Why do vaporizers not produce large clouds of steam?
Thick and large clouds of steam look great. However, are they any good for herbal users?
You have all seen it on the Internet - vape artists creating huge clouds that are turned into impressive shapes. Such an art looks beautiful, but it can make vape users feel slightly nervous.
Maybe you even have wondered how they inhale so much steam without coughing up their lungs? And why can you not do the same with your vaporizer? These are reasonable and good questions! Everything is just fine, and there is no need to be afraid that the equipment is faulty or thinking that you are doing something wrong..jpg)
Same yet different
Simply put, there are two similar devices, which, however, work differently, creating a different kind of steam. Devices, such as e-cigarettes (or vape pens) that do not use herbs or resins, create massive clouds because they vape various fluids with countless flavors and effects.
They usually contain nicotine to help you wean from dependence on cigarettes, for example. These devices have fluid-soaked wicks directly heated by a heating element, which is primarily a form of conduction heating. In comparison, a herbal vaporizer uses a chamber that directly heats the plant material.
The artists, who like to show off with their steam skills, use e-cigarettes equipped with high-performance batteries, which heat high-resistant coils that operate at much higher temperatures. In combination with a strong airflow through the coil, the liquid evaporating from the inner wick atomizer, and then it gets quickly cooled down by the air. The subsequent condensation happens like real clouds in the sky, resulting in massive, fluffy clouds of steam.
Higher temperatures make more fluid evaporate, and more air is needed to cool it down, creating more significant clouds. So if you long for big clouds of steam, inhale like crazy from the e-cigarette.
Difference between smoke and steam
Fans of vaporization even customize their e-cigarettes (or vape pens) for maximum steam production. The liquid that gets heated up can contain nicotine and several other essential oils and flavors. It is predominantly a combination of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin.
The balance of these two substances largely determines the factor of steam formation. An immense amount of propylene glycol causes more substantial irritation in the throat (imitating cigarettes), while more vegetable glycerin creates more steam. The balance of 50/50 works best because too much vegetable glycerin causes too dense haze and may cause problems..jpg)
Vaporizers and herbs
Vaporizers made for vaping herbs work similarly. However, they do not have a soaked wick with liquid, which is heated by a conductive coil reaching high temperatures. Instead, a convection coil heats a chamber full of plant material. Thanks to this, active substances and terpenes evaporate.
That is how convection heating works in a nutshell. In addition, high temperatures and large amounts of air can be harmful to the active substances contained in herbs, resulting in lower efficacy. Therefore, herbs and herb extracts need much lower temperatures.
Vaporizers intended for herb vaping do not have the "cloud factor" for a good reason. Dry herbs are not able to produce much visible steam. Even liquid extracts keep the amount to a minimum. If your herb vaporizer forms too much steam, it isn't very accurate, or the herb material may be burning.
Vaporization can be considered as an electronically heated, smoke-free bong. Temperatures are set to the minimum necessary for optimal evaporation of active substances and terpenes. This ensures that these essential compounds are in the best condition when being vaped to achieve maximum effects.
It could be said that the ideal temperatures for herb vaping are much lower than burning temperatures. At lower temperatures, active substances are released without creating a large amount of visible steam. If you inhale just a little bit, almost no vapor will appear when you exhale. And that is fine! This means that the plant material does not burn, the vaporizer works appropriately, and you benefit as much as possible from the vape..jpg)
Smoking and using bongs
Why does smoking and using bong produce a lot of fluffy, white clouds? It is real smoke, though, a byproduct of a plant material burning. Most of the herb's appreciated benefits are not delivered with smoke.
On the other hand, steam, produced after heating the herb material, does this job. All the suitable substances are inhaled, entering the mind, body, and soul. With lungs made of steel, you can perform a massive breathe-in from a bong or even take huge doses using a dabbing kit (dabbing), exhaling clouds in the form of impressive cumulonimbi. But this is not easy at all.
Over time, it can even become unhealthy, which is why vaporizers have been introduced. Many harmful and toxic compounds are formed when burning plant material at high temperatures. The material burns at about 600 to 700 °C, glowing in hot, orange heat. Bongs filter the smoke through water, which also cools it down. Some people even use ice. That helps remove solids such as ash and tar.
No clouds are good clouds
Finally, if you do not get huge clouds of steam from your vaporizer, do not worry; you are doing everything just right. You have everything well set for proper herb use. On the other hand, if you want to be an artist making steam and making enormous swirls of smoke, get an e-cigarette (or vape pen) and liquid designed for this job. Until then, you can be sure you are doing just fine.