Normally, the problem with vape gear is that it comes loose. Whether this is a fall-apart issue or e-liquid slowly dribbles over everything, we are forever tightening our vapes and checking to see if they are tight before refilling. But sometimes, on fateful days when the planets are out of alignment, your vape tank gets stuck closed. Maybe the tank is jammed on the top of your battery/mod. Or no matter how hard you twist, you just can't separate the coil from the tank, or the tank from the top.
No matter how much you wrench or how badly you want to throw the unbelievably stuck vape rig across the room, it just won't open. You've cursed it, you've banged it (lightly) on the table. You've asked it nicely to open. Nothing.
Well before you give up, let us offer a few vaper-pro tips for untwisting a permanently twisted vape tank. You might be surprised at what actually works.
HERE'S THE AGENDA
(Feel free to skip to what you haven't already tried.)
oBattery Safety First
oAsk Someone Else
oGet a Better Grip
oResort to Tools and Telekinesis
TANK STUCK TO BATTERY: SAFETY PROTOCOLS
Okay, so safety first. If your vape tank is stuck -to- the battery or mod box, then now is the time to be really careful. Remember that the stuck position means your vape could theoretically still draw power and that your battery could take damage from your un-sticking maneuvers. So the very first thing you should do if your tank is stuck to the lower half of the pen or mod is to drop the batteries out, if possible. This will take all the real danger out of the situation so the only remaining risk is accidentally damaging your rig or breaking the glass tank.
If you can't remove the batteries because the pen has an integral battery, make sure your device is switched 'off' and handle with care. Do not recharge and if you are connected to a charger, disconnect. Then proceed with caution.
FIND SOMEONE STRONGER
Once you've taken care of our battery worries, try a few more times to wrench the tank open then seek an alternative pair of hands. If there's anyone else in your house or who can be badgered into coming over for any ol' reason, consider asking them to try opening the tank. Especially if they have larger hands, are visibly more muscular, or have a creepy tendency to perform feats of strength beyond their apparent capabilities.
YOUR ROMANTIC PARTNER
There are many reasons why people tend to pair up into romantic partnerships. For companionship, survivability in the wilderness, and the ability to open jars. It's almost a rule of nature that if one person in a couple can't twist something open, the other will be able to. And it's not always the person you expect (usually followed by a "well, I loosened it for you").
Just to be thorough, double-check with your romantic partner to see if they can't twist the darn thing open. Nature might just be on your side, but a vape tank is not a pickle jar, so maybe not.
YOUR STRONGEST FRIEND
Whether you don't currently have a special someone or your significant other also couldn't unstick the tank, try asking your strongest friend instead. This might be the biggest dude you know, the person who works out the most, or that freaky skinny girl in every friend group that is scary-strong and no one knows why. Whoever your strongest friend is, invite them over for an evening of pizza and bad movies, then casually ask if they could try untwisting the vape tank for you. If they can't do it, you'll have to resort to more drastic measures.
YOUR DAD (OR MOM)
If you're old enough to vape, your parents are probably old enough to be retired or looking forward to retirement. And you'd think that would make them less talented at wrenching open stuck things. But sometimes, age only equates to more experience fighting with jam jars and figuring out how to make dinner with a stuck jar no matter what stood in the way. Plus, older people are sometimes surprisingly strong.
So if your parents are accessible (and cool with the vape), consider asking them to take a crack at twisting that sucker open. Either your dad or your mom might possess seemingly inhuman strength or a 'magic spell' that has been getting things unstuck for them for decades.
GET A BETTER GRIP
So no human hand or known trick has gotten that tank unstuck yet. Okay. That's fine. We're not ones to give up easily, even in the face of extreme vape-stopping adversity. It's time to get a better grip and we'll walk you through the generally household-available options.
SHIRT TAIL
You've probably already tried this one but it's square-one so that's where we're starting. Try wrapping your shirt tail (or the end of a clean t-shirt) around the stuck part of your vape, and possibly around the part you need to twist. Use the soft cotton fabric to ease the pain of ripping flesh when you try to wist so that you can safely grip the vape even tighter.
