LiQuid - Why Is My Vape Not Working

Why Is My Vape Not Working?
Troubleshooting Common Vape Kit Problems

There’s nothing worse than reaching for your vape only to find it doesn’t want to play ball. When cravings hit, or you just fancy a puff, you don’t want to be caught short.

While most devices are pretty robust, there are some key things to check if the worst should happen and nothing happens when you fire it up! You don't need to know everything about vape kits, but having an understanding of the common problems can be helpful so you know how to deal with them. 

Read on to learn everything you need to know about troubleshooting common vape problems and solve any issues that you may have!  

Table of Contents

  • What Does Low Battery Mean?
  • Check Your Connectors!
  • What Does No Coil or Check Atomizer Mean?
  • Ensure Your Airflow Is Clear
  • How To Check Your Vape Power Settings
  • Why Is My Vape Leaking?

What Does Low Battery On My Vape Mean?

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We'll start off with arguably the most common problem but also one of the most important parts of a vape and that's keeping a check on the battery that's powering your vape, as if this isn't working properly...well, your vape certainly won't work properly either! 

Nowadays, most of the vape devices will have a small screen on them that gives you a reading of the battery percentage so you have a full understanding of just how much charge is left in your device before you need to consider putting it on charge. And when you go to have a vape, it may show "LOW BATTERY" which means it's time to charge! 


If your vape device doesn't have a screen, then it will likely have a light indicator that changes depending on the percentage of battery left. Red = 20% Blue = 50% Green = 75% for example. However, these might not always be accurate and you might find that you're running out of charge before the battery has indicated it's running low. 

We would recommend always keeping a charging lead at hand if you're out and about so that you can keep your vape charged and those pesky cravings for nicotine at bay. Or if you are at home, pop it on charge while you're doing something else and by the time you want to vape, it should be fully charged and you're good to go!

Check Your Vape Kit's Connection Points

Pretty much every refillable vape will have a connection point of some kind, and ensuring that these are clean and kept in tact is a vital part of vape kit maintenance. 

If you use a refillable pod vape, there will be copper connectors on the bottom of the pod as well as in the device where your pod sits. These can get vape juice on, or debris/pocket fluff and this will then cause issues as it won't recognize you have a pod connected and your vape isn't going to work. 

If your vape tank screws in to your vape, this will be a 510 connection as standard, and it's good to keep the connection port clean, and don't overtighten it too much as this can cause wear to the threads and not create a proper connection. 

Always give your connector area a wipe with some tissue every so often as this will keep it clean and keep your vape working how it should!

What Does No Coil or Check Atomizer Mean?

Ah yes, the classic "Check Atomizer" warning that every vaper would have experienced at least once in their vaping life, and it's as annoying as it sounds! But if you're new to vaping, you might not understand what this means so we will explain below. 

Basing this off your vape device having a screen that shows this warning, you may go to have a vape and not get anything come through, despite it being fully charged and this is when the warning may appear. This is to indicate there's an issue with your coil and it could be a number of things. 

check atomizer on vape device

The first problem could be that your coil needs changing and this is the safety feature kicking in to avoid you trying to vape with a burnt coil (more on this below)

It could be something as simple as the above point we covered of your connection points not meeting properly, and your vape not recognizing there's a pod/tank attached. Or the simple thing of your coil isn't inserted properly in your vape tank or vape pod. Check each of these points and if everything is in check, then you'll be good to go! 

Ensure Your Vape kit Airflow Is Clear

Most vape devices will have some sort of airflow on it, and it can often be adjusted by a slider to create different styles of vaping like mouth to lung or restricted direct to lung. It can either be a wide opening, or individual holes and these are incredibly prone to getting clogged up, especially if you keep your vape in your pocket or bag. 

Ensure that your airflow is always kept clean, and this can be done by giving it a gentle blow to clear anything out, or use a toothpick if your airflow has tiny holes as this will get in there to clean out anything in there which shouldn't be!

How To Check Your Vape Power Settings

Having your vape device set to the correct power is something which is important to ensure that your vape functions correctly. The wattage range will depend on which coil is being used in your vape device, and if it's not on the correct output, then your vape isn't going to work! 

If you have your output set too low, then this won't heat the coil up properly and you'll get little to no hit or vapour production. And if you have it set too high, it's going to heat your coil up way too quickly and likely burn the cotton and ruin the coil. You can learn more about what wattage your vape needs to be set at by reading our handy guide that explains everything you need to know.

If you have adjustable wattage settings on your vape, make sure that you set them to the correct output according to what coil is being used with your vape. If you do keep your vape in your pocket or bag, there's a chance that the buttons to control your wattage settings could be accidentally pressed in and alter the settings, so be sure to either lock your vape or turn it off completely when it's in stow.

Why Is My Vape Tank/Vape Pod Leaking?

There truely is nothing more annoying to a vaper than a leaky vape pod or vape tank. Go to have a vape and you find your vape device covered in vape juice and your tank/pod is empty, and it poses the question above of why is this happening?

It could come down to a few reasons, with the primary one being that your coil is on it's last legs and it's time for a change. The reason that your vape juice will leak is because the cotton housed within the coil will have detoriated down and it won't be absorbing your vape juice properly which means it's going to leak out. Simply fix here would be changing your coil or pod for a new one, and the leaks shall desist!

