If you have a vape that’s leaking from its air holes, it’s going to be a pretty inconvenient situation for you. That’s partially because of the mess that leaked e-liquid can create by staining your clothes or getting on your hands – but that’s not the only problem. A vape that’s leaking from its airflow holes can also make your experience quite unpleasant because vape juice that’s stuck in your device’s airflow system will probably end up spitting into your mouth.

When a vaping device leaks from the air holes, it usually happens because the coil assembly in the device’s tank or pod is flooded. The coil assembly is at the center of a device’s airflow system. Ordinarily, a wick manages the flow of e-liquid from the device’s reservoir to the coil. In some cases, though, it’s possible for excess vape juice to get past the wick and enter the coil assembly. When that happens, your vape will leak – but never fear. In this article, we’ll explain what’s happening and tell you how to fix it.

Before we begin explaining how to troubleshoot your leaking vape, though, remember that the best way to fix this issue is by having a vaping device with a design that’s inherently leak proof. The helpful people at V2 Cigs recently published a roundup of vapes that don’t leak. You might find it useful if you’re using an older device that’s getting long in the tooth.

So, why is your vape leaking from the air holes? Here are the possible causes and how to fix them.

You’re Puffing Too Hard

The most likely reason why your vape is leaking is because you’re puffing too hard when you use it. In small devices such as pod systems and disposable vapes, the airflow holes are often fairly small because the devices are designed to replicate the tight draw of tobacco cigarettes. One of the biggest differences between a vaping device and a cigarette, though, is that increasing or decreasing the air flowing through a cigarette changes the rate at which it burns. Some people mistakenly assume that the same principle applies to vaping devices. They puff harder because they want their devices to produce bigger clouds, and they end up experiencing leaks as a result.

The only way to get bigger clouds from your vaping device is by taking longer puffs – not by puffing more firmly. If your vape lights up when you puff on it, use the LED as your guide. When it illuminates, you’re puffing as firmly as you need to. If you puff more firmly than that, you could force excess e-liquid into your device’s coil assembly – and if that happens, the juice will come out of the air holes.

Your Tank or Pod Is Overfilled

Do you have a vaping device that you can fill yourself? If you do, it’s important to remember that you should never fill the tank or pod all the way to the top. That’s true whether your device uses a glass tank or a plastic pod, although the reasons are different. 

When you puff on a vape tank, the differential in air pressure creates a weak vacuum inside the glass. The vacuum helps to prevent the e-liquid from seeping through the wick and flooding the coil assembly. The vacuum can’t form, though, if the tank is filled all the way to the top.

If you use a pod system, it’s equally important to avoid overfilling your vape because the pod most likely seals with a silicone plug that goes inside the filling port. If you don’t leave a little room at the top of the pod when filling it, you’ll end up pushing some of the e-liquid out of the pod when you replace the plug.

Regardless of what type of vaping device you use, you should never fill it all the way to the top; always leave a little empty space in the tank or pod.

Your Vape Juice Has the Wrong VG/PG Ratio

Although the flavors and nicotine are the ingredients of e-liquid that get the most attention, they actually comprise a fairly small percentage of what’s in a bottle of vape juice. Most of what’s in the bottle is a base liquid that consists of vegetable glycerin (VG), propylene glycol (PG) or both. VG and PG have slightly different characteristics, so e-liquid makers often blend the two to take advantage of the benefits of both. It’s common for a bottle of vape juice to have its VG/PG ratio on the label, so you’ll know whether it’ll work well with your equipment.

If your vape is leaking from the air holes, you should check the VG/PG ratio of your e-liquid. Vape juices that contain no VG are very thin and are designed primarily for use in very small vaping devices. If you use an all-PG e-liquid in a vaping device with a large glass tank, you may experience leaks because the thinness of the e-liquid will cause it to seep through the wick and flood the coil.

You’re Flying or Driving at a High Altitude

Have you ever taken your vape on a drive through the mountains? If you have, you probably got a nasty surprise when you looked at your device and noticed that it had ejected half of its e-liquid into your car’s cupholder. During a significant elevation change, the air inside your device’s tank or pod will expand. The air will push excess e-liquid into the coil assembly and out of the device’s intake holes. There’s no way to avoid a change in air pressure during an increase in elevation. If you’re going to drive at high altitudes with your vaping device, it’s a good idea to keep the tank half empty.

Your Device Could Have Been Overfilled at the Factory

Do you like to use disposable vapes? If you do, you may have experienced the inconvenience of removing a new device from its pouch only to find that e-liquid had already leaked out of the air holes. When this happens, there isn’t much that you can do. A modern disposable vape is packaged very carefully – usually with plugs covering the mouthpiece and air holes – to deter leaking. It’s still possible for a disposable vape to leak in its package, though, especially if it was overfilled at the time of assembly. Since disposable vapes aren’t meant to be disassembled, there’s no real fix for this issue. You’ll just have to wipe away the e-liquid from the outside of the device and vape until the leak resolves itself. If you routinely experience leaks with a certain brand, you should consider changing brands.