A Flum Pebble contains 14 ml of vape juice and lasts up to 6,000 puffs before running out of e-liquid. By any standard, that’s a lot of vaping time – but no matter how carefully you use your device, it’ll be out of vape juice eventually. You can tell that a Flum Pebble is out of e-liquid because the flavor will change as you use the device. When the e-liquid starts to get low, you’ll notice that the flavor is significantly weaker than it was when the device was new. When it’s completely out of e-liquid, the flavor will be horribly burnt.
When your Flum Pebble is empty, it’s time to dispose of the device – or is it? Can you refill a Flum Pebble and continue using it?
It is possible to refill a Flum Pebble, and in this article, we’re going to explain how to do it. Stick around to the end of the guide, though – while refilling a Flum Pebble is possible, there are many reasons why you might not want to because the experience may not be as good as you’re hoping.
Let’s jump in.
How to Refill a Flum Pebble
To refill your Flum Pebble, you’ll need the following:
- A bottle of nicotine salt e-liquid. To match the nicotine strength of the Flum Pebble, you’ll need a vape juice with a strength of 50 mg/ml.
- An adjustable wrench.
- A thin metal tool such as a small screwdriver.
- A pair of latex or vinyl gloves.
Here’s what you need to do.
Disassemble the Flum Pebble
- Wear the gloves. The Flum Pebble uses e-liquid with a high nicotine strength, and you don’t want to get it on your hands.
- Place the wrench over the seam on the side of the Flum Pebble and squeeze. Increase the pressure slowly until the seam splits open.
- Insert the thin tool into the seam and pry gently to separate the device’s internal tabs. After you’ve done this, the two halves should separate easily. Inside the Flum Pebble, you’ll see the e-liquid container under the device’s mouthpiece and the battery cell positioned to the side.
- Place the tool under the side of the mouthpiece and pry gently to remove that component and open the e-liquid container. Between the mouthpiece and the e-liquid container, you’ll see a large soft pad with a hole in the middle. The pad is there to absorb excess condensation and help to prevent the Flum Pebble from leaking.
- Remove the pad. Under the pad, you’ll see a narrow plastic tube. You’ll also see a silicone gasket at the top of the e-liquid container. If the tube falls out, set it aside.
Refill the Flum Pebble
- Place the nozzle of your e-liquid bottle between the silicone gasket and the outer wall of the e-liquid container. Squeeze gently to inject e-liquid into the container. The container has a soft wick inside it, and it takes a moment for the e-liquid to absorb into the wick. To ensure that the wick is saturated evenly, you should periodically remove the bottle and insert it at different points along the seam between the container and the gasket.
- Pay attention to the wick as you add e-liquid to the container. The container is translucent, so you’ll be able to see the wick. When the wick looks fully saturated on all sides, you’ve added enough e-liquid.
Reassemble the Flum Pebble
- Replace the chimney and the fabric pad.
- Replace the mouthpiece.
- Place the two halves of the Flum Pebble over one another and push gently until the device snaps back together.
Here’s Why Refilling the Flum Pebble May Not Be a Good Idea
As you’ve learned from reading this article, refilling the Flum Pebble is definitely something that you can do – but it’s also a lot of work. Compare this to the experience of refilling a vaping device that’s actually designed for refilling – a pod-based vape, for instance – and the difference between the two is obvious. Refilling a vaping device that’s designed to be refilled takes seconds.
Refilling a Flum Pebble, on the other hand, will easily take 15 minutes or longer – and that’s if you’ve done it several times and are used to it. In effect, refilling a Flum Pebble negates the convenience that makes disposable vapes so great in the first place.
Inconvenience isn’t the only reason why you might not want to try refilling a Flum Pebble. Here are the other reasons.
You Could Break the Device
The first reason why you might not want to refill a Flum Pebble is because the device isn’t actually designed to be opened after it’s sealed at the factory. Although opening the device is definitely possible, it’s also possible to break the device in the process. This might not concern you greatly because you can’t use an empty Flum Pebble anyway, but it’s still worth considering.
You Could Damage the Battery
The Flum Pebble isn’t intended to be serviced by the end user, and that’s reflected in the device’s design. Inside the Pebble, you’ll see that the device has an exposed lithium-ion battery cell. If you’re not careful, it’s possible to dent or puncture the cell, which creates a risk of fire. You may also clip one of the device’s wires, which could potentially cause a short circuit. You shouldn’t attempt to disassemble the Flum Pebble unless you’re extremely comfortable handling electronics and batteries.
The Flavor Won’t Be Good
The final reason why you might not want to refill a Flum Pebble goes back to the original point that we made above: You’re not going to have a good experience refilling a vape that’s not designed for the job. When you use sweetened vape juice, the sweetener in the e-liquid – sucralose – leaves residue on the device’s atomizer coil. The residue gradually becomes thicker and darker until the coil eventually produces an unpleasant burnt flavor. If you’ve used all of the e-liquid in your Flum Pebble, in fact, it’s likely that the device is beginning to taste burnt already. The flavor quality will only get worse from there.
Every vape coil burns out eventually, and that’s why every refillable vaping device has replaceable coils or pods. A disposable vape like the Flum Pebble, however, doesn’t have that feature – so if you’re refilling the device with the expectation that the flavor quality will be the same as what you’d get with a new vape, you’re going to be very disappointed.