Using Your Vape on a Hot Day? Here’s What to Know

If you’re a nicotine user, you know that your cravings don’t go away when the weather is uncooperative. Even on the hottest days, you still need your nicotine even if you’re feeling sweaty and completely uncomfortable.

One of the many benefits of vaping compared to smoking is that vapor isn’t nearly as hot as cigarette smoke, so inhaling it is a bit easier on the throat when you’re trying to find relief from the hot sun.

Vaping, however, also has a few unique elements that smoking lacks. When you’re vaping outside on a hot day, you need to exercise special caution because you’re using a device with a lithium-ion battery. It’s also important to remember that the ingredients in vape juice can be potentially dehydrating, so you’ll need to pay special attention to your water consumption if you vape on a hot day.

So, what should you keep in mind if you’re going to vape in the heat? In this article, we’ll explain what you need to know.

Try a Menthol-Flavored Vape for Additional Coolness

Although e-cigarette vapor is already significantly cooler than cigarette smoke, you can enjoy an even stronger cooling sensation if you use an e-liquid that contains menthol. You’re already aware that menthol can be very soothing to the throat if you’ve ever smoked a menthol cigarette, but there are menthol e-liquids on the market today that feel significantly cooler than any menthol cigarette ever could. The Geek Bar Pulse is a popular vape with many different menthol flavors available. Try it if you’re having trouble deciding what to buy.

Menthol is a natural compound that’s usually extracted from peppermint, and it makes your mouth and throat feel cold because it activates special receptors in your nervous system. The extra coldness in menthol e-liquid is achieved through the addition of other coolants – primarily ones that were developed by the company Wilkinson Sword beginning in the 1960s. Those coolants were developed as alternatives to menthol for use in shaving products because menthol can feel irritating when it comes near the eyes. E-liquid companies combine menthol with the Wilkinson Sword cooling agents to create a super-strong cooling sensation that feels incredibly refreshing.

Drink Plenty of Extra Water

Another thing to remember about vaping on a hot day is that you should always drink plenty of water when you vape because the ingredients in e-liquid can potentially be dehydrating. That’s even truer when you vape on a hot day because being out in the sun is likely to leave you feeling dehydrated anyway. Even if you think you’re already getting plenty of water, you should still try to drink a little extra if you’re vaping on a hot day.

The reason why vaping can leave you feeling dehydrated is because the two main ingredients of vape juice – vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol – both absorb and retain water. When you inhale the vapor from your e-cigarette, the e-liquid will absorb some of the moisture from your body. When you exhale the vapor, any moisture that the e-liquid absorbed is gone. However, drinking extra water is all that you need to do to prevent the moisture-absorbing property of e-liquid from becoming a problem.

Don’t Use or Store Your Vape in Direct Sunlight

One of the most important things to know about using your vape on a hot day is that using any lithium-ion battery in a hot environment will shorten its life in the long run, although it does provide increased operational time in the short term. The reason why heat increases a battery’s run time is because the heat serves as a catalyst for the chemical reaction occurring inside the battery.

Ultimately, though, using a vape battery in a hot environment degrades the chemicals in the battery and eventually causes its maximum capacity to decrease. This phenomenon isn’t unique to vaping devices; it affects all lithium-ion batteries.

• You’ll enjoy the longest total service life with a vape battery if you use it in a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit).
• In a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), a battery’s total life is cut by 20 percent.
• In a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), a battery’s total life is reduced by 40 percent.

To minimize the negative effects of vaping on a hot day, you should always avoid using your device in direct sunlight. Try to find some shade before you pause for a vape break. Don’t forget that it’s also important to avoid storing your vape in direct sunlight when you aren’t using it. It’s especially crucial to never store your vape in your car.

• On an 80-degree day, the interior of a car that’s parked in direct sunlight can reach a temperature of 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) in just 20 minutes.
• After 40 minutes, the car’s interior temperature can reach 47.7 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit).
• After 60 minutes, the car’s interior temperature can reach 50.5 degrees Celsius (123 degrees Fahrenheit). At this point, a vape battery is in serious danger of overheating.

Watch for Signs of an Overheating Vape

Even if you’re extremely careful with it, your vaping device can still potentially overheat if you use it outside on a hot day. If the device overheats, one of two things may happen.

• The device may feel much hotter than normal in your hand.
• The device may shut down and display an error message like “Too Hot” or “Temp Too High.” This happens because your vaping device has an internal temperature sensor, and the device is programmed to shut down if the temperature reaches a certain predetermined level (usually around 120 degrees Fahrenheit).

If you encounter either of the above situations, you should stop using your device immediately. Move it to a shady location or an air-conditioned environment and don’t try using the device again until the temperature is drastically reduced. Remember that your vaping device should never feel painfully hot in your hand. If that does happen, it’s a sign that you need to stop vaping right away to ensure that the battery won’t overheat.