Ask a Stoner: How Does a Percolator Work in a Bong?

Dear Stoner: How does a percolator work in a bong? Huff Dear Huff: Percolators, vaporizers, blasting hash — they all require scientific processes that most of us don’t want to learn, despite how important they are to cannabis consumption. Percolators use water to filter compounds and mixtures; they were around...

By Herbert Fuego

February 22, 2017

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Dear Stoner: How does a percolator work in a bong?
Huff

Dear Huff: Percolators, vaporizers, blasting hash — they all require scientific processes that most of us don’t want to learn, despite how important they are to cannabis consumption. Percolators use water to filter compounds and mixtures; they were around long before your friend got that 6-foot bong in his basement. Old coffeemakers use them to filter boiling water through coffee grounds, using the gravity to grab the most flavor and strength.

A bong percolator works a bit differently: There are sub-chambers in the bong, and when they’re filled with water, the pressure differential between the top and bottom outlets causes the smoke to move through the water. This filtering provides a smoother, cleaner hit on the throat and lungs. You might notice that some percolators have small holes on the bottom: Those are called diffusers, and they create water bubbles to cool down the pipe and the smoke.

Have a question for our Stoner? E-mail [email protected].

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