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How Does My E-Liquid Change Color In The Tank?
At some point in time your E-liquid will drastically change color. This can happen while the e-liquid is in the tank, or still in the bottle. It may get darker. It may only happen with specific Juice. Sometimes this can happen as quickly as within an hour or two of putting fresh E-liquid in your favorite vaping device. So what’s behind this?
Vape Juice Changing Color – Checklist
Vape juice changing color is perfectly fine! It is a very common occurrence, and doesn’t mean your juice is bad. If you’re concerned about your vape juice changing color, here are some simple points to check;
- Is your vape juice within the expiry date?
- Check your juice is within date. If not, don’t risk it!
- Is your vape juice high VG?
- High VG juices caramelize faster than PG
- Is your vape tank clean?
- Vape juice can react with residue left in dirty tanks
- Has your juice been stored in direct sunlight?
- As with most perishable goods – store your juice in a cool, dry place!
- Does it taste okay?
- If you realised your juice was discolored because it tasted bad – throw it out!
Experienced Vapers Explain Vape Juice Changing Color
Here’s what a couple of avid vapers have to say:
Lily tells us – “Oxidation, a common chemical reaction, is what causes this problem. The extremely reactive substance involved is nicotine. After being exposed to heat, light, or air the E-juice changes color because of the nicotine in the juice reacting with other ingredients (or the heat, light, or air just mentioned).”
CV explains – “I figure it’s time to clean the when my juice changes color. I frequently used RTA’s (rebuildable tank atomizer), if that has anything to do with it. I have never considered the changing of colors that big of a deal, and I’ve noticed that some E-fluids change colors faster than others. A definite sign that coils need to be replaced or cleaned, however, is if there is a ring of black hovering near the top or black particles in the juice in your tank.”
So Why Does E-Liquid Change Color?
Once your e- juice is in the cartomizer and starts changing colors, it isn’t necessarily a matter of quality, but more related to vaping habits or the ingredients within the Juice. The color can be affected by the nicotine level or the amount of flavoring present. As mentioned in the beginning of this piece, some E-juice even changes color while still in the bottle.
And yes Lily and CV, nicotine has a lot to do with it, as does the ingredients being exposed to air, heat, and light. So, our “experts” weren’t too far off.
Sometimes, gunk or caramels can stain your E-liquid. VG-based juices caramelize faster than PG-based ones because they are sweeter. Vaping habits can have something to do with the color change as higher levels of heat within your cartomizer can make the caramelization occur that much faster. Solutions to this problem are frequent tank draining and cleaning of the tank as well as not leaving any super sweet E-juice in the tank for long periods of time.
Natural oxidation is to be expected. However, the oxidation taking place should not have any effect on your vaping experience or the taste of your E-liquid. All too often, perfectly good E-juices are discarded by people who think that it is unsafe to vape an E-fluid that has become discolored. Don’t worry, what is happening is simply a natural cosmetic change caused by old nicotine. In some cases, the fluid can turn almost black, but still be perfectly fine.