There’s something undeniably fun and special about breaking out a new vape cart, connecting it to your 510-thread battery and settling in for a long vaping session. A new cartridge always gives you the best flavor, and it’s also great to know that you can vape as long as you like without worrying that you’ll run out of oil.
That is, of course, if the cartridge actually works. It’s rare to encounter a new cart that isn’t hitting, but it can seriously ruin your day when it does happen. So, why is your new cart not firing? In this article, we’re going to walk you through the possible reasons and explain what you should do. In most cases, fixing a disposable cart that isn’t hitting isn’t difficult at all because it doesn’t indicate an actual problem with the hardware. Instead, it’s usually just a clog or some other misconfiguration that you can actually fix quite easily. Here’s how to do it.
Determine Whether the Problem Is the Cartridge or the Vape Pen
Before you begin troubleshooting a new cart that isn’t hitting, it’s very helpful to determine for sure whether the cartridge is actually the cause of the problem. You can do that by connecting a different cartridge to your vape pen if you have one available. The process works like this.
- Connect the second cartridge to your vape pen and try to use it. If neither cartridge works, you know that the vape pen is the cause of the issue.
- If the second cartridge works, try reconnecting the first cartridge. Does it work now? If so, it probably just wasn’t connected tightly enough when you tried using it initially. If the cartridge still doesn’t work, that’s the cause of the problem.
What to Do If Your Vape Pen is Causing Your New Cartridge to Not Work
First, let’s talk about what you should do if you tried connecting a second cartridge to your vape pen, and it also didn’t work. In this case, the reason why your new cart isn’t hitting is because your vape pen isn’t working properly. Here’s what you should do.
Check to See if the Vape Pen Is Blinking
When you try to use your vape cart, is your vape pen’s light blinking? We have an entire article on this site devoted to troubleshooting a blinking vape pen, and we encourage you to read that guide and find out what the blinking means. When a vape pen encounters an error, the number of blinks will tell you what the problem is and help you toward a solution. Our guide goes into great detail in explaining what the different error codes mean.
Charge the Vape Pen and Confirm That It’s Turned On
Most commonly, a vape pen doesn’t hit either because the battery isn’t charged or because the device isn’t turned on. Start by connecting the vape pen to your computer. Does the device’s light turn on? If so, allow the battery to charge fully and try vaping again. If the light doesn’t turn on, learn how to troubleshoot a 510-thread battery that isn’t charging.
If you have a push-button vape pen, the button also serves to turn the battery on and off – and if the device is off, it won’t work with any cartridge. Usually, you can turn a vape pen on by pushing the button in five times in succession.
Clean the Vape Pen’s Threading
If your vape pen still isn’t working with any cartridge after you’ve confirmed that the device is charged and turned on, the next thing that you should do is clean the threading. It’s possible that a cartridge has leaked, and oil caught in the threading is preventing the cartridge from making an electrical connection with the device. Use a cotton swab moistened with rubbing alcohol to remove the oil.
What to Do if Your New Cartridge Is the Problem
So, what should you do if you have one cartridge that works and another that doesn’t? In this case, you know that the cartridge that isn’t hitting is the cause of the problem. Here’s what you should do.
Check for a Clog
If you have a new cart that isn’t hitting, the most likely cause of the problem is that the cart is clogged or has an airflow issue. Here’s how to track the issue down to its source.
- Try inhaling through the cartridge. Do you find it difficult to draw air through the cart? In that case, it’s likely that some oil is stuck in the cartridge’s airflow chimney. You can remove it by extending a paperclip and running it down the cartridge’s mouthpiece. In some cases, you can also dislodge a clog by inhaling on the cartridge very firmly until you feel a pop.
- If the cartridge has airflow but isn’t producing vapor, it’s possible that the oil in the cartridge’s reservoir is too cold and viscous to absorb into the cartridge’s wick. In this case, warming the cartridge will often resolve the issue. The easiest way to warm a vape cart without damaging the plastic is by placing the cartridge in a zip-top bag and running the bag under hot water for a few minutes. If warming the cartridge resolves the issue, you’ll see small bubbles begin to form around the cartridge’s wick openings. Wait several minutes for the wick to become completely saturated and try using the cartridge again.
Extend the Cartridge’s Center Pin
If none of the other tips in this article have helped to get your vape cart working, it’s possible that the cart isn’t hitting because the center pin in the cartridge’s threading isn’t touching the pin in your vape pen’s threading. This is rare, but it can happen if the cartridge has an assembly problem.
To fix an issue with a vape cart’s center pin, grasp the pin with a pair of tweezers or needle-nose pliers and wiggle it while pulling gently. If you feel the pin move at all, you’ve probably fixed the problem. Try using the cartridge again, and you’ll probably find that it works now.
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