Vapers cough and what I'm doing wrong

[unrl]

Hi guys,

Just got my Vamo V5 running and using the atomizer that came with the Protank Mini @ 2.2omh (https://www.fasttech.com/products/1423304 , it says 2.5omh but its reading at 2.2omh on my Vamo). vaping on 50PG/50VG 12mg MBV juice and its giving me the cough whenever I vape. I use 3 Volts, 3watts thinking that it will lessen the harshness but its still the same. From what I've heard, 3 volts may be abit too less than it should.

Should I change atomizers? I have these for spares atm (https://www.fasttech.com/products/1405301) Or have I burnt something as it does give me a slight spicy flavour when vaping on Hawk/Grape Sauce (Any sauces for the matter really).

I try to hold it in my mouth for as long as I can then inhale it but I still cough a little from it. Do you guys think it might be the nic or PG content being too high? I use to smoke menthols and occasionally smoke Dunhill reds which were no issues so am not sure how much nic level would affect the harhness of it.

Any help would do as I've read through a couple of threads but still can't figure it out.

 

[Baditude]

How long have you been vaping? Is this your first e-cig device?

It's not uncommon for brand new vapors to cough when they first begin vaping. It took your body time to adjust to smoking. (Can you remember how you coughed with your first cigarettes? Maybe not, that likely was a long time ago.)

It will take some time to adjust to vapor as well. The mouth inhale is the correct technique. Whether you inhale into your lungs, or exhale from your mouth and nose is up to you.

It's not necessary to inhale the vapor to absorb the nicotine vapor. Most is absorbed in the mouth and nose. As you learn to adjust to vapor, you can gauge how much you can inhale without coughing. Before long, you will be able to direct lung inhales if that is your preference.

 

[unrl]

Yeah actually just got off for a day. I realize when I inhale after holding it in my mouth, it feels really harsh. Maybe not used to it yet but hopefully won't take long because it really annoying lol. Its like I inhale, cough, try again after drinking some water, cough harder lol.

Baditude would you recommend me getting a lower nic level/pg to slowly get into it or will I still get the cough?

 

[SchmidtyKy]

You may be sensitive to PG or VG. Many are sensitive to PG....but I am one of the rare few that can't handle too much VG. I found a juice that I like that uses 60%PG and 40% VG....but I can't use it for too long at a time because it starts hurting my throat. My other juices come from a vendor (MtBakerVapor) that allows you to customize the ratios. I always order 80%PG 20%VG with no problem. But the VG kills my throat. It's why I couldn't really use BluCigs too well because they use 100% VG juice. Weird.

 

[Rickajho]

See here => http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/337017-inhalation-technique-e-cigarette.html

For most people new to vaping the problem is more about unlearning everything you used to do when smoking a cigarette and getting comfortable with a different inhalation style for vaping. The article is a little "stern" but you will get the point.

 

[DSullivan]

I find that juice high in VG gives more vap cloud and allows flavor to come through more, but is also harsher and can cause coughing. The PG seems to mellow out the VG. Finding the right mix for you takes trial and error. I am starting to lean toward a 50/50 mix. Not sure yet if nic level affects me in that way.

 

[meanckz]

...and I seem to be sensitive to PG....I just ordered max VG juice samples from MtBakerVapor...I've been using 70VG/30PG from VaporChef and it's much better than the 40VG/60PG from my local B&M (btw all 12mg nic), with higher PG content I get a really dry scratchy feeling in the back of my throat, that I don't like.

 

[unrl]

Thanks Rikajho, I've read through that and understand fully. What frustrates me is that even with less dragging, the vapor still makes me choke. I may need to change the nic content and the pg/vg to see what really suits me, problem over here in NZ is that there's really no physical store for testing which sucks.

 

[FlamingoTutu]

I still get that irritated/dry throat cough over 7 months later. What helps me the most, aside from plenty of water (soda, beer, etc. do NOT count), is a good swig of milk to coat and sooth the throat.

As far as juice goes, if you know a flavor you really like, get a bottle 24mg and a bottle of 0mg and mix the 24 down with the 0 until you find your mg sweet pot. Good luck.

 

[StarDose]

If it burns in your throat after for more than a few seconds it could be the coil. Bad coils can have wicking issues or a hot spot which is pretty harsh and hard on the throat. Otherwise could be the PG or vg since 12mg isn't really high. My friend just recently got over the coughing part of vaping after a couple weeks.

 

[unrl]

Yeah was thinking of the coil as well. There's really so many areas that there can be a fault or at least doesn't suit me, finding out the right mix will be costly as well but definitely cheaper than going on analogs. Will be changing coils tonight, will post back.

