Vaporizer + Bong: Adding Water Filtration to Vaporizers

Vaporizing is a healthy alternative to smoking that is becoming increasingly popular among stoners. Cleaner, purer and tastier than regular smoke, vapour does not come without disadvantages. It is, in fact, quite dry and relatively hot, and causes the bronchi and windpipe to become irritated in some people. Luckily, there’s a solution: use your vaporizer with a bong, adding a water filtration system to your vaporizer. This will moisturize and cool down the vapour before it reaches your throat, transforming every hit into a wonderfully smooth experience.

A DynaVap VonG (Vape on Glass) butane vaporizer mounted on a bong

How do I add water filtration to a vaporizer?

Adding water filtration to your vaporizer is easy. Just connect your favourite vaporizer to a bong by removing the bong’s bowl/downstem and using the vaporizer instead. Some vaporizers, like some of the DynaVap models and the Sticky Brick Labs vapes, fit into bongs and waterpipes natively. Others, such as the Volcano and the Mighty, require a special part, called adapter, to be used with bongs. Keep checking our blog, where we will soon publish a complete guide to waterpipe + vaporizer combos.

How does vapour hit and taste?

Quite simply, vapour tastes amazing. The best vaporizers are capable of delivering the pure flavour profile of the terpenes, the aromatic substances contained in weed. It is like opening a nice big bag of your favourite weed strain, and inhaling deeply. Vapour is untainted by tar and other chemicals produced by combustion that greatly affect the plant’s flavour.

On the other side, vapour does seem to be dryer and slightly harsher than the smoke coming from a bong or joint. It seems like vapour scratches a little bit more the first air passages, while having a smaller impact on the lungs compared to smoke.

Vapour vs. smoke: what are the main differences when inhaling?

Let’s compare the characteristics of vapour and smoke when inhaling. If you never tried vapour before, you might be wondering how does a hit from a vaporizer feels. The quick list below will give you an overview of the pros and cons of both cannabinoid-delivery method.

Vapour:

Pros

• Pure flavour. The flavour delivered by a top-quality vaporizer is simply unrivalled.
• Minimal impact on the lungs. Vapour contains fewer chemicals than smoke, and is much healthier.
• No bad smells. Vapour doesn’t make everything smell like an ashtray.
• High potency. Vapour is the most efficient way of delivering cannabinoids.

Cons

• Vapour tends to feel dry on the throat.
• Vapour could be perceived as harsh by some users.
• Vapour is quite hot when it reaches the throat and bronchi.

Smoke:

Pros

• Some users perceive the smoke coming from a joint or bong as milder than vapour.
• Joints and bongs do get you high.
• Feels humid. Smoke feels slightly moister than vapour.

Cons

• Smoke is hot, very hot.
• Loss of flavour. Combustion destroys many delicious terpenes.
• Loss of potency compared to vapour. A lot of cannabinoids are wasted during the combustion process.
• We all know that smoking is bad.
• Tar sticks to fingers, clothes, teeth and lungs.

The VapoCane Fusion vaporizer for bongs mounted on the Kim Jong Bong

What can I do to make the vapour smoother?

There are a couple of things that you can do improve the smoothness of the vapour before inhaling it. The following techniques are easy and effective, and truly bring the vaping experience to a whole new level. Use them, and the vapour you’ll get will simply outclass smoke on all sides.

Increase the length of the vapour path

The longer the vapour path, that is the passage through which the vapour flows, the greater the cooling. In this sense, some vaporizers can be upgraded with longer vapour paths or other accessories that increase the cooling capacity of the basic unit. A good example are the XL condensers and the glass bodies available for DynaVap vaporizers. They increase the vapour path of the standard condenser by approximately 15%, thus improving its cooling capabilities.  

Add water filtration

The best way to make the vapour smoother is to filter it through water using a bong, bubbler or a waterpipe. Water has a great ability to absorb heat from the vapour, that’s why so many users vape almost exclusively through water. You’ll learn more about vaping through water in the next paragraphs. 

