Why do vape juices turn brown?
When e-liquid, the liquid nicotine blend used in today’s electronic cigarettes, turns brown, the color change seen comes as a result of the liquid’s expose to light and oxygen. For vape juices, exposure to oxygen and light is all it takes to kick off a series of chemical reactions that result in the breakdown of the juice’s constituents.
Why is my vape oil so dark?
Every time you vape, the oil is subject to the application of heat and oxygen which leads to the oxidation process. This causes a change in the color of the oil. The older the vape oil, the more likely it has gone through the oxidation process and the darker the oil.
Why does nicotine e-liquid turn brown?
This is caused by chemical reactions that cause some breakdown of constituents. Although nicotine e-liquid for DIY mixing does turn a very light brown with age, most colour changes are caused by other ingredients, flavourings in particular. Many vapers deliberately expose new eliquid to heat, light and air as this changes the flavour.
Why is my e-juice brown in the tank?
E-juice browning in the tank is not all that uncommon, especially for tanks that allow a lot of light to penetrate through to the juice. Those transparent portals that vapers can look through to see how much juice they have left in their tank might be handy, but they’re also partially responsible for increased degradation of juice.
Is it bad if my vape juice turns brown?
Your vape juice can get dark because of another chemical reaction between nicotine and oxygen. Nicotine is a highly reactive chemical and exposing it to oxygen, or even light can cause it to react and turn e-juice into an all-too-familiar brown color. But this doesn't mean your darkened vape juice has gone bad.
Why is vape oil brown?
Every time you vape, the oil is subject to the application of heat and oxygen which leads to the oxidation process. This causes a change in the color of the oil. The older the vape oil, the more likely it has gone through the oxidation process and the darker the oil.
Is it safe to vape oxidized vape juice?
You have nothing to worry about. This is just a natural progression. However, if you recognize a drastic change in its color, then that means oxidation has occurred on a much larger scale. When this occurs, you should not vape this juice.
How do I stop my vape juice from turning brown?
Store Your E-liquid in a Cool, Dark Place. Exposure to light and heat will gradually cause the nicotine in your e-liquid to change color. Storing it in a cool, dark place won't stop the darkening completely, but it helps slow down the oxidation process dramatically.
What color should vape juice be?
Some juices might be best when they are amber in color, others will end up dark brown, or still others, like those light fruit flavors we talked about, may be pretty much clear when they are "ready". You should use the color to track the oxidation process and learn to identify how you best like your e-juices.
How can you tell if vape juice is bad?
If the smell is in any way offensive, dispose of it. Taste is obviously the best way to tell whether a juice has gone bad. If it has a peppery flavor, or it otherwise tastes unpleasant, it is time to throw it away. Nicotine oxidation plays a significant part in determining whether a vape liquid is still good.
Why does my vape cotton turn brown?
E-juices that contain sugar or sweeteners will often turn cotton wicks brown. This happens because the heat will cause the sugars in the e-juice to caramelize. The caramelization process leaves behind the brown color, which is actually just residue from the sugar, on the cotton wick.
Do vape liquids expire?
Yes, vape juice has an expiration date, but e-liquid is also what we call 'shelf stable'. This means that it takes a long while before it reaches a point that you shouldn't vape it. After the e-liquid has been manufactured it has a shelf life of around two years.
My Bottle of Vape Juice Turns Brown
You just bought a brand new bottle of vape juice, and you are enjoying the flavor.
Tips to Prevent Vape Juice From Darkening
Although you can’t entirely prevent your juice from changing over time, there are ways to slow down the process.
Why is My E-Liquid Turning Brown in Tank?
Oxidation happens quickly after your e-liquid is in your tank, but that isn’t the only variable that alters the color.
Is E-Liquid that Changes Color Safe?
We totally understand why you may be hesitant about using an e-liquid with discoloration, but should it be thrown away? Of course not.
Takeaway
Your vape juice turning dark can be an annoying occurrence. But with the information you now have, you can combat the oxidation process by following our tips. Just remember to clean your tank frequently and avoid mixing e-juices to ensure that your tank doesn’t get clogged or drastically change color again.
Why is my vape juice turning brown?
Why Vape Juice Turns Brown in the Bottle. The reason why e-liquid starts to darken inside the bottle is due to a chemical reaction known as oxidation. Nicotine is a highly reactive chemical and exposing it to oxygen, or even light, can cause it to react and turn vape juice into an all too familiar brown color.
How to make vape juice darken faster?
