If you have been vaping for a while, chances are you have encountered the principle of Ohm’s Law.

If you are a vaper, this is one of the best pieces of knowledge you can acquire, more so if you are into sub-ohming.

This principle orients you with the cause and effect, as well as direct uses and limitations of what and how you vape, and how to stay on the safe side of things while doing so.

What is Ohm’s Law?

Ohm’s Law was discovered in the 19th century by a German physicist who went by the name of George Simon Ohm, after whom this principle is named.

It states that the electrical current (I) flowing through a conductor is proportional to the voltage (V) as well as inversely proportional to the resistance (R).

Thus, if there is an increase in voltage, the current will proportionally increase as long as the resistance in the circuit does not change.

How Ohm’s Law Relates to Vaping

In vaping, Ohm’s Law shifts focus to your coils’ resistance and the current passing through them.

Basically, it is the amount of energy you require to power your constant (aka resistance) from the battery.

All coils are not created equal and will have a different resistance which serves as your guide on how much your non-constant needs to change.

You can thus use Ohm’s Law to calculate the wattage that your vape device will give out, based on the battery voltage and atomiser/coil resistance.

If this all sounds a bit geeky, you do not need to worry about Ohm’s Law if you are using a regulated vape device (as most devices on the market) since the device sorts this out for you.

However, knowledge of Ohm’s Law and battery safety will come in handy when using an unregulated device such as a mechanical mod.

High and Low Ohm’s

Generally speaking, coils, atomisers and builds with a higher ohm need less power.

For instance, if your coil has a resistance of 2.1 ohms (above-ohm build) you only require about 6-12 watts to power it.  On the other hand, a lower-ohm device with a coil under 1.0 ohms (also known as a sub-ohm coil) might need a bit more power, say 18-25 watts.

Since the conductivity (and longevity) of coil materials is different in terms of the energy running through it, different coil materials might necessitate you to use a different power.

Ohm’s Law for Regulated Mods

Regulated vaporisers or mods are devices which come with built-in protection for your power source. They also feature things like battery life indicator, voltage and wattage display, ohm-reader etc.

These devices make building coils a cinch, and many companies have models that already include a tank or RDA.

Assuming you have a device with a single-18650 battery, many of these builds can easily do anywhere between 85 and 100 watts.

If you go lower than the recommended coil level (usually about 0.25 or 0.1 ohms) chances are your device will not fire down to a certain point, therefore rendering you vapourless. And in the event that you do, this will lead to a rapid drain on your battery.

Ohm’s Law for Mechanical Mods

Now, let’s assume you have a mechanical mod.

Mech mods do not usually have an internal circuit board for those settings you find on the screen of a regulated device. Neither do they offer short-circuit protection or other built-in battery protection mechanisms in case of user error.

This is why mech mods are a preserve of expert users with a good grasp of Ohm’s Law, battery safety and other such important stuff.

However, if you have a non-hybrid mech mod – a mechanical mod with a connection similar to a regulated mod’s with a 510 pin and is not in direct contact with the battery – Ohm’s Law can provide you with information such as the ideal build you can have on the device and the 510 pin you should use on your atomiser.

How to Calculate Ohm’s Law

When you want to calculate Ohm’s Law, you don’t need to crunch the numbers by yourself – unless, of course, this is one of those activities that gets your juices flowing.

Instead, you can skip the maths and make use of one of the many online Ohm’s Law calculators, such as this one here.

This will give you precise numbers, and you can get a hold of key information such as battery drain, the resistance of your coils by material and build type etc.

Understanding Ohm’s Law will help you make the most of your vaping sessions by understanding how everything works and how you can leverage it to maximise your experience.