Why is Over Wicking a Bad Idea?

There comes a time when a vaper reaches a stage in
their vaping career when they decide that they want more control over their
experience, and so they begin DIY
vaping. For those who
may not know, DIY vaping involves making one’s own vape-based components on
their own to customize aspects of vaping according to their
unique needs and preferences. One key aspect
of DIY vaping is building one’s own coils
using a variety of materials, and is considered an advanced practice due to the
need to be meticulous with build one that will work.

One thing that a DIY vaper has to be mindful of is
wicking. Wicking is the act of
installing a wick into the coil. The
wick is usually made from cotton
or synthetic fibers. It serves the
incredibly important role of becoming saturated with e-liquid, which becomes a
puff of vapor when the wick is exposed to the coil’s heat. Therefore, without the wick, there is no
vaping experience to be had.

A common mistake that a lot of DIY newbies make is over
wicking. This means that they are
installing too much wicking material into the coil. This may seem like a good idea at first,
because a person may think that a bigger wick means more e-liquid per hit. But, over wicking almost always backfires, as
we will be discussing today.

What is Over Wicking?

As we said, over wicking is simply putting too much
wicking material into the coil. Whether
using organic cotton, nylon, or some other type of material to absorb the e-liquid,
you need to be mindful of the size of the material. This little piece of fabric must absorb just
the right amount of e-juice to be properly heated by the coil so that vapor can
be produced and inhaled through the mouthpiece in a way that is smooth and
flavorful.

When you do wick that coil, it can be a good idea to
experiment with different materials, sizes, and shapes, but only to an
extent. Over wicking is a bad idea
because it changes the way in which your coil operates as a whole. Under wicking is just as bad, as it can
prevent enough e-liquid from being vaporized, but that’s a far less common
issue, so we will save that for some other time.

Why Is Over Wicking a Bad Idea?

Let’s go over the main reasons why over wicking can
throw off your vaping experience, and result in a wasted coil.

Reason #1: Messes Up Your Airflow

Airflow is a big component to
vaping, and one that is rarely understood. How easily air passes through the inner
workings of your atomizer has a huge role in how successful your vape actually
is. Too much airflow can cause the vapor
to become unpleasantly hot, and too little airflow can cause the coil to flood. The shape of your wick plays a role in
airflow by determining how much air can pass between the wick itself and the
wire of the coil.

Basically, over wicking can interfere with airflow by
taking up too much space between the wick and the actual coil. This can cause spitting, flooding, and
gurgling, and even cause your coil to flood.
At the very least, it will give you weak and disappointing flavor.

Reason #2: Makes Dry Hits More Frequent

Because of its effects on airflow, over wicking can
cause you to experience dry hits pretty frequently. This can cause throat irritation and burn
your throat, and, even worse, cause you to waste your coil as it burns itself
out.

Reason #3: Can Simply Burn the Wick

If the wick is too large, it will likely encounter the
coil itself, which can cause it to burn.
And, once your wick has burned, it’s going to give you a really poor
flavor. Even worse perhaps, a burnt wick
may end up being a useless wick that needs to be replaced altogether. Although wicking material isn’t too
expensive, it can add up after a while if you’re going through it at a quicker
rate than usual.

Bottom Line, Try Your Best to Avoid the Temptation of Over Wicking that
Coil

How you wick your coil plays a big role in your
overall vaping experience. As you can
see, over wicking comes with all kinds of disadvantages that can stop you from
getting the smooth and tasty vapes that you deserve. Therefore, if you’re new to DIY vaping, be
mindful of the wicking process to avoid running into this relatively common
issue.