Modified on: 27/05/2024
Changing the cotton on the electronic cigarette: here is how to do it easily and safely
There are several ways to change the cotton on an e-cigarette, but one thing is certain: if you are a beginner, it is effortless to make a mistake.
If you think you can simply pull it out and put a new one in, you risk doing more damage than you think, such as burning brand-new cotton, or (even worse) altering the taste of your e-liquid.
What’s more, ignoring proper resistance maintenance means having to replace it more often than you should.
That is why in this article we will look at how to change the cotton in your e-cigarette and always have a top coil.
Changing the cotton in your e-cig: why it is important to clean the heating element first
To begin with, you will have to gently remove the used cotton: simply cut it from one side of the heating element and pull it out from the other. During this procedure, make sure that no filaments are left behind.
But before replacing the cotton, it is important to clean the heating element. Good coil maintenance is essential if you want your e-cigarette to last longer.
Cleaning varies according to its type: in fact, there are replaceable resistors and regenerable ones.
In the former case, it is very difficult to remove all the residue present, which is why it must be changed periodically, but it is possible to clean it.
First, soak it for a while and let the residue soften. Next, you should wipe it with paper towels and leave it to dry.
If, on the other hand, your electronic cigarette has a rebuildable atomizer, many vapers recommend a dry burn.
As the term suggests, this is a technique that burns off the residue in the resistance, so it should only be practised by experienced vapers.
You activate the resistive wire in the coil ‘dry burn’. This means that it is heated in such a way that all cotton and liquid residue are removed from the electronic cigarette.
Once this is done, one has to wait for the colour of the metal to return to normal and wait for it to cool down.
However, not all vapers are convinced that this is the best solution because it would alter the composition of the resistance, qualitatively lowering the vaping experience.
For this reason, others prefer to take out the heating element, rinse it and scrub it with some neutral detergent and a toothbrush (but be careful not to leave any soap residue!).
Read also: Flavour dilution for electronic cigarettes: how to figure out the right percentage for a top liquid
Clean resistance. Now let’s see how to replace the cotton.
Once your e-cigarette has cooled down, you have to insert new cotton. Let’s see how:
First, cut a piece of cotton with sharp, small-bladed scissors. Next, fray it well until you can see through the fabric, roll it onto itself and, using curved tweezers, thread it into the heating element.
While doing this, always make sure that you put in the right amount: the cotton should flow along the coil without any snags.
For a good maintenance, therefore, it is critical to have a regeneration kit with you.
Well, we are almost there.
Now you must soak the cotton with your e-liquid and activate the coil at least three times so that you reach the ideal temperature for vaping again.
Changing the cotton: mistakes to avoid
Changing the cotton is a very delicate operation to which you must pay particular attention (especially if you are a beginner).
But there is no cause for alarm: in the worst case, you only have to repeat the procedure and use another piece of cotton. The best way to tell if you are doing things correctly is to pay attention to the signals of your e-cig.
Allow me to explain.
If you smell something burning, for example, it means that the e-liquid does not have enough space to rise. As a result, the temperature rises, but the e-liquid does not heat up and will burn the cotton.
There are two main reasons why this could happen:
- you have used too much cotton;
- the cotton is too ‘squashed’.
To solve this, pull it out and reduce the amount inside the coil.
If, on the other hand, you notice that the taste of the liquid is not what it should be, you have probably misplaced the cotton. In this case, simply move it around and make sure that it is not too tightly attached to the end of the heating element.
Conclusions
In this article, we have seen how to replace the resistance cotton correctly.
As you may have noticed, the procedure is very delicate but not complicated. All it takes is a bit of care and attention.
The steps are always the same, although some vapers prefer the dry burn technique to remove any residue and clean the resistance. As we said, however, this is more suitable for outdoor vapers.
For more information, visit Terpy, the online shop where you can find the best quality electronic cigarette products.