Why Do Vapes Crackle and Pop?
By Samuel Lawrence
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Whether you’ve recently made the switch from smoking tobacco to vaping with an e-cigarette or are considering doing so, there is a lot to learn. Vapes differ from smoking cigarettes in various ways, including in the sounds they make. Vape crackling and popping sounds can be worrying for users, but it isn’t always a sign for concern. Find out why vapes make crackling and popping sounds below.
Why does my vape crackle?
The crackling sound people hear when using a vape device is a normal part of vaping. It’s simply the sound vape liquid makes when being heated and turned into vapour inside your e-cigarette. If you can hear a quiet crackling sound when using your vape, it means the device is working as it should.
If your vape is making popping sounds or louder crackling sounds than normal when you use it, this could be a sign that something isn’t right with your device.
What is “normal” crackling?
It’s normal for every type of e-cigarette to make a quiet crackling noise, but some types of e-cigarette sound louder than others. Box mods (a type of sub-ohm vaping device which can produce larger clouds of vapour by using a coil with lower resistance) tend to crackle more loudly than cig-a-likes, pod vapes and vape pens because they use more e-liquid.
As you become more accustomed to vaping and your e-cigarette, you will learn what sounds normal and what doesn’t. If your vape starts making unusual popping or crackling sounds, it could be one of the following issues:
- Low wattage or voltage level
More advanced vaping machines such as box mod devices allow users to set the wattage or voltage level. This changes the speed at which the coil heats and vaporises the e-liquid. If you have a low wattage or voltage setting, it can take longer for the e-liquid to vaporise. This can cause the atomiser to flood, which results in crackling and popping noises.
- Your e-liquid ratio
Some e-liquid ingredients - such as vegetable glycerine (VG) - have a thicker consistency than others, which means they produce more vapour. Using e-liquids with higher ratios of VG will cause your vape to crackle more loudly.
- Your coil design
E-cigarettes contain a coil which is designed to heat up and vaporise e-liquid. Customisable vape devices allow the user to choose from a range of different types of coil. Some types of coil - such as twisted and braided coils - vaporise more e-liquid than others, which results in a louder crackling sound.
Which devices crackle the least?
If you find the crackling sound of vaping off-putting or unpleasant, it is best to look for a vaping device which uses less e-liquid. Pod vapes or pen devices are less likely to make such sounds, or at least you may find that they are quieter in doing so.
Pod vape systems are comprised of two components – there's a pod filled with vape juice and a small battery to which this is inserted to. Pods can be available in either pre-filled designs or can be refillable. Given that these devices typically use less e-liquid they are likely to be quieter in usage in comparison to other vaping devices such as MODS.
Another category of product which is a better alternative to smoking, heated tobacco, uses real tobacco instead of liquids. In so doing, heated tobacco does not produce these crackling or popping sounds that you may find occurring with vape devices. By heating tobacco to a controlled temperature, a vapour is released instead of smoke.
With IQOS, the leading heated tobacco brand in the UK, simply insert a HEETS tobacco stick into your IQOS device and you’re ready to go. IQOS produces no ash, no smoke, and less smell than cigarettes, and emits on average 95% lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.*
Important Information: IQOS is not risk free.
You can find out more about IQOS here.
*Average reductions in levels of a broad range of harmful chemicals (excluding nicotine) compared to the smoke of a reference cigarette (3R4F). It does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk.
