​Temperature Control Vaping - What’s it all about?

Have you noticed that there is a new trend that has been developed in the world of vaping and has introduced another new term to our vaping vocabulary? Temperature Controlled Vaping is set to change the way in which we can control the way we vape!

First we had VV (Variable Voltage) devices, then there was VW (Variable Wattage) devices and now we have even better devices that offer us the ability to use TC (Temperature Control).

You may be wondering why on earth you would need it?… particularly if you already have devices that offer your VV, VW (or both combined). Here we explore what TC vaping can do for you whether you are building your own coils or if you are using replacement coil heads in your tanks.

Well first of all TC it can be used to prevent damage to your coil and to your wick. Those of you who have been vaping for a while will know from experience that these can very easily be damaged by vaping at temperatures that are just too high. Excessive heat can cause carbonisation, a blackening which attaches itself to the wick thereafter continuously leaching into the liquid altering its taste and its colour. 

Too high a temperature can burn out your coil too which can get costly or create a need for continuous repair and re-coiling and re-wicking. And it can cause ‘dry burn’.

We use the word ‘burn’ with caution, because with vaping there is no actual burning. There is no ignition and there is no flame. When we use the term 'burn' in vaping we are referring to the heat generated by the electrical current which is sent from the battery to the coil.

With batteries that are VV and VW (or both) we have long since been advising vapers to check the oHms (resistance) of their coil and to use an oHms Law chart to make sure that they are not cranking up the voltage or wattage too high for the resistance of the coil. 

We know how tempting it is to push things a little further as we look for more and more performance, but as mentioned above, with regard to replacement and repair, this does have a cost.

Perhaps you will recall year or so ago there was a study carried out in Poland to study the chemical elements created in the vapour that is produced. In this study the various eliquids were tested using a standard vaping set up of an VV eGo battery which was powering a standard 2.4ohm coil. The tests used the battery set at voltages 3.2, 4.0 and 4.8 volts.

What was discovered was that at 4.8v the levels of carbonyls which were very low at 3.2 and 4.0 volts increased rapidly and significantly. The cause of this exponential increase of carbonyls was that the heat at higher voltage was causing the wick to 'dry burn' and it was a by-product of this which was creating this rise in carbonyl levels.

It stands to reason then that by making sure that we keep temperatures lower we will not only prevent damage to our wicks and coils we will also guard ourselves against the occurrence of dry-burn and therefore from being subjected to the massive over production of carbonyls.

As we vape of course it isn't always possible to prevent dry burn. Keeping our liquid levels always topped off is helpful as well as being mindful of ohms laws. But it is in this area that TC vaping comes in to its own providing us with:

• a sure-fire way to limit temperature, 
• to achieve a vape quality and experience that is never hot, 
• to avoid the nasty taste of dry burn, 
• to prevent the destruction of equipment (coils and wicks),
• to keep the carbonyl levels low. 

Temperature controlled vaping is perhaps the next step we can take in harm reduction.

It might be more than you care to know, but we will talk a little now about the technology behind it which combines the use of a TC battery and a TC coil.

First the coils: TC coils are different to standard coils (which are made from Kanthal or Ni-Chrome wire). They are made from Ni 200 Nickel or from Ti Pure Titanium two metals that before the development of TC batteries would have been unfavourable and unsafe to use. These metals offer very little resistance and heat up very quickly and it is these very characteristics which were so unfavourable before and which now makes them perfect. Typically TC coils are created with  double or even triple the number of wraps (the number of coils/wraps made in producing a coil) than would commonly seen in a Kanthal coil these wraps increasing the coils resistance and so allowing them to cope with the heat of the electrical output.

The TC battery device:

TC devices allow us to control the temperature but within these devices there is no thermostat nor temperature sensor at all. They work by sensing changes in resistance which rises as coil is heated.  When a specific resistance is reached the TC battery will automatically adjust; restricting or even cutting off power to the coil preventing damage to equipment and preventing the production of those high levels of carbonyls created by dry burn of the wick.

*Some TC devices will work in TC mode only with Ni-200 or Ti Pure Titanium coils though others will work (in TC mode) with Kanthal and Ni-Chrome coils.

It is clear that being able to control temperature makes vaping safer and more efficient for you and for your equipment, but another fabulous feature of TC vaping is that you can more accurately find and tailor your own vaping sweet-spots. Many TC devices have memory functions which allow you to create your own customised ‘pre-sets'. Create settings so that the device will remember the resistance of a coil and at the click of a button return you to that ‘ultimate’ setting. With several pre-sets stored you can vape in different ways in your different environments and with different tanks/atomisers! Brilliant!

Exhale offer a growing number of TC devices and TC coils in store now so why not take a look at the Aspire Pegaus  or enjoy the same battery in a kit in the form of the Aspire Odyssey or why not take a look at the fantastic Kanger Tech NEBOX

Got questions or comments? Contact us by email or by phone for a chat.