you need to fill up your device and get vaping!
Before we get into things, if you are a little unsure of any technical terms you read here, check out our Jargon Buster which will tell you what everything means – for ease, when we say ‘open system’ this just means a vape you can open up and refill – closed system vapes are pre-filled and therefore can’t be refilled.
Refilling A Vape With A New Coil
If you’ve installed or are installing a device with a new vape coil, then a top tip is to drop a little liquid onto the wicking ports before installing it – this means when filling for the first time you won’t have to wait as long before taking your first puff, and it protects you from dry burn. Learn ore about coils here.
How To Fill An Open System Vape Tank
Open system tanks typically need to be opened up to be refilled, most commonly by unscrewing the top section of the tank itself such as with the Aspire PockeX, or Innokin Endura T18. Tanks like these make it pretty obvious which parts can unscrew, even if you don’t have the instructions to hand – they have grips on the parts that turn, so you can visually tell if it’s something you can interact with.
Some devices like the EDGE Pro have design features that make this process a little simpler. The Pro has an external filling port that you can open by twisting the top section of the tank to reveal an opening that allows you to fill up by inserting the nib of your 10ml bottle.
Check out the video below to see a hands-on demo of a Pro device being filled as well as some general tips for filling up:
Golden rules when filling an open system vape tank
- Be gentle – no device should require extreme force to open, and being too rough can cause damage.
- Be methodical – most tanks are intuitively designed meaning it should be quite obvious which bits need to be opened up, take time to understand the design and put it back together how it came apart
- Watch your O-rings – these are vital bits of silicone that allow seals to form, keeping your vape juice from leaking. They can sometimes be dislodged o make sure they are intact and in the right place when refilling
- Keep it clean – even if the tank is empty, when refilling it’s best to do it somewhere that won’t be damaged or stained if you have a spill during the process (i.e. not over your clothes or fancy furniture!)
How To Fill An Open System Pod Vape
Refillable Pod devices can be refilled in a very similar way to the EDGE Pro, they usually have an opening that allows you to top up with vape juice. This is often plugged with a silicone bung – pop that out (careful not to lose it if not attached to the pod), top up, replace the bung and you are good to go!
Open system pods like the Vaporesso Xros 3 & Innokin Klypse are becoming super popular as they combine the convenience of not needing to change complicated coils with the flexibility of filling with whatever juice you choose, from 50-50 to High-VG.
Devices like these typically come with a pod that has a built-in coil like the Aspire Flexus Q. These are intended to be used until the coil fails, then disposed of and the whole pod replaced. Bear this in mind when refilling your pod – because you can’t open them up to clean them, if you change flavours then you might get a bit of contamination from the previous juice you had in there.
Golden rules when filling an open system pod
- Watch that silicone – most of these types of device have their filling port plugged with a silicone bung, these are often attached to the pod by a thin strip of the same material. This can tear easily so be gentle and if it comes off completely, be careful not to lose it or the pod is useless!
- Brace your tastebuds – because they can’t be cleaned out easily like open tanks, there is likely to be flavour crossover when changing flavours without also using a brand-new pod when switching – it’s not always a bad thing, but just be prepared for the first few drag being a little different! Less pleasant when switching from tobacco to fruit for example.
- Clean your contact points – the connectors that are on the base of most pods are more prone to being contaminated by liquid transfer during use than open tanks – when you refill it’s worth checking and wiping them before inserting back into the battery to preserve performance.
How To Refill A Disposable Vape
In short - you can’t. Single use vaping products are sold as sealed units, you are not supposed to open them up which means you can’t top them up – a little frustrating when you’ve paid for the kit and the juice dries up before the battery is flat!
There are some solutions that offer a middle-ground, however. The EDGE GO is a closed system pod device, which means its battery is re-usable but it has disposable vape pods that come pre-filled with a range of EDGE Vaping’s best selling vape flavours, in a range of nicotine strengths.
The benefit of a kit like this is you get the convenience of pods that don’t need coil changes or even refilling, but you can keep reusing the battery, which reduces the environmental and financial impact of using single-use only vape kits.
Check out our Vid below to see how the EDGE GO works:
No matter what device and liquids you fancy, getting them with a LiQuid Subscription will save you time and money, and means your vape mail will arrive exactly when you need it so you don’t have to worry about being caught short!
