Why is my vape pod leaking? | Reasons and Solutions

There are several reasons why your pod might be leaking. The main reasons include: overfilling your pod, using a poor quality pod, or low battery percentage on your kit.

This is arguably the most frustrating part of vaping; having to deal with a leaky pod, dripping e-liquid all over your hands and clothes.

Let’s expand on the reasons why your vape pod could be leaking, and I’ll offer some practical solutions on how to prevent this from happening.

Quick summary

Overfilling your pod can force e-liquid out through the seals or mouthpiece.
A worn out, burnt, or poor quality pod may leak due to damaged seals or poor wicking.
Low battery can prevent your coil from properly atomising e-liquid, leading to gurgling and spitback.
Incorrect wattage settings can cause flooding, leaking, or premature coil burnout.

Reasons why your vape pod is leaking

Overfilling

Probably the most common cause of a leaky pod is simply filling it too much. While using an open pod system it can be easy to squeeze too hard on your e-liquid bottle, causing an excess amount of liquid to spill out.

Another way you may be overfilling your vape (and not realise) is if you use a pod with some sort of rubber stopper like an OXVA Xlim pod.

If these pods are filled right to the top and then you insert the stopper back in, the stopper itself will displace the liquid causing it to burst out.

Using a poor quality pod

It is always recommended to use genuine coils and pods produced by the original manufacturer.

Unfortunately it’s too common that you’ll come across dodgy retailers (both online and in person) who trade in knock-off goods to make a few extra quid.

These products tend to be very poor quality, and counterfeit pods will often leak due to inadequate seals.

However poor quality and cheap devices with cheap pods may just run in to this problem anyway due to their bad assembly.

We recommend sticking to big brand devices from companies like Vaporesso, Oxva, VooPoo and Uwell.

Burnt or old coil

Inside each pod is a heating element (called a coil). This coil is wrapped in a wicking material such as cotton to absorb e-liquid.

After using your pod for a while, this wicking material gradually loses its ability to effectively absorb e-liquid, causing it to leak out.

In addition to this, the coil itself will degrade over time losing its ability to properly atomise e-liquid, so when you puff on your vape it will produce less vapour and pull up un-atomised liquid which can seep out through the bottom or top of the pod.

Vape battery is low

Depending on your kit, if it’s low on battery then it will deliver less power and not heat the e-liquid properly.

This creates a situation where you’re inhaling on your mouthpiece and getting a little bit of vapour followed by a mouthful of vape juice.

On devices with a fire button, this can be negated somewhat. If you hold down the fire button for a couple of seconds before inhaling, you can ramp up the power to better atomise the liquid.

For devices with inhale-activation like the Voopoo Argus Z2 this is not possible as they have no button to make the device fire.

Incorrect power settings

Similar to when your vape kit is running low on charge, having your power settings set too low will only partially atomise your e-liquid.

This happens when you’re not running the recommended wattage for your specific coil. If it’s too low you’ll find the device gurgling and spitting liquid, whereas if it’s too high you run the risk of burning out your coil prematurely.

Sometimes a little trial and error is needed to find that sweet spot, but I’ve included my recommendations further down!

How to stop my vape pod from leaking?

Don’t overfill your pod

Be careful when filling your pod. If you’re the kind of person who likes to fill things right to the brim (like me) then consider slowing down a bit when it comes to your pod.

Excess liquid will find a way to seep out, so try to fill your pod just shy of the top and leave a little bit of room.

This is especially important when using rubber stopper pods. As mentioned previously the stopper can displace some of the liquid when inserted back in.

Use genuine pods from a recognised brand

When purchasing pods online or in person, make sure you’re buying them from a reputable seller.

It might not be immediately obvious if a seller is trading in genuine goods so this will require a degree of intuition on your part.

A general rule of thumb is if the price sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

For most brands, genuine pods will usually have a verification code printed somewhere on the box. If you are unsure, scan this code with your smartphone and if it shows up not genuine then contact your seller.

If you’re using an off-brand device you bought on the cheap, and it’s now leaking then you should consider switching. Unsurprisingly, these devices are made to a lower quality standard than the big brands, so they are often prone to issues.

That’s not to say you have to split open the piggy bank to get yourself a fancy new vape, for example the OXVA Xlim GO Lite costs only £6.99 here and will provide you with reliable performance and supports the trusted range of Xlim pods.

Replace your pod

It’s important to make sure your pods aren’t burning out and still have some life left in them. You can tell your pod is coming to the end of its usability when the flavour begins to diminish or taste burnt. Ultimately a burnt out pod will start to leak.

If your pod isn’t burned out but is still leaking, then it could be a simple case of a faulty pod. If this happens, the best thing to do is just replace the pod entirely.

Charge your kit or adjust power settings

Keep your kit from gurgling and spitting liquid everywhere by keeping it charged up or by adjusting the power levels. Try to keep your device above 20% battery at any given time to prevent poor atomisation while using it.

Check the recommended wattage settings for the resistance of coil you’re using and keep your device somewhere in that sweet spot. Here is a guide on the wattage settings you should use for each resistance. Please note that the correct setting may vary from kit to kit, but it should at least give you a rough idea!

Resistance	Recommended Wattage	Best For
0.15Ω - 0.2Ω	50W – 90W	Best for high-power DTL
0.3Ω - 0.4Ω	30W – 60W	Warm DTL
0.5Ω - 0.6Ω	15W – 30W	Restricted DTL/High-power MTL
0.8Ω	12W – 20W	Smooth MTL
1.0Ω - 1.2Ω	10W – 16W	Standard MTL
1.4Ω - 1.8Ω	8W – 14W	Tight MTL

Hopefully this guide has answered the question “Why is my vape pod leaking?” and helped you find a solution to your messy problem. If you’re still having issues with a leaky pod, feel free to reach out to our support team.

Jakub Olszewski

Lead Content Writer

Hi, I'm Jakub, the lead content writer here at UK Vape Scene. I'm relatively new to the vaping industry, having joined the company in early 2023.

That being said, I've been a vaping enthusiast for much longer (around 7 years) which has allowed me to pick up a lot of expertise and product knowledge along the way.

Like so many others, vaping has helped me kick smoking — a nasty habit I picked up as a teenager. Currently, I'm using the Caliburn G4 Pro with our very own Ultimate Nerd Salts (Pineapple Ice is the best!)

Outside of work I enjoy going to the gym, playing PC games and DIY. At the moment I'm also getting into brewing mead, so who knows - maybe "UK Mead Scene" is coming soon?!

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