Dab Pen Not Charging: Here Is How To Fix It

The rise in e-cigarettes, vape pens, dab pens and many other portable vaporizers available for purchase has also seen certain common issues with them, including that they lose their charge and can’t be recharged. So how do you fix a dab pen not charging?

Dab pens have replaceable parts that can fail but can be fixed by swapping one out for the other. Otherwise, it is worth trying the official charger for your dab pen to deal with any non charging issues, as well as staying away from fast chargers.

We’ll go through the common charging issues with dab pens and the way to fix them, so you can go back to using your dab pen like it was brand new out of the box. Some of these methods can be done at home, other issues require buying new parts.

Charging Issues with Dab Pens

Dab pens are fundamentally just a heating element and an internal battery, so will suffer from all the common issues that all types of handheld devices do in regards to charging.

This can include the battery failing over time, or the internal connections breaking or failing. This is not too uncommon when you consider that a dab pen is meant to be portable and carried around with, leading to more chances it could get damaged.

That means you will always want to use the official, recommended charger that comes with your dab pen. Use both the cable and wall adaptor in all situations, particularly if the accompanying user guide recommends you do so.

Trying to charge off non-official cables can lead to permanent damage to the dab pen, as well as meaning your dab pen does not charge properly, quickly or fully.

You should be able to track down what voltage and other recommended charging protocols exist for your dab pen, so if you must use a substitute charger, spend the time researching to see if it is at least similar to the official charger supplied.

If it’s not, it is better to just order a replacement charger rather than risk ruining your dab pen with a non compatible charger. It is definitely not recommended that you use a fast charger with a dab pen, unless specifically stated that it is fine.

Fast chargers are generally denoted with a lightning bolt on the side, or text. Similarly, don’t use a tablet charger designed for computers, as these put out too much power.

One of the best ways to charge is to put the USB charger into something like a standard computer USB port first. Then, screw the battery from the dab pen onto the charger.

This is a better order of steps, as it then enables you to see when the light changes from not charging to charging, which is indicating that a connection has been made. At this point, you can stop screwing in the battery any further, preventing damage.

Older style dab pens use a screw on attachment that contains an adaptor, usually USB, that you can then connect a charger to. Like all connectors and attachments, over time and with use they will degrade, so consider replacing parts if you notice degraded performance.

New pens just have a micro USB or USB-C build into the base of the pen.

One of the most common issues with a non charging dab pen, is a lack of connections inside the dab pen. Sometimes known as the center pin issue, by using a needle or pin you can manipulate the center pin to be a bit higher, as can be seen in this video.

You can do this with a variety of tools, and it will depend on how your dab pen is designed, but generally even a paper clip can help move the center pin.

This problem is caused by screwing on the adapter too tight, so try and just use two fingers when screwing it on to the bottom of the dab pen to prevent overtightening. All you’re trying to do is get a physical connection, any more is just going to damage the dab pen.

Otherwise, try and use a different cable and wall adapter that fits the specs as advised by the dab pen manufacturer, as it could just be a simple cable failure.

Dab Pen Basics and Issues

A dab pen, also called a wax pen, is a device that sits between a vape pen and a dab rig when considering what product to use to consume cannabis with. 

A vape pen is what most people think of when they think of vaporizer pens: small, compact and take either vape cartridges or actual plant matter. They are handheld and battery powered.

Dabbing is quite different from inhaling through a vape pen or other methods of traditional cannabis consumption. Doses used for dabbing are created by utilizing a solvent to extract the active component of the cannabis plant into a concentrated form.

In order to use a dose of it, it must be superheated by placing it on a surface such as ceramic, glass or quartz and using convective heating.

To get all this effectively into the body of the user, a dab rig is used. At its core, a dab rig is just a modified water pipe that allows this superheating to take place, although advances in technology have seen a sort of all in one solution in the form of a dab pen.

So what is the difference between a dab pen and a dab rig? Well, fundamentally, a dab pen is like a vape pen in that it contains cannabis, but when dealing with dab pens you are dealing with concentrate, sometimes referred to as distillate.

They are not interchangeable although they may look very similar.