If wax is coming out of the mouthpiece of a vape cartridge, it’s usually the first sign of a problem that’s going to get worse over time. If you continue using the cartridge in the way you are now, one of two things will happen. Either the wax will condense in the chimney and clog the cartridge, or it’ll flood the cartridge’s coil assembly and ultimately leak out of the airflow vents. Either way, you need to change something if you want to prevent the problem from getting worse.
A leaking cartridge is an issue that you need to resolve as soon as it happens because if you don’t, you’ll end up losing the oil, the cartridge or both. In the worst case, a cartridge that leaks badly can contaminate the threading and internal electronics of your vape battery and potentially ruin the device.
So, what’s happening if wax comes out of your vape cartridge’s mouthpiece? It means that you need to make immediate changes before the problem gets worse. Here are the possible reasons why it’s happening.
You’re Inhaling Too Firmly When You Vape
Using too much air pressure when puffing is the most common reason why wax or oil comes out of a cartridge’s mouthpiece and ultimately leaks out of the cartridge.
One of the first things that you need to learn when you’re new to vaping is that puffing harder on your device won’t increase its vapor production. The only way to do that is by increasing your device’s power delivery. That’s why we offer vaporizers like the Dial, which allows you to select the power level of your choice between 2.0 and 4.0 volts.
Without changing its power level, the way to get the biggest clouds out of your vaporizer is by taking puffs that are long and slow. If you’re using a puff-activated battery, you should only use the amount of air pressure necessary to make your device turn on. If you’re using a battery with a manual fire button, puff only as hard as necessary to draw the vapor into your mouth.
If you use too much air pressure when puffing on your vaporizer, it’ll force the oil out of the cartridge’s ceramic wick and into the coil assembly. That inevitably leads to leaking.
You’re Using a Low-Quality Cartridge
Vape cartridges are the most popular accessories in the vaping world, and they’re manufactured by the millions. One of the realities of the vaping industry, though, is that some cartridges are definitely more reliable than others. If oil or wax continues to leak out of a vape cartridge regardless of what you do, it’s time to consider switching brands. We manufacture our
cartridges according to the highest standards and use only top-quality materials such as stainless steel, ceramic and borosilicate glass. Our cartridges are designed to deliver reliable performance from the first puff to the last.
You’re Using the Wrong Type of Cartridge
Another important thing to understand about using a vape pen is the importance of having the right type of cartridge for the type of concentrate you’re using.
- If you’re using an oil-based concentrate, you can’t use a cartridge, tank or pod system designed for e-liquid. E-liquid is much thinner than oil, and products designed for e-liquid usually have wicks made from cotton or silica to accommodate the thin liquid. Our Easy-Fill Cartridge and Titan 2 Cartridge have ceramic wicks and are specifically designed for use with thick oils.
- If you’re using a wax-based concentrate, you can’t use it with a cartridge designed for oil because oil cartridges aren’t intended for concentrates that are solid at room temperature. Even if you’re able to soften the wax enough to get it into the cartridge, the cartridge’s wick will eventually clog when the wax cools down. At that point, the wax will end up coming out of the mouthpiece. Use our Wax Tank with concentrates that are solid at room temperature.
You’ve Overfilled the Cartridge
Another common reason why oil or wax comes out of a cartridge’s mouthpiece is because the cartridge is overfilled. If you’re filling your own vape cartridge, it’s important to remember that most types of cartridges will look like they still have room after you’ve added the correct amount of oil. That’s because the chimney or mouthpiece will take up some of that space when you close the cartridge. If you’ve used too much oil, you’ll force some of the oil into the coil assembly when you close the cartridge. That will cause the oil to come out of the mouthpiece or leak out of the cartridge’s airflow openings.
One of the benefits of our Easy-Fill Cartridge is that it has a clear maximum fill line on the side. If you only add oil up to the maximum fill line, the cartridge won’t overflow when you close it. With other types of vape cartridges, it’s helpful to have a blunt-tip syringe with measuring lines on the side. Make sure that you know your cartridge’s capacity and use no more than that amount of oil when filling the cartridge.
You’re Storing the Cartridge on Its Side
If you’re planning to store a filled vape cartridge for a while, you should store it in an upright position unless it’s still sealed in its original package. Once the silicone caps have been removed from a cartridge, the only thing holding the oil in the cartridge is a weak vacuum that only works
as long as the oil covers the cartridge’s wick openings. If you store a cartridge on its side for too long, the vacuum will break. Eventually, that will cause the oil to seep through the cartridge’s wick – and when you use the cartridge again, the oil will come out of the mouthpiece.
What to Do if Wax Comes Out of Your Cartridge’s Mouthpiece
If you’re here, it’s because you have a vape cartridge that has already leaked. While it’s helpful and important to know how to prevent that from happening in the future, you need to know how to handle the situation now if you don’t want your cartridge to stop working because it’s hopelessly clogged.
We have an entire article elsewhere on this site with instructions for how to unclog a cart. You might find it helpful. In the short term, though, the best thing to do if wax comes out of your cartridge’s mouthpiece is wait a little while for the wax to cool. Once that happens, you can use a thin tool such as a sewing needle to break through the clog and remove as much of the wax as possible from the cartridge’s chimney. That should allow air to flow through the cartridge and will hopefully prevent more of it from getting in your mouth as long as you follow the other tips in this guide.
Very nicely said. I never store on the side, I draw gently, and I always wonder why other people have so many problems!