We understand there can be much frustration when your disposable pen, cartridge or battery does not function as expected. There’s nothing worse than preparing to enjoy a smoke session and sitting down only to be met with no vape when you go to take a draw on your vape pen.
Before bringing them back to the dispensary for further inspection by a technician, there may be a way to troubleshoot the item on your own before making the trip.
Proper Usage – The act of vaping differs from the traditional smoking of the cannabis leaf. You may not be receiving sufficient vapor for a simple reason, and that is how you are inhaling. Rather than taking long, quick hits from a joint, pipe or bong, vaporizers are more sensitive and require a slow and steady draw. Sip it, don’t rip it.
Many things could be causing you to have a less than satisfactory vaping experience. The stars don’t have to align in order for you to have a perfectly smooth draw from a vape pen, but everything must be in working order for the best possible effects. From oil viscosity to battery power, you’ll want to inspect all elements if you aren’t able to pull consistent vapor.
Before you go out and purchase a new vape pen, this guide will walk you through some of the most common vape pen troubleshooting tips for getting your 510-vape pen battery working again. Since the 510-cartridge can also often be the problem, we’ll walk through some troubleshooting tips for them too.
All Vaping Products
Always keep disposable pens, cartridges and batteries at room temperature. Avoid leaving items in your car or anywhere that experiences excessive fluctuations in cold and heat. Always store items upright as laying them on their side could cause air bubbles to form and affect performance.
With cannabis concentrates having such a thick viscosity, they are best vaped through a 650mAh battery with settings between 2.5v - 4.2v for optimal use.
Disposable Vape Pens
Once you take the first “puff” or “draw”, the battery is “on” and cannot be recharged or turned off. You usually have up to 30 days to use all the product before the battery could die.
You do not want to try it out and then save for later because it may not have battery left if you wait too long.
Pull-To-Draw and Push Button Batteries
A vape cartridge can be inserted into either a pull-to-draw or push button style battery.
Pull-to-draw batteries only require the user to inhale, “puff”, or “draw” to use. Pull-to-draw batteries are always on.
Push button style batteries
Batteries with a button can be turned on by rapidly pressing the button 5 times, this action will be used to turn the battery on and off. That same button can then be pushed three times rapidly to cycle between low, medium and high temperature settings. Those heat settings are usually indicated by varying light colors. If your battery has a preheat function it can be activated when the button is pushed two times rapidly. If you are using a battery with a button, make sure you are holding the button down while you draw.
My vape pen doesn’t work at all.
Make sure your battery is turned on and fully charged.
Check the Vape Pen Connection
If your battery is blinking white, that generally indicates that your battery is not fully connected to the cartridge.
Thankfully, the fix is usually as simple as unscrewing your battery and reconnecting it. You want to be careful to not overtighten or under-tighten your cartridge to your vape pen.
Do NOT overtighten your cartridge as it can restrict airflow, or worse damage the connection point. If you are having trouble getting airflow, try unscrewing it and reconnecting it with a looser grip.
Inspect the battery contact. A loose battery can disrupt the flow of electricity, preventing your vape from fully charging. The electrical contact may be clogged, coated, or damaged. If this occurs, wipe the contact portion with a Q-tip soaked in 90% rubbing alcohol, let the terminal dry, reconnect your cartridge to the battery and try it again.
The contact on the cartridge may be pushed in too far and not connecting with the contact on the battery. This can happen if the cartridge is removed and replaced on the battery multiple times. If this occurs, SLIGHTLY pull the contact up (with your fingernail, pen cap or paperclip) until it is level.
Time to Recharge
If you’re drawing on your vape, and you see a blinking light, that means it’s time for you to recharge your battery. It's important to charge with the proper voltage designed for your vape battery.
Using the improper voltage to charge can cause damage to your vape battery! The most typical type of charger for vape pens are USB ports, making it convenient to charge anywhere there is a port available.
Do Not Over-Charge the battery.
Charging the battery for more than 2 hours can reduce battery life or destroy all functionality for your battery.
Often the explanation for a lack of vapor is a drained battery. Always keep your battery properly charged before usage. It is recommended to charge it through an electronic device using a USB port instead of plugging it directly into an electrical socket.
Defective battery - If you notice debris or oil on the exterior surface of your THC cartridge or vape battery, you can try to clean the connection port with alcohol and a q-tip and wait for it to dry before attempting to recharge again.
