Russ WareWhether you live somewhere that is hot and sunny for most of the year or only for a few months, temperature records seem to be breaking with increasing frequency. And while most people enjoy blue skies and sun, the sort of heatwaves that the US, Australia, Europe, and even the famously wet and grey UK have experienced can cause major problems in many areas of our lives.
One side effect of extreme heat you might not have considered is what it can do to your vape and e-liquid. Prolonged high temperatures and direct sunlight can really mess with their chemistry, in both obvious and some non-obvious ways. Sometimes that will be just a minor inconvenience, but at others, heat damage to a vape can be dangerous.
- Prolonged high temperatures, even when only caused by sunlight, can speed up oxidation of nicotine and other ingredients in e-liquids. Oxidation results in changes to the color, flavor, strength, and quality of the vape juice, and can make it unusable or unsafe.
- You can protect your e-liquid from heat damage easily and without changing very much about your routine. Store e-liquids in a cool, dark place when not being used, and do your best to keep them away from heat and out of direct sunlight at other times.
- Vape devices can also be damaged by heat, particularly the temperatures experienced in a locked car on a hot day. This can damage the plastic and metal parts of the vape body, as well as the internal electronic components, such as the display and control chip.
- Heat damage to a vape battery can occur quickly. This can cause stress to the battery, leading to failure, the venting of toxic gases, or even an explosion. The most severe and obvious sign of battery failure is the bulging that occurs when lithium-ion cells are damaged.
The Effects of Heat on E-Liquids
Considering that a vape needs to heat your e-liquid to do what vapes do, it might seem strange that heat can also significantly degrade the quality, flavor, and color of the juice in a tank or bottle. But here’s what you might not know:
E-liquid thins as it gets hot
The main ingredients in your vape juice, propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG), get thinner or runnier as they get hotter. As the liquid thins, it flows more easily inside your pod/tank.
This can lead to leaks as it finds its way out through airflow channels or even through the coil and out the mouthpiece. Not the end of the world, but messy and frustrating all the same. It can also lead to a flooded coil and spit-back when you try to use the device, which not only tastes pretty bad, but it will likely prevent you from getting the draw you want.
Nicotine degrades and oxidizes faster
The oxidation of the nicotine in your e-liquid begins to occur naturally from the moment it is mixed in the factory. However, this process is very slow unless the liquid is exposed to sunlight and prolonged heat (such as in a hot car on a summer day).
Oxidation of nicotine, which normally shows itself by a darkening of the e-liquid in which it is suspended, is the chemical breaking down into different components. At a certain point, after too much oxidation, the nicotine can no longer provide the same craving-satisfying effects and can begin to taste bitter and harsh on the throat.
Flavoring ingredients “cook”
Other than PG, VG, and nicotine, the other ingredient in e-liquid is the flavoring. And just like those other ingredients, flavorings can also be affected by heat, breaking down into different compounds. This is unlikely to be harmful, and how quickly it happens varies depending on the flavoring ingredient used, but it will result in a loss or change in flavor. This might just be a case of the e-liquid tasting flat and muted, or it could make the juice taste pretty unpleasant.
Protecting Your E-Liquid in Hot Weather
Keep it cool, but not cold
There is no specific perfect temperature at which e-liquids should be kept, but aiming to keep it within a few degrees of the normal room temperature range (64–72°F or 18–22°C) should be good.
Keep e-liquid bottles away from heaters, radiators, and other sources of direct heat, as well as places that get hot during the day such as sunrooms, car dashboards, etc…
Keep e-liquid out of direct sunlight
The UV in direct sunlight is what will speed nicotine oxidation the most, with the heat the sunlight brings compounding the issue. You don’t need to step inside a dark closet every time you want to whip the bottle out to refill your vape, but avoid leaving it in bright sunshine for extended periods.
If you are at home, store it in a cool, dry, and dark place when not using it, and if you are out and about, keep it in a pocket or bag instead of lying out on the sun lounger or car seat.
Plan ahead and carry only what you need
If you know you will be away from home, at the beach, pool, or somewhere else where heat and sunlight are unavoidable, don’t take your entire 100ml bottle of e-liquid with you.
Instead, work out what you think you will need for the day, and decant that volume of liquid into a separate smaller bottle and store the rest as described above. If your e-liquid does get heat damaged during the day, at least you won’t have ruined a whole bottle and will still have some to fall back on at home.
The Effects of Heat on Vapes and Batteries
Just as you likely wouldn’t want your phone or laptop sitting in direct sunlight or in a parked car on a 90-degree day, so should you also want to protect your vape from extreme heat, no matter if it is a $15 disposable or a $150 box mod.
Not only do you risk ruining a pod or tank full of e-liquid, but it’s also possible for the device itself to be damaged, particularly the battery.
While most vape users won’t have read the full instructions for their device, most clearly state somewhere that the safe temperature range for the battery/device is 50-105F (10-40C).
Lithium-ion batteries can be placed under extreme stress by prolonged high temperatures, which greatly increases the risk of total failure. This could just mean a permanently dead device, but could result in toxic gases venting from the cell or, in the worst-case scenario, the battery exploding.
While modern vapes have safety features to prevent a vape battery from overheating during use or charging, these safety features won’t kick in if the heat is caused by the vape sitting on a car dashboard on a blazing hot day. The interior of a car can reach 140F (60C) on a sunny day, way beyond that safe range.
Aside from the battery, there are other delicate components inside every vape. Even the simplest device will contain a small circuit board, chips, and other electronic circuitry. Plastic components could melt and deform, leading to leaks or even complete failure. All of these can be damaged if the vape gets too hot.
Danger Signs That Your Vape Is Heat-Damaged
If you know that your device has been left somewhere where the temperature has likely exceeded the safe range, it is important to check it closely before using it and before charging it.
Check to see if the device remains warm even after being taken out of the hot environment, or if you have started to use it again, that it does not feel unusually warm after moderate use. A warm battery is a sign that the device has been damaged and could potentially fail at any time. You should think carefully about whether it is worth the risk, or better to just get a new vape.
A much more obvious sign of heat damage to a battery is any sort of unusual bulging. When a battery starts to fail catastrophically, it can swell as the gases build up inside the cell. Bulging is obviously much more noticeable on a vape with a plastic body, but it can even happen with metal vapes. If you notice bulging, stop using the vape immediately, dispose of it safely (for example, through a recycling service that accepts portable electronics), and get a new vape.
The Bottom Line
Protecting your vape device and e-liquid from heat damage should be a standard part of your vaping routine, especially if you live in a hot climate.
But even if you live somewhere that only gets a few weeks of sunny days every year, it doesn’t take long for both juice and device to be ruined by sitting in a locked car or on a windowsill on a hot day.
Thankfully, preventing your vape from dying and your e-liquid from turning into something that looks and tastes like ditch water is more about being aware of the problem than it is about making any major changes to how you use and store your kit.
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