If you’re an astute vaper, you know that it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the vape juice in your pod. It’s important to be aware of how much e-liquid is in the pod because you always want to refill it as soon as it begins to get low. If you wait until the pod is completely empty, you’re likely to experience a dry hit – and that’s always a horrible experience.
What does it mean, though, if you look at your device and discover that the vape juice is turning brown in the pod? That’s what we’re going to cover in this article. Usually, the solution for brown e-liquid in the pod is fairly simple – it’s time for a new pod and/or coil. In this guide, we’ll explain why that’s the case and what the potential causes are for your vape juice turning brown.
Your Equipment Is Old
If you’re having persistent problems with your vape, the first thing you need to consider is the possibility that your device might be overdue for replacement. Compared to the rest of the different types of vapes that are on the market today, pod vapes are relatively new and are still being rapidly improved. The latest devices use higher-quality materials and more efficient coil designs, enabling them to last much longer compared to the previous generation of devices before they begin to experience flavour issues or discolouration of the e-liquid. If your device is more than a year or two old, it’s time to think about buying a new one. V2 Cigs UK has a wide selection of modern pod vape kits that might be to your liking.
Your E-Liquid Is Old
As you’ll learn from reading this article, all of the reasons why vape juice can turn brown in your pod have to do with age – and old e-liquid is the most likely of those reasons. E-liquid oxidises as it ages, and it oxidises more rapidly after it’s dispensed into a tank or pod. All of the ingredients in vape juice are susceptible to oxidation, but nicotine is particularly susceptible and will turn yellow and eventually brown when it’s exposed to air. Oxidation occurs especially rapidly with higher-nicotine e-liquids, which is what you’re likely to use in a pod system. If you filled the pod but didn’t use it for a few weeks, oxidation is the most likely reason why the vape juice has turned brown.
So, is it safe to use a pod with oxidised vape juice? In most cases, it’s completely normal for an e-liquid to turn yellow or brown in storage. Unless you see cloudiness or solid flecks inside the pod – which could indicate possible microbial growth – you should be fine using the e-liquid as long as you’re still happy with the flavour. If the e-liquid is very dark, though, you might want to replace or at least clean the pod after it’s empty.
Your Coil Is Old
The next most likely reason why vape juice might turn brown in your pod is because the coil is extremely old. In this case, you’ll probably also notice that the pod produces a smoky or burnt flavour. The smoky flavour is a sign that your coil needs to be replaced, which is a situation that you may not have encountered yet if you’re new to vaping or haven’t used a refillable device before.
As you use your vaping device, the ingredients in your e-liquid will leave residue on your device’s heating coil. Sweeteners are the ingredients most responsible for this residue, but other flavouring agents can leave residue as well. The residue forms a crusty layer on the coil and eventually begins to burn from the coil’s heat. That’s the cause of the burnt, smoky flavour that you taste when you’re using an old coil. If you continue using the coil past this point, the coil’s wick will begin to darken as well. Eventually, it’ll stain the vape juice in the pod and cause it to darken.
If you replace your coil as soon as the flavour quality begins to decline, you’ll eliminate the burnt flavour and won’t have to worry about the e-liquid in the pod discolouring. If the residue has already caused the e-liquid to turn brown, though, you should consider rinsing or replacing the pod instead of using the vape juice. Note that if your pod system doesn’t have a replaceable coil, you’ll have to replace the entire pod anyway because the coil is a permanent part of the pod.
On average, vape coils – and vape pods with built-in coils – can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. This largely depends on how strongly flavoured and how heavily sweetened your e-liquid is.
Your Pod Is Old
One of the benefits of using a pod system with a replaceable coil is that you can continue using the same pod indefinitely and replace just the coil when the flavour quality declines. Because of that benefit, pod systems with replaceable coils usually have lower long-term costs than systems with built-in coils.
Even if you’re using a device with a replaceable coil, though, it’s still important to rinse your pod periodically to prevent old e-liquid from building up in the pod’s chimney, mouthpiece and airflow channels. If you use the same pod long enough without ever cleaning it, the old, oxidised vape juice stuck in those tight spaces will eventually turn the e-liquid in the pod’s reservoir brown. It’ll also have a negative effect on the pod’s flavour.
If you’re not in the habit of rinsing your pod periodically – and the vape juice in the pod is turning brown even though you’ve replaced the coil recently – it is almost definitely time to replace the pod. In the future, you can prolong the life of your pods by rinsing your pod each time you replace the coil. You can do this easily by rotating between two pods and using one of them while the other is drying. This way, you won’t have to replace your pods as often and will enjoy top-quality flavour longer.