Your connection plate may still be having trouble making contact, to fix this, take a paperclip and gently lift up the connection plate on both your THC cartridge and battery. The connect plate can be found on the bottom of the cartridge or the interior of the battery where the cartridge threads. You only need to lift the connection plate very gently, pulling too hard can expose the interior wiring of the battery, rendering it broken. Once it is adjusted carefully, reconnect the battery and start vaping.
Take caution to not use your vape pen excessively as it may begin to get very hot and damage both the components of the battery and burn your oil. After enjoying a few pulls from the vape pen, allow it some time to cool down in between sessions.
Have you ever left your phone outside in the sun? Electronic devices can overheat easily and cause damage to the internal components which could lead to breakage. It’s important to ensure you aren’t leaving your vape pen battery out in the heat and avoid too much exposure to direct sunlight. If your vape is overheating, move it to a cool dry place to allow it time to cool down.
However, if these tips don’t solve the problem, that doesn’t mean your battery is necessarily defective.
If an issue with your disposable pen, cartridge or battery persists, drop on by our dispensary and a technician will examine further. If it is determined to be a defective product, you may qualify for a replacement.
Replace the 510-Battery
Lithium-based batteries all have a limit of times they can be recharged before the battery life starts to wane. Ultimately, vape pen batteries will not last forever, and this can lead to the 510 battery not working anymore. If none of these vape pen troubleshooting tips work, it may be time to replace your vape battery.
My cartridge worked at first and then stopped working.
Make sure the battery is turned on and fully charged.
The holes in the cartridge may be clogged with oil.
Use your battery’s pre- heat function to loosen any viscous oil residue.
Clogged Cartridge –
If you find yourself in a situation where you inhale on your THC cartridge and have trouble getting airflow or get a ‘clogged’ feeling there are a few ways to remedy the situation.
There is likely a chance that some cannabis oil has gotten stuck in the mouthpiece of the cartridge. This area needs to be cleaned.
Prime your coil by taking “dry hits” from your cartridge without the battery, and blowing gently into it.
One method is to remove the mouthpiece and blow into it with a napkin on the other side to catch the cannabis oil stuck inside it. This should help dislodge the THC oil residue that can build up from repeated usage.
You can also poke a toothpick or safety pin gently in the mouthpiece hole to help de-clog it.
Trying to reach that last bit of cannabis oil, but it's stuck at the top? The first trick to try is to flip your cartridge upside down for a few hours in a warmer environment (but without additional heat applied) to allow the oil to flow back down to the other end of the cartridge. Cannabis oil is thick so this process may take some time.
Cannabis oil is thick and may not always flow properly even when kept in a warm place. You can heat stubborn concentrates by using a hairdryer.
Place the cartridge upright on a hard surface 6 inches in front of a hairdryer for around 20 to 30 seconds until you see some bubbles rising to the top of the substance. Let it settle for only a few seconds while continuing to hold it upright before screwing it back into the battery and attempting another pull.
For those who don’t own a hairdryer, steam from heated water on a stovetop can work just as well. With the battery attached, hold the cartridge over the steam for 20-25 seconds.
*Note: Vape cartridges and batteries contain metal components, so NEVER place either of them into a microwave to heat them up.*
Another option if you do not want to try blowing the cannabis oil out of the mouthpiece, is to simply use a q-tip and isopropyl alcohol to clean out the center barrel.
Air bubbles are a common cause for insufficient pulling of oil vapor. In addition to being stored in a cold environment or being stored on their side, a poor connection between the cartridge and battery can be another reason for unwanted air bubbles. To release pressure between the two components and promote better airflow, slightly unscrew the top of the cartridge by twisting only one rotation. Do NOT completely unscrew the top of the cartridge. Then screw it back in until it is tightly flushed against the battery.
Oil Tastes Burnt
If you have an adjustable temperature battery, try setting your temperature control to a lower setting. The Push-Button style batteries usually include multi-click functions. Check that the voltage setting is less than 4v.
(Rapidly Press button 5 times to make sure it is turned on and press button rapidly 3 times to cycle between low, medium and high temperatures)
If your vape pen is temperature adjustable, it’s important to check what setting it’s on. 510-thread prefilled THC cartridges generally do not need much heat, the oil is typically thinner and exposure to heat can risk burning the oil or dissipating the flavor from the terpenes. The rule of thumb is to turn it down to the lowest setting when using it. We suggest 2-3.2 volts as a starting point for vaping THC oil cartridges. However, if you need to gradually increase it, try to not surpass 4v.
