One of the greatest things about today’s disposable vapes is how remarkably affordable they are. Even the smallest disposable vapes usually last at least a few days, and larger rechargeable disposable vapes can potentially last weeks with light to moderate usage. They’re so affordable, in fact, that you may find yourself wanting to buy disposable vapes in bulk, so you won’t have to worry about stocking up again for a while. So, is that a feasible idea? Do disposable vapes expire if they’re stored for too long?
Vaping products – and disposable vapes in particular – tend to last a long time in storage. If you’re planning to use your devices within a reasonable timeframe, you can generally feel free to buy disposable vapes in bulk and store them until you’re ready to use them. It is possible for disposable vapes to go bad if they’re in storage long enough, though, which means that you should generally plan to use your devices within about a year of buying them.
Reading this article, you’re going to learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about how, why and when disposable vapes expire. You’re also going to learn how to store your disposable vapes if you want them to last as long as they possibly can. Most importantly, you’re going to find out what we’re doing here at Aquios Labs to make longer-lasting disposable vapes that taste as good after storage as they did when they were brand new.
How Do Disposable Vapes Expire?
Disposable vapes can go bad in two ways. A disposable vape can expire because the vape juice degrades in quality, or it can stop working due to the battery self-discharging and losing its stored power. We’ll explain how those two processes work. We’ll also describe how long you can expect a disposable vape to work before the battery loses its charge, or the vape juice loses its quality.
How the Vape Juice in a Disposable Vape Can Go Bad
Vape juice lasts in storage for about one year before its quality begins to decline, and that happens due to the volatility of the ingredients. Nicotine degrades in long-term storage, which is the reason why nicotine replacement products always have expiration dates on them. After the expiration date, some of the nicotine will have degraded to the point at which it is no longer active. Therefore, the nicotine content of the product won’t be exactly the same as when the product was new. That’s true of disposable vapes as well – after a device has been stored for a long time, the active nicotine content won’t be the same as it was when the device was new. The difference may only be slight, but it might be enough for you to notice.
The flavors in vape juice can also degrade over time as the molecules interact with one another and slowly form new compounds. As this happens, the e-liquid loses its more volatile flavor notes as the individual flavoring ingredients slowly meld together. Some people like the taste of an e-liquid that’s had some time to age because the aging process makes the vape juice taste more mellow. Too much aging, though, and it’ll become hard to taste the e-liquid’s original flavor profile.
It’s important to note that the degradation of the ingredients in a disposable vape during long-term storage doesn’t necessarily make the device unsafe to use. It simply means that the overall experience – in terms of the flavor quality and nicotine satisfaction – won’t be quite the same as when the device was new. Once again, though, you can avoid this issue as long as you plan to use your disposable vapes within about a year of buying them.
How the Battery in a Disposable Vape Can Go Bad
Due to issues such as moisture and ionic instability, a lithium-ion battery will always lose its charge in storage. After it’s manufactured, the battery’s initial charge will deplete fairly rapidly until the capacity levels off at about 80 percent. From that point, the capacity will continue decreasing at a rate of 0.5-3 percent per month depending on the design of the battery and the storage conditions. Because a newly assembled lithium-ion battery quickly levels off at a capacity of around 80 percent, manufacturers of disposable vapes keep that in mind when building their devices. A disposable vape is designed to come as close as possible to its advertised puff count, even if the battery’s initial charge has decreased slightly.
Although a self-discharge rate of 0.5-3 percent per month may seem high, the fact is that you’re unlikely to ever encounter a disposable vape that’s expired because the battery’s charge has depleted. Long before the battery reaches that point, the quality of the e-liquid will have already degraded to the point where you won’t want to use it. Nevertheless, it’s worth keeping in mind that battery self-discharge may prevent a disposable vape from reaching its advertised puff count if the device has been in storage for a long time.
How Aquios Labs Helps to Make Longer-Lasting Disposable Vapes
Now that you have a better understanding of when and why disposable vapes go bad, it’s time to learn more about what we’re doing here at Aquios Labs to help these popular devices last as long as they possibly can. Water-based vape juice isn’t just great because it tastes better than regular e-liquid – it’s also more chemically stable. That’s partially because our e-liquid vaporizes at a lower temperature than traditional e-liquid and partially because an e-liquid containing a high percentage of purified water is less likely to undergo chemical degradation than a vape juice consisting mostly of vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol. You may find that disposable vapes made with our water-based vape juice last longer in storage because the e-liquid is more able to retain its potency and flavor.
How to Store Disposable Vapes Correctly for Maximum Shelf Life
If you’re planning to store disposable vapes for several months, the first thing to keep in mind is that you should keep the devices in their packages until you’re ready to use them. The package protects the vape juice from air and sunlight, helping to slow the degradation processes that rob the e-liquid of its flavor and nicotine content. If you’re storing disposable vapes that ship with stickers covering their air holes, it’s also important to leave the stickers in place because they help to keep air out of the devices.
Store your disposable vapes in a cool, dry place that children and pets can’t reach. One of the ideal places for storing disposable vapes, for example, is a high cabinet in an air-conditioned kitchen. It’s important to avoid storing any vaping device with a battery in a hot environment because the self-discharge rate of a battery doubles with every 10-degree Celsius increase in storage temperature.
You may have read advice online suggesting that you can slow the degradation of the nicotine and flavors by storing vape juice in the refrigerator or freezer. That’s actually bad advice with disposable vapes, though, for two reasons. For one thing, storage in a cold environment may encourage condensation to form inside a disposable vape. That’s unsafe because it could potentially lead to a short circuit. In addition, extreme cold can cause a lithium-ion battery’s internal components to crack, drastically decreasing the battery’s capacity. Internal damage to a battery also greatly increases the risk of a short circuit.
How to Make Sure You Aren’t Buying Old or Counterfeit Disposable Vapes
Reading this article, you’ve learned about the importance of storing your disposable vapes properly if you want them to last as long as they can. If you’re planning to store your devices for a while, it’s also important to buy disposable vapes that haven’t been in storage for an overly long time. With that in mind, your best bet is always to buy disposable vapes from dedicated vape shops and other authorized sellers. If you buy from a company that doesn’t deal primarily in vaping products – such as a gas station or convenience store – it’s possible that you’ll end up with hardware that’s been stored in a discount wholesaler’s warehouse for months. In that case, the device’s e-liquid and battery capacity may have already begun to degrade by the time you buy it.
It’s also important to ensure that you’re always getting authentic products when you buy disposable vapes. Authenticity isn’t just important for safety and for the quality of your experience – it’s also crucial if you think it’s likely that you’ll be storing your devices for a while. Counterfeit disposable vapes may use poor-quality battery cells that don’t retain their charge in storage. In addition, counterfeit devices are notoriously made under very unsanitary conditions, and that means the e-liquid is likely to degrade rapidly in long-term storage. You can always check the authenticity of a disposable vape with our water-based vape juice right here at the Aquios Labs website. Enter the code on the package to confirm that the device is authentic.