How Do Vaping Kits Work?

How Do Vaping Kits Work?

Vaping kits, as the name suggests work on vapour created by heating an e-liquid solution. They neither require any fire, nor do they produce any ash or smoky smell. In addition, they do not contain harmful chemicals, which are produced in tobacco combustion. While it looks simple, a vaping kit is made from several minute components. In this guide, we will learn about them in detail.

Components Of A Vaping Kit

While a traditional cigarette is just a tube of tobacco encased in paper with a filter, a vaping kit is a lot more than a tube. However, at the core, almost every vaping kit is a combination of a battery, heating coils and an e-liquid tank. To understand the functioning of a vaping kit, you need to know about these components, and in this segment, we will learn about them piece by piece.

The Battery

The battery is the ultimate power source of a vaping kit, which powers other components and determines how long the vape will last. It becomes even critical in starter and disposables kits as once the battery ends, you will have to switch to a new device altogether.

Most vaping kits use lithium-ion batteries as they can be easily recharged. Based on the device strength, the number of batteries vary. Some devices may use a single battery, and some may use up to four batteries. The strength of batteries is measured in milliampere hours (mAh).

Disposable e-cigarettes use batteries in the range of 200-300 mAh.

Pen kits and vaping pods use batteries in the range of 500-1200 mAh.

Box mods and high-end kits use batteries in the range of 700-3500 mAh.

Batteries are one of the major causes of fire in vaping devices and should be handled carefully. Ensure that you always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and avoid overcharging. If the kit uses multiple batteries, ensure that there is no possibility of a short circuit.

The Atomiser

The atomiser is the part of a vaping kit that turns the e-liquid into vapour. It houses the heating coils, which are small pieces of resistance wires folded into coil or spring shapes. When current passes through these coils, they heat up due to the resistance and vaporise the e-liquid.

The coil’s resistance depends on several factors such as the diameter of the coil, material used, and number of turns. Heating coils are generally made of kanthal, nichrome and nickel as they are considered safe. It is the resistance of coil that determines the amount of heat produced.

Regular vaping kits have coil resistance of 1Ω or greater, whereas a few vaping devices have a coil resistance of less than 1Ω. Such devices are called sub-ohm devices. A resistance less than 1Ω produces much more heat that results in much more vapour and an intensified flavour.

Another important part are the wicks that carry the e-liquid to the coils. These are made from cotton, wool, silica, ceramic, etc. and a steel mesh is used to carry the e-liquid to the coils. Box mods and other high-end kits allow you to customise even coils and wicks as per your needs.

The Tank/Cartridge

The Tank or cartridge is the place where the e-liquid is stored before vaporisation. It can either be disposable or refillable. Based on the vaping kit, it is known by several names like cartridge, cartomiser and clearomiser. Let us see what each of them means and how different they are.

Cartridge

When the tank is just a container that cannot be refilled and can only be replaced if it is finished, it is called cartridge. It is similar to the ink cartridge used in pens or printers. It is commonly used in disposables like cig-a-likes and some pen kits too.

Cartomiser

When the tank is equipped with a heating element or it is combined with an atomiser, it is called cartomiser. However, unlike dripping an e-liquid conventionally, it contains polyfill material wrapped around the heating element that allows longer vape time.

Clearomiser

Clearomiser is a conventional atomiser combined with a tank where the e-liquid drips down via a traditional wick. Since they are made from transparent plastic or glass that tells the user about the level of liquid and when to refill, it is called a clearomiser.

Other Components

In addition to the above, vaping kits have two more components that are the e-liquid and the mouthpiece. They are crucial to a vaping kit as the fun part depends largely on the flavour of the e-liquid and the quality of the mouthpiece. Let us learn about them briefly.

E-liquid is the fuel of a vaping kit as it produces vapour. It consists of different components of which propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, nicotine and a flavour are the key ones. The ratio of these ingredients can be adjusted as per your needs to enhance the vaping experience.

Lastly, every vaping kit has a mouthpiece attached to the atomiser. Usually they are prominent and can be differentiated clearly from the atomiser but in disposable kits it is difficult to locate them. Some kits activate the mouthpiece with an inhale, while some have push buttons.

Putting Everything Together

Now that we know about the different parts, it is time to put everything together to understand how a vaping kit works. It all starts with the choice of a device, an e-liquid, and batteries. You need to select the e-liquid based on flavour and nicotine strength and batteries based on the power of the kit. If you are using a disposable, you cannot choose separately and have to go for a readymade combination.

After you have made the selection, ensure that the battery is charged fully. Now, when you switch on the device, the battery will power the atomiser. The atomiser coils will then heat up and based on the delivery mechanism (dripping or polyfill), the e-liquid will fall on the coils that will vaporise it. You need to guide the vapours in your mouth via the mouthpiece or simply inhale if you are using a disposable.

We hope that you have understood the working of a vaping kit. Now, it is time to try it and have fun!