Basic Guide to Vaping - Part 1. What to get and how to use it

Basic Guide to Vaping

This guide is designed to give you all the basic information to help you try out vaping to see if it is for you. It also makes suggestions on what to buy and how to use it so that those new to vaping can get the best experience from the start. It also deals with care of the equipment, E-liquid, other equipment options and includes useful tips.

The information included in this guide has been extracted from various forums that discuss electronic cigarettes.

Part 1 – What to get and how to use it

What is an Electronic Cigarette
An Electronic Cigarette (e-cig) is a disposable device that heats up liquid (e-liquid), that may or may not contain nicotine, into a vapour that can be inhaled giving a sensation similar to inhaling smoke from a tobacco cigarette.

There are many types of e-cigs on the market but they fall into one of three main categories

Disposable :- Just as it says, designed to last for the same time as approximately 3 to 6 cigarettes then be thrown away, these are sometimes seen for sale in British pubs.

Two piece :- Consisting of a rechargeable battery and a Cartomizer which contains the heating element and e-liquid.

Three Piece :- Consisting of a rechargeable battery, a heating element known as an atomiser (atty) and a cartridge (cart) that contains the e-liquid.

Based on forum discussions and polls the most popular starter model e-cig is the 901. Starter kits start from about £25.

The 901 is a three piece e-cig and is widely available from various outlets, sometimes sold as a mini e-cig. This guide is based on the 901, but most of the information will apply to other models.

What you need to buy
The absolute minimum is a 901 Atomiser, a 901 battery and charger (or a USB passthrough which is useful if you have regular access to a computer), and 5 prefilled cartridges. This is the minimum required to tryout e-cigs and will cost about £25. The starter kits are generally better value, but check what they contain – having 2 batteries is preferable so that you can still use the e-cig whilst one battery is charging.

Most people who try e-cigs will find that the cartridges wont last that long so it is best to buy some extra e-liquid thus the recommended equipment to try out e-cigs is:-

2x 901 Batteries
2x 901 Atomisers (this allows each one to be used for different flavours or to be cleaned or just as a spare for when the first atty dies)
USB Passthrough (if you have computer access)
5 prefilled cartridges (or empty cartridges)
20 to 30ml of e-liquid (Tip: buying in 5ml sizes gives you an opportunity to order several flavours and strengths)

A basic vaping kit for regular 901 users might contain

4 or 5 901 Batteries
4 or 5 901 Atomisers
Approx 25 cartridges
USB charger and mains adapter
USB passthrough
30 to 100ml of e-liquid of several different strengths and flavours
tweezers
small case/tin for carrying e-cigs in

And if you decide to do your own DIY mixing of e-liquid then the following is usually kept

Several 5ml and 30 ml empty bottles
2-3 pipettes
2-3 syringes with blunt needles
Bottles of unflavoured e-liquid of high nicotine strength
Bottle of PG
Bottle of glycerine BP
5-6 bottles of flavourings
Large lockable organising box for all the stuff ie e-liquids and bottles

From the above you can see that it will cost you about £25 for the minimum equipment, £55 for the recommended kit and approx £100 for the regular users kit, so it is likely that in your fist month of vaping you will not save any money, but there after it will get cheaper and by then you will be noticing the benefits to your health as well.

What strength of e-liquid/prefilled cartridges do I order?
E-liquid comes in various different flavours and strength. Flavours come in 2 main types – tobacco or other (fruit, beverages and various other flavourings) and is pretty much trial and error. Most find that the tobacco flavours are not an exact match to tobacco cigarettes and the other types may or may not resemble the flavour it is supposed to be. Everybody is different. (Tip: buy several 5ml sizes to try the flavours out)
Strength indicates the amount of nicotine in the liquid. The following can be used to ascertain the strength required. However most people usually start with the 18mg strength.

Occasional Smoker   Zero to 8mg
1 pack per day      8mg to 14mg
2 packs per day   14mg to 24mg
Over 2 packs per day   24mg to 36mg

How much e-liquid will I use?
Again this varies but most people use between 1 and 5ml per day. I suggest you work on 2ml a day as a basic requirement.

To work the exact comparison the following may be used.

1 box of 20 cigarettes equals 20mg nicotine (number x strength)
1ml of 18mg e-liquid equals 18mg nicotine (amount x strength)

Each drop of e-liquid will last for approximately 7 puffs, so 2 drops is roughly equal to 1 cigarette (14 puffs).
There are approximately 20 drops per ml of e-liquid.

The nicotine strength of cigarettes is the amount actually absorbed by the body.
The nicotine strength of e-liquid is the total amount of nicotine per ml of liquid.
The absorption rate of nicotine inhaled from e-liquid is still in debate (some say its as low as 10%) but 50% is generally used as a guide figure.

So 40 drops (or 2ml) of 18mg e-liquid is about the same as 1 pack of twenty cigarettes. (5ml of 18mg = 50 cigarettes. 30ml of 18mg = 300 cigarettes)

How many cartridges will I use in a day?
A 901 cartridge (cart) will hold about 0.5ml so each cart is approximately 4-5 cigarettes (but this assumes the liquid in the cart will be totally used up). So 4-5 carts will be equivalent to 20 cigarettes. (Tip: when cart starts to run dry use a pin to take out filler and turn it around so the wet end is nearest the atomizer)

So your starter kit has arrived
After unpacking it and checking it over the first thing to do is read the instructions.

