Last reviewed: August 2026
In short: filling takes under a minute, and almost every problem people blame on the device — burnt taste, leaking, weak flavour — comes from getting the order wrong. Prime the coil, pour down the inside wall, stop at the line, then wait before the first puff.
What you need first
- A charged device with a fresh or already-primed coil
- The right e-liquid for your coil — freebase for sub-ohm e-shisha devices, salt nic for small pods
- A tissue, and clean dry hands
Step 1 — Prime a new coil before anything else
This is the step that gets skipped, and skipping it is what burns coils on the first puff.
Put three to five drops of e-liquid directly onto each exposed cotton window on the side of the coil, and one drop down the centre. The cotton should look wet, not soaked. Only then fit the coil into the tank.
Step 2 — Open the fill port
Most e-shisha tanks fill from the top: slide or twist the top cap off. Some fill from the base through a rubber plug. If yours does not open with light pressure, you are turning the wrong part — never force it.
Step 3 — Pour down the inside wall
Tilt the tank to roughly 45 degrees and run the liquid down the inside glass wall. Never pour straight down the middle.
The central column is the airflow chimney. Liquid that goes down it does not reach the cotton at all — it goes into the airflow and out of the bottom of your device, which is the single most common cause of a “leaking” tank.
Step 4 — Stop at the maximum line
Fill to the line and no further. The air gap above the liquid is what keeps it in place: it holds the vacuum that stops liquid seeping through the coil. Overfill and you remove the vacuum.
If you cannot see a line, leave roughly two to three millimetres of clear space at the top.
Step 5 — Close it, then wait
Seal the cap firmly — firm, not forced — and wipe any liquid off the threads.
Then leave the device standing upright for five to ten minutes on a new coil. The cotton needs to absorb liquid fully before it meets heat. Vaping a dry coil for even two seconds gives you a burnt taste that no amount of refilling will remove — at that point the coil is finished.
Step 6 — Two or three primer puffs
Before pressing the fire button, take two or three puffs with the device off. This pulls liquid the rest of the way through the cotton. Then fire it, starting at the lower end of the coil’s wattage range.
Common mistakes
| What happens | Usually because |
|---|---|
| Burnt taste on the first puff | Coil was not primed, or you did not wait |
| Liquid under the device | Poured down the chimney, or overfilled |
| Weak or muted flavour | Two flavours mixed without cleaning the tank |
| Gurgling and spitting | Too much liquid in the chimney — wipe it out |
If the taste is off after a flavour change, see the leaking and maintenance guide — the cleaning routine there fixes both.
How often should you refill?
Whenever the level nears the bottom of the coil housing. Do not let it run dry — even one dry puff damages the cotton. On a sub-ohm e-shisha device most people refill once or twice a day.
Ask before you buy, not after
If you are unsure which liquid or coil suits your device, send us the device name and we will confirm it in a message:
- Salmiya branch: +965 5088 3667 — open 24 hours
- Rigai branch: +965 5112 4370 — 8 am to 4 am
Browse e-liquids and replacement coils, or see how to order online and collect from a branch.