 

[Rickajho]

Just give it a little time. This is day one, right? My first week was a lot of learning how to vape. I was a deep lung inhaler as a smoker and that style just didn't work for me for vaping. Day one was massive choking fits while I sorted things out. The liquid had little to do with it.

You are also in an "insult to injury" phase when you start vaping. Your lungs are already "really annoyed" from years or decades of smoking. Introducing something new to the mix takes some getting used to.

As it was, I really had to work at unlearning my smoking technique when I picked up vaping. It took weeks for a vaping style to become second nature without having to think about what I was doing. I seldom lung inhale when vaping and I really don't miss that part of smoking. You'll sort it out. Promise.

If you want to test out the "PG vs. VG" issue order a small bottle each of a flavor you like in 100 VG and 100 PG and try 'em. Get an empty bottle to mix with too. Go right to the extremes for these two samples to really figure out what you do and don't like about either high PG or high VG. For most people it's PG that is irritating. But these two samples will also show you the extreme ends of the scale between PG throat hit (or what you may be having a problem with as harshness) and VG vapor production. Beyond the experiment, you can then play with mixing them together in different amounts to see if/when you cross the line into "too much PG" and it becomes a problem.

Always stick with buying small sample sizes of liquids in small orders when you are new to this. There is nothing worse than a newbie blowing a pile of money on a huge liquids order all at once, only to find they don't like any of it (because the vendor uses the same base liquids or sources their flavorings from the same place and there is a common "thing" you don't like in there) or can't vape any of it because they got the PG/VG ratio or nic level wrong for their needs.

 

[Baditude]

Yeah actually just got off for a day. I realize when I inhale after holding it in my mouth, it feels really harsh. Maybe not used to it yet but hopefully won't take long because it really annoying lol. Its like I inhale, cough, try again after drinking some water, cough harder lol.

Baditude would you recommend me getting a lower nic level/pg to slowly get into it or will I still get the cough?

Lowering the nicotine % may help since "have I burnt something as it does give me a slight spicy flavour". Nicotine has a peppery taste to it, and is most responsible for the "throat hit" vapors talk about. A 50/50 pg/vg mix I feel is an ideal one unless you have a certain pg sensitivity, but those symptoms would be more along the line of actual throat or mouth pain, swelling, or itching.

Keep drinking plenty of fluids, and maybe use some throat lozenges for like sore throats. The novice vapor's cough usually subsides within a week's time period.

I know that I prefer a cooler vape. Low resistance coils seem harsh to me. I use 2.5 - 3.0 ohm coils on regulated mods like a Provari.

 

[Rickajho]

About the Kanger stuff: Always start a new coil at the lowest possible voltage and only adjust up as needed to get the best combination of vapor production and flavor. You cannot go by "shoulds" with Kanger BCC devices. They can and do work very well at voltages lower than what "the chart" says they should work at. If you ramp the voltage up too high you only end up burning flavorings onto the coil and the coil will then be trashed until you clean it. I won't even buy the 1.8 ohm replacement coils because there isn't any place to adjust voltages down low enough for them.

 

[unrl]

Thanks guys for the info.

I think mixing is the next level up for me as I'm not ready for it yet. I guess the other option is to buy little amounts and slowly test it out. I plan to get 0-30%PG and 100%VG on my next order to see how it goes. Will also change out my atomizer and see if there's any difference.

 

[patkin]

VG makes me cough if it goes far enough to hit my bronchials (top of chest just below throat.) You might try thinning it with PG. Any 50/50 juice I have, I have to do half and half of it with straight PG just in case it hits that area accidentally (I try not to lung inhale and just do enough to get a throat hit.) If it is VG, it will only get worse because, as you smoke less and less, your bronchials will shrink back to their normal size which #1 that will make them seem super sensitive like even from cold air... but that feeling passes as you get used to normal lungs and #2 VG produces much thicker vapor (bigger molecules actually) and thats what makes some cough and if continuing to vape, especially as the lungs "shrink" with new health, it they describe their lungs as feeling "heavy" from it. Might be TMI for you but it won't hurt to give it a try. Personally, I don't think as many people are actually allergic to PG as it seems.... those who are have pretty immediate and sever reactions involving more than just throat/lungs. PG can irritate though if overdone just as cinnamon or too much menthol can.

 

[madqatter]

Re: nicotine... When I first started vaping, the vapor seemed peppery and itchy, and my tongue and throat later felt like they had chemical burns. Too much nicotine. When I reduced the amount of nicotine I was using, my experience improved by leaps & bounds. If your experience feels like this, drinking lots of fluids and adjusting the nicotine level would be the first things I would recommend trying.