JAR OPENER
Some household, but by no means all, have a special plastic or silicon pad made for exactly this purpose. Or rather, made to get jam jars unstuck and will work perfectly for your purposes. This pad is usually brightly colored and about 3-5" by 3-5", thin, floppy, shiny-plastic looking, and has little ridges or bumps over the surface. It is a jar-opener and will help get the grip you need right where you need it to squeeze and twist with all your might.
RUBBER GLOVES
Don't have a jar opener? That's okay. Even more, homes have at least one pair of (possibly forgotten) rubber gloves. Check under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, in the utility drawers, around the laundry area, and in the mop bucket if you're not sure. These are thicker than jar opener pads, but give your hands the absolute bonus when it comes to pain-free friction applied to twist that vape tank.
In fact, you will find this particular un-sticking trick from delighted vapers all over the internet who discovered it through desperation and trying every household item imaginable.
MOUSE PAD
And if you don't have a jar opener or a pair of rubber gloves, you might just have a mousepad. The back of your mousepad is covered in a sticky foam that keeps it from sliding around on your desk when you move the mouse. This sticky pad could be exactly what you need to get a good grip on the stuck part of your tank and finally twist that sucker apart.
GETTING EXTREME
Finally, it's time to get really extreme. You've tried all the conventional ways to unscrew a jar or, in this case, a stuck vape tank. From this point on, we'll be raiding the garage and trying any weird thing we can think of to get that baby open.
RUBBER BAND AND PLIERS
If you're like many frustrated vapers, you may have already dug up a few pairs of pliers and are now eying them warily, wondering if they will damage the finish on your precious vape. A) Yes, they will. And B) You can avoid it!
The key to using pliers of any kind without damaging the finish is something simple, elegant even: A single wide-sided rubber band. This will provide jar-opener like gripping for the metal teeth of the pliers and prevent those same teeth from biting into your vape finish.
A VICE GRIP OR LOCKING PLIERS
Any pliers that fit around your vape can potentially help (except maybe needle-nose in this case) but everyone's toolkit or garage jumble contains a different set of pliers. So you work with what you've got. Your best bet for unlocking that stupid stuck vape tank is a vice grip or a pair of locking pliers which are easier to wrench closed and hold closed while you try your best twisting maneuvers. also, look for pliers with rounded inner teeth that will fit onto your vape better than straight-edged pliers.
DRIBBLE A LITTLE VAPE
Here's an interesting idea if you're getting desperate: Try dribbling a little vape juice or cooking oil onto the stuck part. It may not make a difference, but if even a little bit of oil gets into the stuck threads, then you might have a much easier time wrenching the whole thing loose. However, we do not suggest using butter, as this is an actual food item and doesn't really 'dribble' unless you microwave it.
FREEZE THE SUCKER
Here's a trick we learned from some really clever desperate vapers: If the stuck tank is already separated from the battery, try throwing that sucker in the freezer for a few hours. Tanks seal over rubber gaskets, which swell in the heat and shrink down to very hard little rings in the cold. In other words, if the gasket is the problem, the freezer will loosen the connection and you'll have no trouble at all opening your tank once it's frozen. just be sure not to accidentally freeze your hands to the tank when you try to un-stick it for the first time out of the freezer.
TELEKINESIS
And if all else fails, don't forget to try opening the darn thing with your mind. Yes, most people in the known world do not possess the power of telekinesis, but you might just be the one in 7-billion to have it. And you never know until you try. Hopefully, the sheer power of your brain will prevail where hands, rubber, and pliers did not.
Are you sitting, exhausted but triumphant, over the separated pieces of your vape tank right now? If so, we have proudly done our job and you can treat yourself to a glorious tank of your favorite flavored clouds. And if not... it looks like you and that tank were just never meant to be. Time to shop for a new one. Reward yourself for not giving up until the very end by looking for an awesome tank in your favorite color, or perhaps splurging on a little artisan e-liquid in an awesome new flavor.
For more fun and useful vape insights from the pros, contact us today!