Dealing with a clogged vape cart can be a buzzkill. It takes all the fun out of vaping and requires you to get your hands dirty to restore it. Despite being a common problem in the vape community, many people new to vaping may wonder – why is my cart clogged? Thankfully, this guide will highlight everything you need to know, from what causes clogging to how to fix a clogged cart.
Major Design Flaw
Before diving straight into how to unclog a dab cart, you should first understand what exactly causes clogging in vapes. It’s important to note that traditional vape pens are more prone to clogging than modern ones. This is mainly due to the design flaws found in older vape pens.
The Internal Functioning Of Cartridges
In most cases, the problem with clogging lies with the coil’s design and the quality of the cartridges’ components. Initially, many manufacturers designed their coils with metal and a cotton-based wick. Hence, the metal coil conducts the heat as the vape cartridge batteries turn on. Ultimately, heat is transferred through the coil, thus heating the cotton wick that has direct contact with the oil.
However, the vaping industry has evolved from the outdated heating method of the cotton wick and metal coil. This is primarily due to the viscosity of many oil-based products. Nowadays, it’s uncommon to find modern vape pens that utilize the cotton wicks design.
So, why are many modern vape pens still faced with clogging problems? Well, it all lies with their atomizers and heating elements.
Why Does My Cart Get Clogged?
Apart from vape pen components, several other factors also cause clogging in vape carts. Here’s an in-depth look at these factors.
The Type Of Your Oil Matters
Unlike THC distillate, THC live resins and CBD isolate products tend to clog vape carts. Essentially, this is due to the base viscosity and non-uniform particulate distribution. Additionally, the potential recrystallization of CBD and THC may also cause clogging. For this reason, you should always get products from companies that use quality oil.
Viscosity And Temperature Fluctuations
Temperature is another significant element that can cause clogging in vape pens. The interaction of the oil and temperature, both internal and external, affects the functionality of vape pens.
In essence, warm conditions usually cause oil within cartridges to have a runny consistency. On the other hand, cold weather makes the oil in cartridges thicken. Consequently, clogging can occur when there are extreme temperature changes, which block airflow in vape pens.
Effects of Cold Oil On Vape Pens
When you store your vape pen in cold places, the oil inside the cartridge will become highly viscous. As a result, this makes it harder for the vape pen to vaporize the thick oil, which increases the chances of clogging. Similarly, cold weather restricts the movement of viscous oils, preventing them from entering the inlet holes that allow the coil to access and heat the oil.
Effects Of Warm Oil On Vape Pens
You should always be cautious where you store your dab pen, especially during hot weather like in summer. Leaving your vape pen in a car can make the oil less viscous. While this may seem ideal for better functionality, it runs the risk of spilling into different levels of the vape pen. Therefore, thinner oil can block vital airflow points and provide poor conditions for vaporization.
How To Unclog A Cart
If you’re dealing with a clogged vape pen – don’t stress. There are several strategies you can use to restore your smoking gadget. Here are simple yet practical techniques on how to fix a clogged vape cartridge.
Store Vape Pens At Room Temperature
Storing your vaporizer at room temperature is the best way to keep the oil stable. Although this method significantly minimizes the possibility of a clogged vape cart, it might be tough to follow at all times. Vaping devices like disposable dab pens are lauded as the ultimate on-the-go smoking accessories. For this reason, consumers usually carry them around, which exposes them to various environmental conditions.
Preheat Your Vape Pen
One of the best ways to avoid having overly viscous oil in your vape pen is to preheat it before use. Doing this allows the oil to develop a more runny consistency before you inhale. Several vape pens in the industry have a manual preheating feature. Such devices are usually button-activated, requiring consumers to press and hold the vape’s button for a few seconds before inhaling. This would warm up the temperature of the oil and helps kickstart vapor production.
Inhale Slowly From The Vape Pen
Although many vaping enthusiasts prefer taking deep hits from their vape pens, slowly inhaling from your vaporizer has proven to be effective against clogged devices. Doing this heats up the oil in the cartridge until the viscosity is optimal. Consequently, It’s the best way to preheat the oil if your vape pen is draw-activated.
Even so, you must be careful when using this technique to unclog your vape pen. If your vape battery is draw-activated, you risk taking a dry burn. This occurs when you puff on your vaporizer when there is no oil in the heating chamber and could permanently ruin the flavor of your vape pen.
Try Using A Tool To Unclog The Vape Pen
At times, the best way to unclog your vape pen is by using a tool. To do this, you’ll first have to remove the cart from your battery. After that, use a tool such as a paperclip or floss pick to remove any clumps of residual oil or other blockages. You can also clean any other accessible air passage, such as the mouthpiece.
How Do You Prevent Vapes From Clogging?
If you want to avoid the hassle of unclogging your vape pens every so often, the best solution is to get one that is equipped with cutting-edge technology. For this reason, you’ll need to purchase vaping devices from a reputable company keen on utilizing innovative technology to solve such issues.
Products like RAE dab carts and vape pens use state-of-the-art technology to prevent clogging. The RAE brand builds incredible vape hardware using highly porous ceramic cores, which allow every oil particle to absorb into the heating element. Therefore, regardless of the oil’s viscosity, you can be sure of a good hit.
RAE also builds excellent disposable vaporizers using top-of-the-line RAE technology for its cores. These vapes include a built-in secondary air channel designed to prevent clogging. As a result, RAE’s carts are far less susceptible to clogging and can offer a great alternative to other vape hardware brands.
The Bottom Line
A clogged-up vape can be a rather unpleasant experience for any vaping fan. Even so, there are several simple solutions to this problem. The tips provided here can help you fix your clogged vaporizer and prevent it from happening in the future.