Your Guide to Vapelife
Any time you start something new, you’re bound to have questions. Vaping is no exception and this was written to hopefully answer a lot of those questions! This will cover the basics in order to help you learn about vaping – however if you still have questions feel free to call us on 0845 474 6212 or email support@enhaleexhale.com
How does an electronic cigarette work?
There are many different forms electronic cigarettes can take. However, regardless of this form, their main function remains the same. They are all designed to vaporise e-liquid with these three main components:
- Battery
- Atomizer
- Container for E-Liquid
Batteries
The device that provides power to the atomiser is referred to as the ‘battery’. It can also contain other components and circuitry.
Electronic Cigarette batteries come in all different sizes and shapes. Many of them have different features and components as well. They are rated by their power storage capacity and can range from 650mAh all the way up to 5000mAh in the more advanced vaporisers. The abbreviation mAh stands for milliamp hour and generally speaking the higher this number the longer the battery can last between charges.
Some batteries have the ability to adjust the voltage or wattage as needed and are called Variable Voltage or Variable Wattage batteries.
Standard Batteries
Standard Batteries are fixed voltage batteries and are the simplest batteries available. The voltage cannot be adjusted and is generally 3 to 4 volts and this may decrease as the battery drains. Some of them are ‘Pass-through’ batteries which allow you connect your battery to the charger via USB cable and vape while the battery charges.
Variable wattage/voltage
Variable Wattage/Voltage batteries allow you to adjust the wattage/voltage output of the battery usually by twisting a dial located at the batteries base. More advanced devices known as ‘Mods’ can also have separate buttons with a digital readout to display its current setting. Raising the Wattage/Voltage will drain the battery quicker as this increases the Amps the battery puts out. The increase of power these devices provide can increase the flavour and vapor production your setup puts out. This is due to e-Liquids having differing levels of flavouring, Propylene Glycol, and Vegetable Glycerine and all atomise differently at different temperatures.
Atomisers
One of the most critical pieces of an Electronic Cigarette, atomisers are the heating elements that take power from the battery and vaporise the liquid to produce vapor. They come in many different forms each using their own names.
The first type to hit the market were called cartomisers. These cylindrical tubes house the coil and wick material, polyfill. They, like all atomisers, come in a varying degree of ohm ranges and sizes. They may also come pre-punched with holes in the tube to allow the juice to saturate the wicking material directly. These pre-punched cartomisers are used in devices known as Cartomiser Tanks.
Then we have the next generation of atomisers. Most are contained in a single unit and are replaceable. These are referred to as atomiser heads or replacement coils. They can last anywhere from 1 to 3 or more weeks depending on your vaping habits and the juice you are using. When it’s time to change the coil, usually the flavour starts to drop off and your inhale becomes more restricted. Juice has an effect on the coils based on how sweet it is and the ratio of Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerine. The sweetener in juice can gunk up coils and leave behind residue which will degrade the coil faster. Juice with high levels of Vegetable Glycerine is thicker and harder to wick and can gunk up some coils that are not built for thicker juice.
Containers
The container and atomiser can either be one complete unit such as a Cartomiser or disposable Clearomiser or a separate unit such as Clearomisers with replaceable atomiser heads generally referred to as ‘coils’.
There are also advanced units known as RBA (Rebuildable Atomisers) or RDA (Rebuildable Dripping Atomisers) where you build your own coil, wick the coil, and drip the juice directly. These coils are usually wicked with organic cotton or pharmaceutical grade Rayon.
One last common device is a RTA (Rebuildable Tank Atomiser) which works very similar to a Clearomiser with a tank system to hold the juice however instead of a replaceable coil it has a ‘build deck’ where you construct your own coils just like you do on an RDA.
Hopefully this information has answered the basic questions you may have when it comes to vaping! If we can assist you any further with your vaping education please do not hesitate to contact us directly to continue to learn about vaping.