Then charge your battery as per instructions. Some recommend that the initial charge of your battery should be the full charging time as per instructions (4-6 hours) even if the charging unit is indicating the battery is fully charged.

New atomizers contain a priming fluid that can be unpleasant to vape. Some suggest that this fluid can be minimised by blowing with your mouth over the threaded end onto a paper towel until no more liquid comes out.

If using empty cartridges then fill with e-liquid (see later section on cartridges for instruction).

Insert your cartridge into the atomizer.

Screw the atomiser onto the battery and you’re ready to go.

When using the new atomizers you may find the first few puffs give a chemical taste, this is the primer fluid. If this is the case then take a few short puffs and blow out any vapour. Continue this puff and blow technique until the chemical taste is gone. Let the atomizer rest for 15-30 seconds after a couple of puffs so that it does not get too hot. (Tip: If you have some e-liquid then dripping 1 or 2 drops directly onto the atomizer bridge (the bridge is the wire mesh seen at the bottom of the atty) can help to remove the priming liquid and prevent the atomizer from overheating. (See the section on dripping in part 2 for more info))

Basic vaping method
The inhale method of an e-cigarette is different to a cigarette.
Use a long gentle steady draw for best effect; this gives the atomizer time to warm up.
Don’t draw too hard or you may get a mouthful of e-liquid instead of vapour.
Hold the e-cigarette horizontally as you draw.
When not in use it is best to store the e-cig horizontal. If stored with battery down the e-liquid might flood the atomizer, if stored with battery up then the atomizer may dry out. Note: Never try to vape a dry atty as it will be destroyed, put a drop of e-liquid in to wet it.
When the vapour production stops or starts to taste dry/burnt then the cartridge needs attention.

Extending the life of your cartridges
When cartridges run out then use one of the following methods. (Tip: If you are just buying filled cartridges, don’t throw them away when empty as they can be refilled with e-liquid and any left over e-liquid in the filler materiel can be extracted with a syringe, see the section on cleaning in part 2)

Turn the filling.
Using a pin or tweezers carefully remove the filling. You will probably notice that the end nearest the atomizer has become dry but the other end is still moist. Replace the filler in the cartridge with the wettest end nearest the atomizer.

Toping up.
Use a bottle of e-liquid with a dropper (or e-liquid in a dropper) to carefully add 2 or more drops directly to the filling in the cartridge. Stop before the liquid pools at the top of the filler. If the liquid has pooled then a quick dab with paper towel will soak up any excess. (Tip: Toping up can be hindered by an airlock in the cartridge, holding the cartridge at an angle and adding the drops near the side of the cartridge might help the e-liquid soak all the way down. This airlock can also be prevented by moding the cartridge (see cart mods in part 2) i.e. the straw mod, which is described later)

Refilling.
There are 2 basic methods of refilling a cartridge.
Basic method:- remove the filling, add 5-8 drops directly into the cartridge. Carefully push filling back into the cart. Finish with 1-2 drops onto the top of the filling as per topping up.

Syringe method:- Fill a syringe, that has a blunt needle, with about 1ml of e-liquid (or more if filling several carts). Push the needle down the side of the filling within the cart. Press plunger slowly on syringe until e-liquid appears at the top of the filling. Remove needle. If excess liquid is at top of cart filling then the syringe can be used to remove this.

Common problems using an e-cig.
Low vapour production
Check that there is sufficient e-liquid in the cartridge. The filler should look moist. Check that the cart filling is not pushed down into the cart. Use a pin to “lift” the filler back to the top of the cart.
A new atomizer can take a few days to work at their peak performance. Keep vaping and let the atomizer reach its peak. If vapour does not improve or gets worse then its time to change the atty. (Tip: there are several ways to clean an atty, some of these might bring a dying atty back to life, see cleaning section in part 2)
Using a freshly charged battery will produce more vapour.
Using a long slow draw will produce more vapour than a quick draw.
(Tip: some use one or two starter puffs to warm the atty up. Puff and blow just like when trying to light a cigarette)

Flodding
When vaping a crackling sound may be heard, this is the sound of the e-liquid boiling and turning into vapour. If a gurgling sound is heard and little or no vapour produced then the atomizer is flooded. Drain, or clean, the atomizer by standing the atomizer vertically, threaded end up onto a paper towel or blow through the threaded end onto a paper towel.

E-liquid drawn into the mouth
If the cart has been overfilled, the atomizer flooded, or the e-cig has been drawn too hard then e-liquid may be sucked into the mouth. Immediately rinse e-liquid out of mouth with water. Mop up any leaked e-liquid from surface of e-cig. Remove the small cap on cartridge mouthpiece by inserting pin into small hole and popping the cap off, then push paper towel into mouthpiece to mop up any surplice liquid. Replace cap if desired (Note this cap has no function in the use of e-cigs and may be left off).

Guide pt 1 V1.0