Clear vape juice can get darker when exposed to either excessive heat or oxygen in your tank or bottle. Heat causes the sugar and added sweeteners in the e-liquid to caramelize. Oxygen exposure degrades nicotine and other ingredients, causing the liquids to expire.
Why is my vape juice so dark?
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 Do You Prevent Vape Juice from Darkening in the Bottle?
What happens if you don’t shake vape juice?
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.
Why does e-liquid turn dark in your tank?
Besides the fact that oxidation is sped up tenfold inside a vape tank, the biggest culprit of e-liquid turning dark in your tank are the ingredients. Not all e-juices are created equal, and a lot of them on the market contain artificial sweeteners and sugars to add flavor.
Is my vape oil cartridge going bad?
The older the vape oil, the more likely it has gone through the oxidation process and the darker the oil. This does not mean that your vape oil cartridge is bad and needs to be discarded. Even if there is little noticeable change in the oil, the taste test will be a giveaway. If the vapor tastes bitter or sour, it should be tossed away.
Is it bad for vape juice to turn dark?
This is actually because of the same oxidation process we have previously mentioned, and again is no cause for concern. When the nicotine in your e-liquid is exposed to oxygen, this will gradually cause it to change colour and even storing it in a dark, cool place won't stop this from happening.
Is it okay to smoke brown vape juice?
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.
Why did my vape juice turn brown?
If e-liquid is left in an unstable environment, exposed to oxygen or direct sunlight, it can cause the nicotine to oxidize—hence why it changes into a different color. It's important to note that oxidation is a normal process of aging vape juice, and the more nicotine in the product, the darker it will become.
Can old vape juice make you sick?
No, it isn't dangerous to vape expired e-juice, nor is it bad for your health. It is simply a recommendation by the producer. This answer settles a major myth in the vaping community on if vaping expired vape juice is dangerous for your health.
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.
Is oxidized nicotine safe?
Nicotine oxidation is a completely natural process of e-juice that can't be stopped. It occurs when the atoms of the nicotine molecule come in contact with the oxygen in the air. Once you have begun using a flavor, you will notice its color will change slightly. You have nothing to worry about.
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 long before vape juice goes bad?
You should realistically not leave the juice for more than 5 days. At this point, it will usually have been too long and start to taste awful. If you leave a tank un-vaped for too long, the coil floods and starts to leak.
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.
Why is my vape juice dark?
But the most likely culprits are as follows (we’ll look at each in more detail further below): Sunlight Exposure. The Nicotine Has Gone Bad. Gunk on Your Coils / Wick is Seeping Through Into Tank. These are the most common reasons why your vape juice will change color into a dark, murky looking mess.
What does it mean when you have gunk on your wick?
3) Gunk on Your Coils. If you’re using a rebuildable, like an RTA tank, this can happen quite often. Usually, it means it is time to change your wick, as the gunk build-up has reached fever-pitch and is now seeping into your tank , discoloring the juice . This happens about every few days on my Kayfun tank, though a lot of how gunk builds up on your ...
Why does E juice change color?
This happens to me ALL the time, as I tend to leave bottles of E Juice in my car. Why it happens is simple: nicotine is photosensitive, so when it is exposed to sunlight it will change color. You can still vape it, ...
How long is E juice good for?
E Juices do have a use-by date and most are usually good for 12 months after you’ve purchased them. If you vape it and it is really harsh and tastes peppery, the nicotine has gone back and you need to bin it. Once the nicotine goes bad, you 100% DO NOT want to vape it.
Does E juice build up on coils?
This issue also affects sub ohm tanks as well. When you vape E Juice, the liquid is heated by the coils to create vapor. But because E Juice is made up of ingredients – flavorings, colorings, etc – some build-up on the coils is almost guaranteed. If there is too much build-up, you get the gunk seeping into the tank’s storage chamber ...
Can you use E juice if it goes dark?
However, if it goes REALLY dark – and it’s old – the nicotine could have gone bad.
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.
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.
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.
E-LIQUID FLAVORS: ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS AND SUGARS
Artificial sweeteners and sugars that add flavor are common in e-liquids. Unfortunately, they caramelize when exposed to high heat, just like caramel, changing the color and texture of the liquid. This process produces gunk that stains e-liquid in your device and builds up on your coil.
OXIDATION
Oxidation is a chemical reaction that causes e-liquid to darken. This process occurs when nicotine is exposed to oxygen. However, it generally doesn’t ruin the taste or quality of your e-liquid, only the appearance. Extensive exposure of e-liquid to light and heat will also gradually cause nicotine discoloration.
REGULAR CLEANING ROUTINE
Lastly, cleaning your tank also gets rid of gunk buildup, helps minimize discoloration and changes in flavor. This might seem obvious but is often overlooked or neglected. So, adopting a regular cleaning routine will help ensure the best experience and is necessary maintenance.
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.
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.
VegasSparky Full Member
No stinkies for over a month now, but having a problem. During the day I vape w/a pen style 510 (or CTwist), and clearo. For the past week I've noticed within a day my clearos get hard to draw on, and the e- juice I use turns from clear/orange to black. I don't taste burnt wick, and the experience isn't nearly as satisfying as when I started.
calico21 Super Member Verified Member ECF Veteran
It sounds to me like a carmelization problem. The sugars in your juice may be turning darker, it builds up on the wicks and coils which is really hard to just clean out. That's been the problem for me in the past.
bhswmc01 Super Member Verified Member ECF Veteran
I notice this on my evods if I refill it with the same sweet flavor over a period of a week or so. Just finish the tank, then give everything a good cleaning.
Nuuze Super Member Verified Member ECF Veteran
Sweet juices and a hot coil (low ohms /1.5-1.8) causes caramelization of the sugars on my sweet juices. Plus I tend to take long draws as well so by the time I'm 2/3 done with my tank the juice tends to be really dark. Doesn't happen as much since I went back to higher 2.5 ohm coils. Hope this helps.
Coastal Cowboy This aggression will not stand, man! Verified Member ECF Veteran
Caramelization is part of the issue. Another part is heat and light, which partially oxidizes the nicotine and possibly other ingredients as well. I see the OP is in the desert southwest. It gets rather warm out there, doesn't it?
rexy Senior Member Verified Member ECF Veteran
I use a protank and my juice was turning very dark. I turned down my volts on my mod from 4 to 3.5 and now I don't have that problem. I think I was very lightly burning my juice so that I couldn't taste it-only see it.