What bongs can I use in combinations with vaporizers?

To put it simply, you can use any bong you want with any vaporizer, it’s just a matter of checking the connections and purchasing a suitable adapter if necessary. There are, however, vaporizer + bong combinations that work well together, and others that work great. We published a guide with the best vaporizer-bong combos; have a look!

What does water do to the vapour?

When vapour bubbles through water, magic happens. If you take your vaporizer - any vaporizer - and you do a with water/without water comparison, you’ll immediately notice the huge difference. Water-filtered vapour is smooth, cool, moisturized; a joy for the throat and the lungs!

Cooling effect

The first and probably most important effect that water has on vapour is that it makes it cooler. Hot vapour can irritate the throat and the bronchi. Cool vapour, on the other side, is easy on the throat and goes down almost without effort.

Moisturizing effect

Another great effect that water has on vapour is that it moisturizes it. Vapour, especially the one coming from the most powerful vaporizers, tends to be quite dry. Let it bubble through water for a while though, and it’ll become humid and smooth as silk. 

Filter particles

Screens tend to lose efficiency over time, and could let some of the smaller particles of material make it to your mouth and throat. If you use a bong to cool down the smoke, though, the water will catch these particles. You’ll inhale 100% pure vapour, and no tiny bits and pieces whatsoever.

Possible downsides of vaping through water

Are there any downsides of vaping through water? Not many, and the benefits simply outclass them. Anyway, here they are:

Fewer terpenes

Some terpenes are water soluble, hence you could lose some of them if you vape through water. You can easily avoid losing too many terpenes by using the minimum amount of water possible in the bong.

Vapour condensation

When you cool down the vapour, it turns into a sticky resin that sticks to the sides of the bong. In a nutshell, the more the vapour condenses, the less vapour you inhale. To avoid this problem, use a bong, bubbler or waterpipe that’s not too big. A small bong does not have a lot of surface area for the vapour to stick to.

Iced water vs. warm water; which one is best?

Who doesn’t like ice bongs and chilled water when it comes to smoking a bowl? With vapour, though, things are slightly different. You might prefer to use warm water instead, to achieve the perfect rip from your favourite vaporizer through water.

Cold water

Ice-cold water has a great cooling power, and will drop the vapour’s temperature by several degrees almost instantly. Use iced water if you like vaping at very high temperatures, close to combustion. Iced water will help you to inhale larger clouds.

Warm water

Warm water is the way to go if you are vaping at standard temperatures. Warm water moisturizes the vapour better than iced water, and it will help you achieve ultra-smooth hits. Not only that; it will also keep the vapour from sticking to the sides of the bong, effectively increasing the amounts of cannabinoids you inhale (compared to cold water). By warm, we mean water that is between 35°C and 40°C, depending on your preference.

Other cooling liquids

The latest innovation in terms of water filtration comes in the form of special waters for bongs. These liquids are 100% natural alternatives to plain water. They are sometimes flavoured, but most importantly they contain ingredients that make the vapour flow through the liquid with minimum loss of terpenes and cannabinoids. Another positive aspect is that your bong will look super clean for many sessions.

How often should I change the bong water when vaporizing?

A bong used for smoking usually require changing the water every day, and some sort of cleaning every second day. Lots of tar and ashes end up trapped in the bong water; we all know how gross a dirty bong looks. Vaping, on the other side, is much cleaner than smoking. You might want to change the water every day, but you don’t really need to do that. Changing the water every second or third day is more than enough.

How often should I clean the bong when vaporizing?

If you are using your bong for vaping, you’ll need to deeply clean it only after many, many sessions. Every week or so, if you are a heavy user, or even every month if you don’t vape that often. Watch the residue as it builds up on the glass surfaces of the bong. You’ll notice that it looks totally different compared to the dark brown gunk that forms on a bong used for smoking. Vapour residue is yellow, does not smell bad, and can even be collected and dabbed in times of crisis, or anytime you like.