Another reason could be that your coil isn't properly installed within your vape pod or tank. If you used pods that have replacement coils, the normal thing to do with them is push fit them into place. Ensure that you properly push them in so they're snug, and this should hopefully prevent any leaks from happening in future!

Troubleshooting Other Common Vape Problems

Why Won't My Vape Turn On?

The most common way to turn a vape on and off is a series of quick clicks of the fire button, either three or 5 within a short window of 2 seconds. Make sure you're doing this quick enough and it should turn your vape back on. 

The other solution to the problem would be making sure your vape is charged fully as if it isn't, then chances are it isn't going to turn on! Most devices have a power indicator or LED display that will flash if it is depleted – alternatively make sure the circuit is complete; tanks sometimes come with adjustable connection pins so make sure it’s set up properly. 

There's Enough Charge in My Battery, Why Is My Vape Still not Turning On?

Most vapes take a few clicks, on average 3-5, to actually turn on. This feature is intended to stop it accidentally being activated in a pocket or bag.

Make sure it’s turned on before you assume it’s broken!

Connection pins can sometimes get squashed which can stop the current passing through regardless of charge. Double check them!

Make sure the coil is the correct resistance for your chosen device – you can learn more about this in our guide how to vape properly.

The most important thing is to ensure the ohms are suitable for the watts your device puts out. Too much or too little power can prevent some devices from firing at all if they have the wrong coil fitted as a safety precaution.

Why Am I Getting Minimal To No Flavour?

You might be vaping and find that the flavour of your vape juice isn't coming through as much as you'd hoped. The reason for this happening could be because your wattage settings isn't right as we mentioned above. If your wattage is too low, your coil isn't going to heat up properly and operate at optimal levels, so ensure to check your wattage settings if you're experiencing a muted flavour from your vape juice.

Another thing worth keeping in mind is to make sure you're using the correct vape juice for your device. If you're using a High VG vape juice with a high ohm coil, then it's not going to pull through the coil properly and the flavour will be slightly muted.  50-50 juices require a lower power device with a coil rated at 1.0ohm or above. High-VG juices require a higher power device, with a coil rated 0.9ohm or below (sub-ohm). Nic Salts can be vaped in the same type of device as 50-50’s.

If you are confident that you have the correct juice for your device, then make sure the power output is suitable, as too much could give you a burnt taste, too little won’t heat the coil enough to kick out the flavour you are after.

Why Does My Vape Taste Burnt?

Every vaper would have experienced a "burnt hit" in their time, and we'll explain why this happens. The simple explaination is because the cotton inside your coil has deterioated and become burnt, and this will cause your vape juice to taste off compared to normal, and chances are you're going to get a burnt cotton taste when you vape. 

This will signal it's time to change your vape coil! Put a fresh pod or coil in, top it up and then the burnt taste should be no more! (Providing you've primed the coil correctly and are using the correct power settings)

Why Am I Not Getting Much Vapour?

Check your airflow – this can prevent any vapour being pulled through if closed.

Check the battery level – if it’s running low, it will produce less vapour!

Check your power settings – you’ll need to be hitting at least the lowest recommended power level for your chosen coil (it’s written on the coil if you need to check this).

Ensure that your wattage settings are set correctly to the coil ohm resistance you're using. If you're using a 0.4ohm coil, this will need around 25w-35w of power for the coil to function properly, and get maixmum flavour from your vape juice. If it's run any lower, the coil won't function properly and it won't produce much vapour. 

Remember, the higher the wattage, the bigger the clouds!

Why Am I Not Feeling Any Nicotine Hit, Or Am Getting Light-Headed When I Vape a Lot?

This is not likely down to your device but your e-liquid. If you are struggling to work out which strength is right for you, check out our guide.

If you are vaping something too weak vs your previous smoking habit, you likely won’t get the hit you need, nor will it satisfy your cravings. Equally, vaping something too strong will lead to you experiencing the symptoms of nicotine overdose – which includes light headedness and nausea.

Why Is My Vape Tank/Atomiser Leaking?

This could be down to cross-threading when you have put it together which can be easily remedied. A little trickier, but also possible, is to check and replace the silicone O-rings which are seated in multiple points of your device where the different parts connect, like above and below the tank glass. Most mod kits with removable tanks will come with spares in the box for this reason.

Why Is Vape Juice Coming Through When I Vape?

This either means your coil isn’t installed correctly, or that it has flooded – in either case it will need to be removed to solve the problem. Once corrected, make sure to clean out the airflow of your device as liquid can hide in here after a leak.

I Bought a New Vape Tank - Why Won't Stay On The Battery?

Unfortunately this almost certainly means you have bought a non-compatible tank for your battery. It’s always worth double-checking what your battery can accept before buying a new tank as there are no guarantees of a universal fit.

The only solution is to find a tank that does fit – a top tip when trying a new tank is to screw it to the battery dry and empty, just to test the treading is compatible. This way you might be able to return a tank you can’t use, as it won’t have been spoiled by e-liquid.

Written By James Drake

James discovered the world of vaping 7 years ago as an alternative to smoking. Since then, he's become a dedicated enthusiast, experimenting with various e-cigarettes, flavours, and nicotine strengths.

James is committed to sharing his in-depth knowledge to help both new and experienced users make informed decisions about their nicotine alternatives and his blogs are a platform for honest reviews, helpful tips, and discussions.