What Happens When a Vaporizer’s Mouthpiece Starts to Stick?

We all know the importance of maintaining our vaporizer setup, which involves taking apart each component and cleaning it separately before putting it back together. So, what happens if you go to remove the mouthpiece to give it a deep clean, but it’s just not coming off? Considering the fact that your mouthpiece tends to get the dirtiest, it’s important to try to get it off of your device so that you can give it the good, solid cleaning that it needs.

As you’re about to find out, there are actually several reasons why you can have this problem, and just as many solutions.

Reason #1: You Have a Leak
If you’re using a vaping kit made for vape oils, then a leak can cause the mouthpiece to stick. This happens when you’re using an expired coil, or you’re pulling too hard, and vape oil is coming up through the mouthpiece. Not only is it kind of gross to get a mouthful of oil, but that oil is also going to get around the seal of your mouthpiece, and as it dries, it’s more likely to stick.

If this happens to you, then we recommend soaking the mouthpiece with its attached chamber or cartridge in a solution of water, salt and isopropyl alcohol, which can dislodge whatever is sticking, in most cases. Do this for about an hour, making sure not to let any actual electronic pieces of the device get submerged or wet.

Reason #2: Your Device is Dirty
If your device is dirty due to constant handling, and, storing it in areas where it picks up oils and dirt, then you’ll need to clean around the mouthpiece seal carefully. We recommend using a toothpick or a needle, which has a fine enough point to scrape off whatever residue is on the outside of the seal, causing it to stick. If that still doesn’t do the trick, follow the same soaking method as above.

Reason #3: Was Attached When It Was Wet
When it comes to cleaning your vaping hardware, we always recommend allowing the pieces to fully airdry before reassembling them. One reason for that is because of suction. Attaching your mouthpiece back to the device when it’s still wet can cause suction due to trapped moisture, making you struggle to get it back off again. If this is the issue, you probably just need to wait several more hours until the seal is completely dry.

Reason #4: You Screwed It On Too Tightly
A lot of times, the problem is just that the mouthpiece was screwed on too tightly. Rather than making the mistake of using your teeth to unscrew it, grab a pair of small pliers and gently start turning them to gradually loosen the seal. Make sure not to press too hard, as some mouthpieces are not made from materials that are durable enough to withstand the pressure. If it’s still not coming off, then we recommend holding a blow dryer about a foot away from the mouthpiece and trying it again. The heat will slightly, temporarily warp the seal so that the mouthpiece should have an easier time coming off.

Bottom Line: In Most Cases, You Can “Unstick” a Mouthpiece
So, the good news is that in almost all cases, you can easily remove a stuck mouthpiece so that you can clean it properly. And, in the future, you’ll just want to be more mindful of keeping the connection area clean and dry at all times, to avoid running into this issue in the future.