Do vapes expire? How to tell if yours has
Like most things, you won’t be surprised to find out that vapes have an expiration date.
However, you may be wondering if the expiration date is a guideline or a strict thing that you have to follow. After all, expiration dates don’t always mean it’s no longer safe to use.
When it comes to vapes, though, there are a few telltale signs that your device or e-juice has expired, ones which can ruin the vaping experience. While you can read the expiration date for e-liquid, determining whether your vape hardware has run its course is harder.
Today, we’ll run through all the obvious and hidden signs that your vape has expired.
Do all vapes expire?
Since there’s a variety of vapes out there, the question stands, ‘do they all expire?’
While not ALL vapes expire in the sense that they have a strict use-by date, every vape product has a point where it stops performing like it should. Most of the time, you’ll be able to tell that it’s past its performance due to malfunctions or weird tastes.
However, the signs aren’t always so obvious if you don’t know what to look for. Here’s a guideline for the different expiry conditions for different vape products.
E-liquids
Most e-liquids can be used for up to 2 years from the manufacturer date when unopened. However, once you’ve cracked the seal, you’ll have a shorter window to use it by, especially if you aren’t following the storage guidelines.
E-liquids are easier to check to see whether they’ve gone out of date. You’ll see an end date on the package that notifies you when the ingredients go off.
Disposable vapes
Disposable vapes and prefilled pods contain e-liquid, plus a coil and a battery. All of these things lead to it having a short lifespan.
Even when left unopened, these components can degrade quickly, most commonly from incorrect storage. A lot of disposable vapes don’t come with a clear expiration date but rather warning signs for when to stop using them.
However, they’re designed to last a short time, so you’ll probably have got what you can out of it before these issues arise.
Refillable vape kits
Since refillable vapes are designed to last a long time, they don’t have a set use-by date. Rather, each of the individual parts can wear out quickly, depending on how often you use it and how well you take care of it.
When you own a refillable vape kit, you should expect to replace any worn parts once you notice issues. This includes:
- Coils/pods are consumables and will need replacing
- Batteries gradually hold less charge over months/years of use.
- Seals and tanks can wear and start to leak if they’re old or damaged.
How long does vape juice last?
How long vapes last depends on both the e-liquid that you’re using and the condition of the vape device itself.
E-liquids have a great shelf life, but once opened, they typically last between 6 and 12 months. That’s because air, heat, and light can cause nicotine oxidation, which makes the e-liquid go darker, dulls the flavour, or causes the liquid to separate, resulting in an ‘off’ taste.
That’s why higher-nicotine vape juice can also degrade quicker. With a higher nicotine strength, there’s more nicotine present to react. Therefore, the same amount of exposure to these factors produces a quicker change to the e-juice.
Vape juices with a higher PG (propylene glycol) content tend to last longer, since PG has greater resistance to bacterial and fungal growth. VG (vegetable glycerine) e-liquid lacks the antimicrobial elements that PG has, but if it contains nicotine, it won’t degrade any faster.
Common signs your e-liquid has gone off
There are a few common telltale signs that your e-liquid has surpassed its expiration date.
If you can’t already tell by bad tastes or odours, these things will help you determine whether it’s time to replace it.
- Change in taste: If your e-juice tastes off, whether it’s developed a bitter taste, it’s too harsh, or the flavour has simply gone, then it’s most likely expired. However, a burnt coil can also cause this, so test the liquid in another vape to determine the issue.
- Strange smells: A lot of expired e-liquid will start to smell musty, sharp, or soapy. This happens a lot with flavoured vape juice, such as fruity flavourings. Exposure to heat and sunlight will cause this to happen sooner.
- Darkened colour: Once an e-juice starts to oxidise, you’ll notice that the liquid darkens, as well as the taste and scent changing. A little darkening over time is natural, but too much in a short period is a sign that it needs changing.
- It’s separating or looks cloudy: Some settling can happen over time. However, if you give the bottle a decent shake and it still looks split, cloudy, or inconsistent, then it’s time to throw it out.
- The consistency has changed: If your opened bottle of e-liquid is starting to pour differently, or it’s behaving weirdly in a pod or tank (wicking poorly, flooding, or leaking), then it’s probably past its use-by date.
- The coil is clogging faster: Expired e-liquid may not wick as cleanly, which can lead to quicker coil gunking, burnt hits, spitback, or weaker vapour.
Is it safe to vape old juice?
You’ve most likely clicked on this blog because you have an expired bottle of e-liquid sitting somewhere, and you’re wondering if it’s still safe to use.
Vaping old e-liquid is usually a quality issue before it’s a safety issue. While vaping e-juice that’s a few days out of date won’t harm you, expect less flavour and a less satisfying throat hit.
If your vape juice is a few months expired, you may experience mild throat irritation or discomfort, but it isn’t dangerous to consume. However, if an old bottle shows obvious changes, it’s sensible to stop and replace it rather than trying to push through.
Does storing e-liquid in the fridge make it last longer?
If you want to keep your e-liquid fresh and away from warm temperatures, then storing it in the fridge is an option. Although, you should allow it to acclimatise back to room temperature a few hours before using it.
However, simply storing it in a cool, dry place, such as a kitchen cupboard, is enough to keep it from darkening and the flavours from dulling. Always keep the bottle tightly sealed and give it a good shake before pouring it into your vape pod or tank.
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