Shaking your juice bottle may help mix the flavors together, but the agitation increases how much oxygen is being absorbed into the vape juice, making it darken faster. By not agitating your e-juice, you can slow down the oxidation process even more. Don’t Mix Different E-liquids.
What happens when you caramelize e-liquid?
As your coil heats up to vaporize the e-liquid, these sweeteners start to caramelize and stick to the coil and cotton. Just like the process of making actual caramel, the results are very dark and gunky. When enough builds up on the coil, this caramelized gunk begins to leach out into the juice and stain it a brown color.
What happens if you leave apple slices out?
If you leave those apple slices out for a while, their white flesh starts to brown a little. Oxidation is a very normal process and should be expected from your e-juice, even if there are low amounts of nicotine. Although, the more nicotine there is the more pronounced the reaction will be, meaning even darker vape juice.
How to stop e-liquid from darkening?
While you can’t prevent your e-juice from darkening entirely, there are things you can do to slow down the process: Store Your E-liquid in a Cool, Dark Place. Exposure to light and heat will gradually cause the nicotine in your e-liquid to change color .
Can you mix different e-liquids?
Don’t Mix Different E-liquids. If you have an old and a new bottle of the same vape juice, keep them separate. If you have to mix them, or are using different flavored or brands of e-juices, mix them in a separate, smaller bottle or container.
Does cleaning your vape tank affect flavor?
Without regular cleaning, this buildup will start to darken any new juice added to your tank, which can start to affect the flavor too. By cleaning your vape tank with every coil change, you ensure that you’re getting the optimal performance and flavor out of your tank. Click here to learn more about cleaning a vape tank.
Why Does Vape Juice Turn Brown?
E-liquids get darker from one of two chemical reactions: caramelization or oxidation.
How Can I Prevent My E-liquid From Browning in the Bottle?
Once your vape juice turns brown in its original bottle or vape tank, you can’t make it clear again. The best way to slow or prevent vape juice from browning is to store it in a cool, dry place.
FAQs About Vape Juice Turning Brown
Clear vape juice can get darker when exposed to either excessive heat or oxygen in your tank or bottle.
What is Inside Your Cannabis Vape Cartridge?
Contained within the glass or plastic tube in your vape cartridge is approximately one gram of cannabis concentrate oil full of cannabinoids and terpenes. At the bottom of the cartridge, there is a metal plate that is heated by the battery located at one end of the vape pen. The oil is vaporized and inhaled through the mouthpiece.
How The Oil in Cartridges Changes Over Time
In case you weren’t aware, your cannabis oil is made up of lipids and molecules in complex chains whose bonds are not terribly strong. The heating of the oil on a regular basis results in the breakdown of these molecular bonds. It is important to note that THC molecules in cannabis will degrade into CBN no matter what delivery method you use.
Heat Inside and Outside the Cartridge
Exposure to high temperatures over a period of time will increase the degradation of both the oil and the THC. Not only does the heat come from within the cartridge, it also comes from outside the cartridge.
3 Ways to Tell If A Vape Cartridge Is Bad
While vaping an old cartridge doesn’t actually carry any serious health risks, here are the ways to tell if your cartridge is bad:
Ways to Increase the Longevity of Your Vape Cartridge
By purchasing high-quality cartridges and storing them properly, they can last up to a year without loss of potency. It is highly recommended that you purchase vape cartridges from a trusted source such as your local medical cannabis dispensary. Make sure that they include the following information:
Remove The Cartridge From the Battery
Even when you are not using the vape cartridge, as long as the metal plate maintains contact with the battery, there will be a small amount of power generated which will continue to heat the oil. That will ultimately damage the integrity of the cannabinoids and terpenes.
SwollenColon Full Member
Hi, I got what I figured out to be a vivi nova from a local place called vapor shark. I've had it for a month now and recently I noticed that the clear liquid I put in the tank is getting brown as I use it. Gets darker brown as it goes down. I put a new head on and its the same thing. Is it normal? Thanks
Tepid Super Member Verified Member ECF Veteran
Yes, this is normal. The nicotine in e-Liquid will oxidize and turn brown after some time of exposure to oxygen.
MiamiMom63 Ultra Member ECF Veteran
Yes, what Tepid said is correct. Also, keep in mind that you are cooking your juice in a warm small area every time you Vape. So after awhile instead of poring in new fresh juice over some darker cooked juice and when it gets low, just por out the dark stuff and refill fresh again. At least, that's what I do.
Tepid Super Member Verified Member ECF Veteran
You won't have to pour out the old stuff but about every 3 days I think.