Vapes have become almost as dear to us as those other little gadgets that make days better (on good days), or at least bearable (on bad days).
I’m talking about the phones, the tablets, the pocket crosswords if you’re old fashioned. They are our miniature saviours and deserve as much reverence as we’re able to give in this day and age, and as much care.
Vapes come across as a bit confusing if not downright magical, maybe a little dangerous, in terms of how they function. As such, proper maintenance might seem almost impossible. But if we can break down the components of our vapes and look at how each function individually, a different story emerges.
For each function and component there is a different care routine, and one of the more important care routines concerns the vape tank. By understanding what the vape tank does, and it’s different components, we can address how best to care for our tanks, along with appreciating how important they are to the vaping experience.
What is a Vape Tank?
As we’ve established, vapes are a bit confusing, and a good idea of what a vape is and does is key. So it’s completely legitimate if you’re unsure about what the vape tank actually is, where it starts and stops in relation to the other parts of the vape. As a whole, the vape tank is the part of the vape where you can replace your e-liquids. No matter what type of e-liquid vape you have, from a nifty vape pen, go-to vape mod, or a high-tech pod mod, taking care of your vape tank is always important.
The parts of the tank are:
- The Reservoir – This part holds the e-liquid
- The Coils and Atomizer – Held within the tank, the coils are the element of vapes that heats up the e-liquid to produce vapour
- Top and Bottom Cap – Metal pieces found at either end of the glass outer tube that screw the device together
Why Clean Your Vape Tank?
Now that we fully understand what the vape tank is, we can move on to why it would be important to maintain it, and why a clean vape is not just crucial to the vape experience but also to the maintenance of your vape as a whole. Whether you’re using a vape explicitly designed to vape e-liquid or a vape that gives you options, a clean tank is a must.
What can happen if you don’t clean your vape tank? Well, residue and gunk can build up in the tank, restricting airflow and affecting performance. Not maintaining your tank can cause the whole device to age more quickly than it otherwise would, not to mention a buildup of intermingling, residual flavours, making your vaping experience less than ideal.
As such, simply rinsing your vape tank with warm water is advisable after every single use to maintain optimal performance. However, depending on your usage, you’ll want to give your tank a full clean about once every three to four weeks, or every time you radically change the flavour of your e-liquid, and this deep clean is what we will focus on here.
Tools Used To Clean Your Vape Tank
Despite being an incredibly important component of your overall vape maintenance regime, cleaning your vape tank is actually quite straightforward and does not require an expert knowledge or particularly vape-savvy sensibility. All that’s needed are a few key tools and ingredients before you begin:
- Water
- A safe receptacle to dispose of old e-liquids
- A bowl
- Dish soap or Alcohol solution
- A Microfibre cloth or paper towel
- Extra paper towel for air drying
Steps for Deep Cleaning Your Vape Tank
Before cleaning your tank, it’s important to remember that vapes, and their components and ingredients, can prove dangerous in certain situations. Vaping e-liquids contain ingredients like nicotine which if consumed by children or pets could prove very dangerous.
It’s easy to forget that vaping liquid contains chemicals that in such concentrations could be harmful to creatures that weigh significantly less than a grown adult. But, sadly, there are documented cases of pets consuming e-liquids with tragic, fatal results. So, remember that the warning on your vape to keep it well away from pets and children is there for a very good reason before starting your tank clean.
Step 1 – Disassemble your vape and detach/disassemble the vape tank
Step 2 – Safely dispose of any residual e-liquids still present in your tank
Step 3 – Run warm water from a faucet through the tank for about 30 seconds. If you are simply rinsing your tank after usage, allow parts to dry after running water through the tank for about 15 minutes and reassemble
Step 4 – Dampen some paper towel or a small microfibre cloth with an alcohol solution (vodka works ideally because of its high proof and flavourlessness) or soap and water solution, twist the paper/cloth and string through the tank, rubbing back and forth to remove any buildup
Step 5 – Rinse the tank thoroughly with warm water
Step 6 – Allow to air dry for 10-15 minutes before reassembling your device
Considerations/Aftercare
There are some ‘do nots’ to consider during the cleaning process to ensure you’re giving your tank the best possible clean:
- Don’t use overly hot water for rinsing, a high temperature could potentially damage or warp some of the vape’s delicate circuitry
- Don’t use overly coarse material to scrub the tank with. Again, be gentle
- Don’t use isopropyl rubbing alcohol as your alcohol of choice unless you are dedicated to rinsing very thoroughly, as it could prove toxic to ingest
- Do not dry with a heater or hair dryer, as again the high temperature could damage the tank
Remember, the key to a long life for any e-liquid vape tank is continual, regular rinses and deep cleans. If you want to repay your trusted sidekick for saving you on a daily basis, care for it the way it deserves so it can continue gaining your respect for years to come.
