You’ve been using your vape for a while, and you’ve noticed that the flavor has slowly changed along the way. Now, when you puff on your device, it doesn’t taste good at all. In fact, the flavor may even be badly burnt. Is your vape out of juice? If your vape tastes burnt on every puff, there’s a good chance that you need to add more e-liquid if you can. In this comprehensive guide, we’re going to explain how you can tell if your vape is out of juice. We’re also going to walk you through the process of refilling it.

You Can Look at a Refillable Vape to See if It Has No More Juice

If you’re using a vape mod or pod system, it’s easy to tell whether your device is out of juice because you can simply look at it. If you’re using a vape mod, look inside the tank. At the center of the tank, you’ll see the atomizer coil, which will have openings on the side for the e-liquid to absorb into the wick. Is the e-liquid below the wick openings? If so, you need to add more juice.

If you’re using a pod system, you can check the e-liquid in the same way but may need to remove the pod in order to see the vape juice.

How to Refill a Refillable Vape

If you’re using a refillable device, adding e-liquid takes just a few seconds; all that you need is a bottle of vape juice. The steps to refill the device depend on the specific type of hardware you’re using.

To Refill a Vape Mod:

  • Open the tank. If the tank has a release button, press it. If it has an arrow or other marking at the top, slide the lid in the direction of the arrow. If the tank doesn’t have a marking or a button, the entire top probably twists off.
  • Place the vape juice bottle’s nozzle in the tank’s filling port and add juice until the tank is full.
  • Close the tank.  

To Refill a Pod System:

  • Remove the pod from the device to see how it opens. If the pod has a silicone plug on the side, that’s the opening for the filling port. If the pod doesn’t have a plug, it fills from the top. In this case, you can wiggle the mouthpiece to open the pod.
  • Place the vape juice bottle’s nozzle in the pod’s filling port and add juice until the pod is almost full. When you refill a vape pod, you need to leave a little empty space to prevent leaking when you replace the plug or mouthpiece.
  • Close the pod.

When a Disposable Vape Is Out of Juice, the Flavor Will Change

Compared to a refillable vape, it’s much harder to tell when a disposable vape is out of juice because disposable vapes have opaque shells. Unless your device has a smart display as many modern devices do, the only way to tell when a disposable vape is out of e-liquid is by paying attention to how the device tastes.

  • You’ll have plenty of advance warning when a disposable vape is about to run out of juice because the flavor will become much weaker. If your device has a synthetic wick – which is the case with most disposable vapes – you might actually begin to taste a note of plastic when you hit your device.
  • When a disposable vape is completely out of juice, every puff will taste badly burnt. The burnt flavor will persist even if you put the device down for several minutes to let the e-liquid in the wick redistribute itself.

When a disposable vape is out of juice, it’s usually time to recycle the device because most disposable vapes aren’t designed to be refillable. Nevertheless, it is possible to refill a disposable vape in some cases. We’ll discuss that next.

Can You Refill a Disposable Vape?

Before you try to refill your disposable vape, it’s important to ensure that your expectations are appropriate. If you can refill your disposable vape, it’ll be a lot of work and definitely won’t be very much fun. It’s much faster and easier to simply use a device that’s designed for refilling.

The other drawback of refilling a disposable vape is that every vape coil eventually loses its flavor quality and begins to taste burnt. A disposable vape doesn’t have a replaceable coil, so there’s no way to fix your device when this happens.

In other words, refilling a disposable vape is an enormous chore that will result in a sub-par vaping experience. If you enjoy the convenience of disposables, you should buy a new device when your vape is out of juice. If you want a refillable device, you should get one. If you still want to refill your disposable vape despite the drawbacks, here’s how to do it.

To Refill a Disposable Vape with a Bar Shape:

  • If your device has a bar shape, the mouthpiece probably comes off. Remove the mouthpiece by wiggling it or by inserting a thin tool in the seam at the bottom of the mouthpiece and prying it away.
  • Look for a fabric pad and silicone gasket under the mouthpiece and remove those two items.
  • Add e-liquid to the wick under the gasket, stopping when the wick is visibly wet. Allow several seconds for the e-liquid to absorb into the wick. If the wick now looks dry, add more juice.
  • Replace the gasket, pad and mouthpiece.

To Refill a Disposable Vape with a Boxy Shape:

  • If your device has a boxy shape, look for a seam running down the side of the device. Use an adjustable wrench to grasp your vape by the side and squeeze until the seam pops open. You may also need to insert a thin tool into the seam to break the plastic tabs that hold the device together.
  • Insert a thin tool under the mouthpiece assembly at the top of the device and pry the assembly away to access the top of the e-liquid chamber.
  • Remove the container’s cover. Under the container, you’ll probably see a secondary silicone cover. You don’t need to remove the secondary cover.
  • Insert the tip of your e-liquid bottle between the secondary cover and the outer wall of the e-liquid chamber. Add e-liquid to the chamber until the wick looks very wet. You may need to do this in stages, pausing between stages to let the e-liquid absorb into the wick.
  • Put the vape back together by following the above steps in reverse.