Your vape undoubtedly spends a lot of time in your hand. When it’s not in your hand, though, it’s an accident waiting to happen. If you drop your vape on a sidewalk, there’s a decent chance that it’s going to be toast. Some people have even left their vapes in their driveways and backed their vehicles over them. Sometimes, vapes actually survive these accidents. Dropping your vape in water, though, is one thing that can potentially kill your device instantly.
Here's the good news. Many people get nervous after dropping their vapes in water because they’re afraid the devices will explode. That’s actually very unlikely. Nevertheless, a short circuit may occur if water gets inside your device – so the most important thing you can take away from this guide is that you should never use your vape if it’s wet. Although it’s unlikely that a wet vape will start a fire, using your device if it has a short circuit is likely to fry it permanently.
So, you’ve dropped your vape in water. What should you do next? We’ll walk you through it.
How to Get Water Out of a Vape
If you drop your vape in water, your first priority is to disable the device if possible to prevent damage from a potential short circuit. Your next priority is to remove the water, which will hopefully allow you to continue using the device. Here’s what you need to do.
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Turn your device off or disable it immediately.
- If has a removable battery, take the battery out and set it aside.
- If it’s a pod system, remove the pod. This disables most pod vapes.
- If it has a power switch, switch the device off. The Geek Bar Pulse and Geek Bar Pulse X both have power switches.
- If it has a fire button, press the button five times. If you're worried that pressing the fire button would cause the device to activate, skip this step.
- If it doesn’t turn off, don’t use it at all until you’re certain it’s completely dry.
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Set the non-electronic components aside.
- If your vape has a removable tank, pod or cartridge, remove it and set it aside to air dry. Water may get inside these components and alter the flavor of your e-liquid, but that’s not a safety issue.
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Dry your device’s exterior.
- Use a paper towel to dry the outside of your device as thoroughly as possible. Don’t forget to dry the inside of the battery compartment if your vape has a removable battery.
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Remove the excess water from your device’s interior.
- If your device is a pod system or disposable vape with an airflow channel that runs through the device, water has probably gotten inside your vape. Hold a paper towel over the top of the vape while blowing hard through the airflow hole. This will force most of the water out of the device.
- If you’re using a box mod without an airflow opening, tap the device over a paper towel – with the battery door open, if the device has a removable battery – to remove some of the excess water.
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Dry your device’s interior completely.
- The best way to do this is by sealing your vape in a plastic bag with a few desiccant packets for at least a day. These are the little packets marked “do not eat” that are included with shoes and certain other types of products. This is exactly why it’s a good idea to save desiccant packets in case of an emergency. If you don’t have any desiccant packets, you can also use unscented cat litter.
- If your device has a removable battery, seal it with desiccant in a separate bag.
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Try using your device.
- After you’ve sealed your vape with desiccant for at least a day, it should be ready to use. Try vaping. If your device works, it’s safe to continue using it. If it doesn’t work, it’s likely that the water caused permanent damage. You can try returning the device to the bag for another day, but it’s likely that you will need to replace it.
Can I Fix a Wet Vape with Rice?
The idea that you can fix a wet gadget by sealing it in a bag with rice has been repeated by journalists and forum users so many times over the years that many people basically treat it as gospel nowadays. We strongly suggest, though, that you don’t try fixing a wet vape with rice. Rice isn’t as absorbent as desiccant or cat litter, so it may not actually fix the problem. In addition, you’ll have a big mess on your hands because the rice that does absorb water will dissolve into a sludge that will be difficult to remove from the device. You can use rice if you don’t have anything else, but the result probably won’t be what you’re hoping for.
Dropped a Disposable Vape in Water? That Could Be a Problem
If you dropped a disposable vape in water, it might be possible to get it working again – but it’s important to understand that the flavor probably won’t be the same as it was before the accident. A disposable vape doesn’t store its e-liquid in a sealed container, so if water gets inside the device, it’ll dilute the vape juice. You can still use the device, but you’ll probably want to replace it soon anyway.
Accident Prone? Try These Water-Resistant Vapes
If you’re the type of person who tends to drop your vape or leave it in spots where it could get bumped off of tables or knocked into water, it might be time to consider switching to a device that offers some form of water resistance. There are several modern vapes that offer various levels of ingress protection and are resistant to water, dust and shock. Update to one of these durable vapes today.
Geekvape Aegis Legend 3
View It Now – Also Available as Device Only
With the Aegis product line, Geekvape pioneered the new trend of building more durable, longer-lasting vape mods. Most devices in the Aegis series are water resistant and completely dust proof, and several of them have enhanced shock resistance as well. The Aegis Legend 3 is the latest flagship in the Aegis series, and it’s the most durable Aegis device of all. It features IP68-level ingress protection, which means that it’s resistant to water at depths of up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.
In addition to its great durability features, the Aegis Legend 3 is simply a spectacular vape mod. It features automatic palm detection, meaning that you can carry the device in your pocket without worrying about unwanted activation – and it’ll unlock automatically when you simply hold it. Standard button-based locking is also available. You’ll enjoy this device’s colorful and very legible interface, and you’ll especially love the maximum output of 230 watts.
Vaporesso Armour Max
Designed to work with two 21700 batteries, the Vaporesso Armour Max operates at up to 220 watts and is guaranteed to give you some of the best battery life you’ve ever experienced with a vape mod. The big selling point, though, is that the Armour Max has a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) outer coating to provide a high level of shock resistance. This is the same material that’s used for high-end phone cases. Even the tank has an armored outer sleeve to protect the glass. You can definitely be confident that this device will be highly likely to survive a spill.
You can save a little money by buying the Vaporesso Armour Max as a standalone device, but we recommend choosing the package that includes a tank because the included iTank 2 uses Vaporesso’s new COREX technology to deliver unparalleled flavor quality. COREX uses a new three-dimensional mesh structure to provide increased heating area, and Vaporesso’s fluffier cotton blend provides improved wicking action to supply one tasty puff after another without any burnt or dry hits.
SMOK Arcfox
View It Now – Also Available as Device Only
The SMOK Arcfox might look like a fairly utilitarian device from the outside, but that’s only because SMOK saved their design efforts for the stuff under the hood. The Arcfox has built-in shock resistance, and it’s also dust proof. If you happen to drop it in water, you won’t have to worry because the Arcfox features IP67 water resistance. That means it’s resistant to water up to a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes.
The Arcfox uses two 18650 batteries (not included), and it operates at a maximum power of 230 watts. In addition to the large power range, this device also sports a feature that people have always loved in SMOK’s box mods: an oversized side-mounted fire key. There’s no need to hunt for a tiny fire button when you use this mod; just squeeze the device, and it fires. The Arcfox is available as a device only if you want to save a little money. The full kit includes the SMOK TFV18 tank, though, which is SMOK’s flagship and features the best vapor production of any SMOK tank to date.