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If you’re a dedicated JUUL fan but hate overspending for the replacement pods, you may have wondered whether it’s possible to refill a JUUL pod. If you could do that, you could just buy bottled vape juice and continue reusing the same JUUL pod over and over – and that would help you save a lot of money in the long run.
Like so many other things in vaping, the question of whether you can refill a JUUL pod doesn’t have a simple answer. It is possible to open a JUUL pod and refill it with bottled e-liquid, but it’s also likely that the experience won’t be quite as good as you’re hoping it’ll be. In this article, we’ll explain why that’s the case. Then, we’ll follow with a step-by-step guide to refilling JUUL pods before concluding with some tips to help you troubleshoot common problems. Let’s jump in.
Before You Begin: Understanding the Pitfalls of Refilling JUUL Pods
Before you try to refill a JUUL pod, it’s important to understand that the experience might not be everything you’re hoping for. Here are three reasons why.
- The flavor of a refilled JUUL pod won’t be the same as what you’d get from a new pod. That’s partially because you don’t have access to the same e-liquids that JUUL uses for their pods and partially because all flavored e-liquids leave residue that eventually causes a vape coil to taste burnt. With JUUL pods, you ordinarily don’t have to deal with this problem because by the time a pod might start to taste burnt, you have to replace it anyway.
- Refilled JUUL pods often leak, and leaked vape juice can contaminate the inside of your JUUL device and cause damage. We’ll provide some advice in this guide that can help you avoid a leaking pod, but it’s important to understand that leaks can occur regardless of what you do.
- Refilling a JUUL pod takes a lot of effort, which takes away from the convenience of using the JUUL device. Convenience is supposed to be one of JUUL’s biggest selling points. Maybe the real problem is that you’re paying too much for replacement JUUL pods, and you need to find a better source.
If you’re determined to refill your JUUL pod despite those caveats, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll explain exactly how to do it.
What Do You Need to Refill a JUUL Pod?
To refill a JUUL pod, you’ll need the following items.
- Nicotine salt e-liquid: The nicotine strength of a JUUL pod is 59 mg/ml, so you should find the highest-strength vape juice possible for an equivalent experience.
- Small screwdriver: You’ll need this to open the pod.
- Tweezers: You’ll need this to manipulate the small components inside the pod.
- Paper towels: You’ll need these to clean the inside of the pod.
- Latex or nitrile gloves: These are optional but helpful; refilling a JUUL pod can occasionally get messy.
With those basic requirements out of the way, it’s time to learn how to refill a JUUL pod.
How to Refill a JUUL Pod
Once you’ve assembled everything you need, get your vape juice and create a clean workspace. Here’s how to refill a JUUL pod.
- Disassemble the pod. On the sides of the pod, you’ll see two plastic tabs that hold the black mouthpiece to the body of the pod. Use a small screwdriver to push in the tabs and release the mouthpiece. Pull the mouthpiece off of the pod.
- Clean the inside of the mouthpiece. In the mouthpiece, you’ll find two fabric pads. The pads are there to absorb stray droplets emitted from the pod’s atomizer coil – also known as “spitback” – before the droplets can reach your mouth. The pads also soak up excess condensation, which helps to prevent the pod from leaking. Remove the pads with the tweezers and dry them with paper towels. Replace the pads and set the mouthpiece aside.
- Open the pod’s reservoir. Use the tweezers to remove the silicone barrier at the top of the pod. Under the barrier, you’ll see the pod’s reservoir and central chimney.
- Fill the pod. Add e-liquid to the reservoir, being careful to avoid getting vape juice inside the chimney. Don’t fill the pod all the way to the top. You need to leave a little room for the silicone barrier, or the pod will leak when you close it.
- Close the pod. After filling the pod, replace the silicone barrier and mouthpiece. Push the mouthpiece down until it snaps into place. You can resume using the pod immediately.
Refilled JUUL Pod Leaking or Gurgling? Here’s How to Stop It
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, it’s quite common for JUUL pods to leak after they’ve been refilled. If you have a JUUL pod that leaks or gurgles, remove the pod from the device promptly and dry it and the device thoroughly with a paper towel. Also, try to avoid puffing too firmly when you use your JUUL. Using too much air pressure can force e-liquid out of the pod’s reservoir and flood the coil assembly.
Here are some tricks that can help you prevent your JUUL pods from leaking or gurgling after you refill them in the future.
- Make sure that the pod isn’t overfilled. If you overfill a JUUL pod, you’ll end up pushing some of the e-liquid out of the pod when you replace the silicone barrier. To figure out how much e-liquid you should add to the pod, try comparing your pod to a new JUUL pod and using the same amount of vape juice. You can also dispense the e-liquid with an eyedropper or syringe. A retail JUUL pod contains 7 ml of vape juice.
- Make sure that the silicone barrier is fully seated when you replace it.
- Before replacing the silicone barrier, try squeezing the wide sides of the pod gently to bend them inward. Replace the barrier and release the sides of the pod. This creates a vacuum that helps to prevent the e-liquid from leaking.
- Instead of removing and drying the fabric pads on the underside of the mouthpiece, try replacing them with cotton pads of your own. That’ll greatly increase the absorbency.