Dab Pen Not Charging? Here’s the Fix

A dab pen almost always has a built-in indicator light to let you know what’s going on with the device – and when you connect your dab pen to a power source, it should always light up to let you know that the battery is charging. If that doesn’t happen, there’s a problem. Thankfully, charging a dab pen is a simple procedure, and that means fixing a dab pen that isn’t charging is usually simple as well. If your dab pen doesn’t light up while charging, follow these quick steps to troubleshoot and fix the problem.

Try Using Your Dab Pen

The first thing that you should do if your dab pen isn’t charging is try using the device. In many cases, a dab pen’s light is designed to turn off when the device is fully charged – which might explain why your device isn’t lighting up when you connect it to a power source. If you try turning your device on – and it actually works – it’s likely that there isn’t a problem. Simply use your device as normal until the battery dies, and it should charge properly at that point.

Connect Your Dab Pen to Your Computer

If you’ve confirmed that your dab pen isn’t working and isn’t charging, it’s time to begin troubleshooting the issue more deeply. If your dab pen uses a USB-based charger, the first thing that you should do is try connecting the device to your computer. You generally shouldn’t charge a dab pen through a wall outlet unless the device includes a wall charger that’s approved by the manufacturer. That’s because most of the USB wall chargers in your home – the chargers that you use for your smartphone and computer, for instance – are “quick-charge” adapters that deliver a higher-amperage charging current than what your dab pen expects to receive. Connecting your dab pen to the wrong charger can cause the battery to overheat. The device may not even try to charge if it’s connected to the wrong type of power source.

If your dab pen doesn’t charge when you connect it to your computer, try charging the device with a different computer if you have one. It’s possible that your primary computer’s USB port has a problem.

Check the Battery if it’s Removable

Some dab pens have removable batteries. If that’s true of your device, there are a few additional troubleshooting options that you can try. Start by opening the battery door and examining the battery. The correct battery orientation will probably be printed or etched on the device’s battery door. Make sure that the battery is installed correctly and check the battery for any signs of damage such as a bulge or a torn wrapper. If the battery is damaged, replace it immediately. Physical damage can cause permanent chemical changes in a lithium-ion battery that render it unstable and unsafe to use. If the battery still isn’t charging, replace it.

Clean Your Dab Pen’s Charging Port or Threading

Dabbing can sometimes be messy. Wax-based concentrates melt when they’re heated, and wax coils often have very large airflow holes to facilitate maximum cloud production. Because of the large airflow holes, wax coils often leak – and that can contaminate your dab pen’s threading or charging port. Other contaminants such as dust and pocket lint can also block the electrical connection between your dab pen and its charging cable.

• If your dab pen charges directly through the 510 threading at the top of the device, you need to clean the threading. Remove the wax coil or tank from the device and set it aside. Take a cotton swab and moisten it slightly with rubbing alcohol. Place the cotton swab in the device’s threading and twist it while pushing it down gently. The alcohol will dissolve any wax stuck in the threading. Repeat this process until a cotton swab comes out clean, and then follow with a dry cotton swab to remove any remaining alcohol.
• If your dab pen charges through a USB port, you can clean the port by rubbing the metal contacts gently with a toothpick. Don’t use a metal tool to clean your device’s USB port because it can scrape away the delicate gold plating.

Replace Your Dab Pen’s Charging Cable

One of the problems with USB cables is that even the highest-quality cables tend to break down internally when they’re used every day. The wires on the inside of the cable begin to fray, and they eventually stop delivering power reliably. This problem is especially common with the charging cables for vaping devices because you probably recharge your device every day if you’re a frequent vaper. That causes a great deal of wear to the cable. Often, fixing a dab pen that isn’t charging is as simple as buying a new USB cable.

If your dab pen has a charger that connects directly to the device’s threading, replacing a broken charger is a little more complicated because your device’s charger is proprietary. Don’t just buy another 510-thread charger from your local vape shop and connect it to your device, because you don’t know if the charger delivers the correct current for your device’s battery. Replace a proprietary charger only with an identical charger from the device’s manufacturer.

Replace Your Dab Pen if Necessary

One of the most important things to understand about troubleshooting a dab pen which isn’t charging is every lithium-ion battery has a limited lifespan. On average, you can charge and discharge a lithium-ion battery around 300-500 times before the battery’s capacity decreases so much the device is no longer usable. If you drain and recharge your dab pen’s battery once every day, that means the device will last roughly one year.

If your dab pen still isn’t charging even though you’ve followed all of the steps in this article – and you’ve owned the device for more than a year – it’s possible the battery has reached the end of its life. If your dab pen has a permanent battery, that means it’s time to replace the device. If you haven’t been using your dab pen for a year, it’s possible the device is still under the original factory warranty. In that case, you should contact the manufacturer for assistance.