The Perfect Vape: The Benefits and Risks of the Setup Process
Vaping has long been considered a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes, with research showing that it is up to 95% safer when used properly. Not only does it reduce the harmful substances from the combustion process, vaping also offers a variety of customizable experiences, from e-liquid flavors to heat levels and smoke volume. However, the safety and quality of vaping depends largely on how the device is set up. Just a small mistake – from adjusting the wrong heat level, carelessness in installing the coil, to using poor quality e-liquid – can turn vaping from "safe" to "harmful". Therefore, understanding the technical factors in the setup process will not only help you enjoy the vaping experience in the best way but also protect your own health.
In this article, we will explore the important factors to ensure that every vape is up to standard – safe, quality and truly a worthy alternative to cigarettes.
I. What are the components of vape vapor produced from a perfectly set up device?
You may or may not know, the nature of vape is to “vaporize” essential oils and there is absolutely no “burning” process like traditional cigarettes. Although they both create the same floating “mist” of gray-blue color, the temperature difference between the two processes is very large.
With vaping, you only need a temperature of 190-210*C (about 375*F) to turn the essential oil from liquid to vapor. Compared to when burning traditional cigarettes, the temperature of tobacco leaves when smoking usually reaches from 600*C (the edge of the cigarette) to 900*C (the center of the cigarette). This high temperature is what makes cigarette smoke contain so many toxic substances. When smoking traditional cigarettes, you not only inhale nicotine, terpenes, phenols and tobacco alkaloids but also more than 7000 other chemicals produced from the combustion process, which are collectively called "tar" and have extremely bad consequences for the user's cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems.
Back to vape, at a temperature of only 190*C, almost no components of the essential oil are decomposed by heat, so vape vapor has absolutely no tar like cigarette smoke. This temperature is only enough for the components in the essential oil to change from liquid to vapor. Thus, in the case of standard setup, no foreign chemicals will be produced during the vaporization process. Vape vapor will only be made up of 4 main components including VG, PG, Nic and flavoring!
II. Possible errors during setup, signs of recognition and consequences
As mentioned in the previous part, vaping is only really safe when the temperature of the coil does not exceed the threshold and decompose the components in the e-juice, as well as the essential oil is guaranteed to be as clean and pure as possible. In this part 2 of the article, let's learn about the errors that can occur during the process of setting up/preparing the burner, how to recognize them, how to fix them as well as the consequences that they will bring to the user.
1. Error from setup process
These are errors that originate from the technique of installing coils, cotton,... when setting up the atomizer configuration. The most common error is the "hot-spot" error, an error that anyone new to building coils will make.
With hot-spot, this is a phenomenon when the electric current does not pass evenly through all parts of the coil but is "stuck" at one point, causing this point to have a higher temperature than the rest of the heating core. Hot-spot can be recognized by the uneven smoke when releasing cotton, or more easily by a bright red dot on the coil that looks extremely "itchy" when you heat-up. The temperature at the hot-spot can easily exceed 350*C and cause PG and VG to quickly decompose, creating new, unwanted substances. Under normal conditions, VG and PG are relatively stable, but when exposed to extremely high temperatures and the presence of oxygen, they will create by-products such as acrolein (decompose VG), formaldehyde and acetaldehyde (decompose PG). These newly produced substances are very toxic and will cause strong irritation when inhaled, so you will immediately recognize it through the burning, scratching sensation in your throat from the first second of contact with that vape vapor.
To fix the hot-spot is relatively simple, you just need to heat-up while using a ceramic tweezers and gently stretch the coil rings as well as gently stroke the surface to flatten the wire layers that are not completely tight. Repeat the above 2 steps until you heat-up a coil that is evenly red, hot from the center and then spread to the 2 edges, then you are successful.
2. Errors during use/periodic maintenance
Even if you have set up a perfect coil with no hot-spots or ohm jumps, there is still a risk of error during the use of the vape, causing the temperature to exceed the control threshold and leading to a hot vape, commonly known as a "dry-hit".
This error usually comes from the air hole not taking in enough air to dissipate heat in time for the coil or the amount of essential oil in the cotton is not enough, leading to the coil after vaporizing all the essential oil, burning the cotton inside. Unlike a spicy and metallic vape when stuck in a hot-spot, a vape caused by a dry-hit will always be accompanied by a terrible burnt smell because at this time the outer layer of cotton has been burned to charcoal.
To avoid dry-hits, the first thing you must master is the cotton wicking technique for the atomizer. The amount of cotton threaded through must be enough to fill the gap in the coil but not too thick because it will cause the e-liquid to flow slowly, not providing enough time for the vaping process. Another equally important thing is the way to thread the cotton, to avoid deforming the coil and causing hot-spots, you should thin and sharpen one end of the cotton before threading it through the coil.
3. Burner has dirt/poor quality essential oil
The final, most important, and most overlooked factor: the quality of the individual ingredients. If even the purest, highest-quality ingredients can be harmful, what makes you think a cheap, counterfeit e-liquid is safe to vape?
If other appliances and services in the world have a consumer committee to evaluate which brands are not good and which brands meet the standards, then vape is a new product, it can be said that it still exists in a gray area, so it is impossible to trust 100% that all vape products on the market are of the same good quality. With vape, the best way is to choose essential oils from brands that have been in production for a long time and have a clear origin such as dotMod, Aspire, Five Pawns or Hero Puff,... Or you can also go to reputable and long-standing retail establishments such as The Vape Club to ensure that you always choose the highest quality vape machines and essential oils.
It can be seen that just a few wrong steps, a few dozen degrees Celsius difference can easily turn vape vapor from "safe" to "dangerous". If you are a pod mod user, you only need to make sure of two things: do not accidentally cover the air hole when inhaling and replace the heating core/pod head immediately when the cotton is burnt. However, if you have fallen in love with the powerful classic vape, then well... being delicate and careful are mandatory qualities. Wishing all vapers to always enjoy their hobby in the safest and most delicious way.
