How much water do you put in a bong?

If you're reading this, chances are you have a trusty new bong. But, you’re not quite sure how much water you should be putting in your bong before smoking it. Fear not: you’ve come to the right place, and we’ll show you the quickest and easiest way to find the perfect water level!

Learning how much water you should put in a bong is important-- it’s the only way you can fully enjoy the cool and filtered smoke they produce. Bongs come in all different shapes and sizes, so smoking your bong without the right water level can be a big drag (see what we did there?).

How much water should you put in a bong? The short answer: just enough for the downstem or perc to be completely submerged in water. If the downstem on your water pipe does not have slits, then make sure that the bottom of the downstem is about a half inch or so into the water. Feel free to add more water if you prefer-- as long as no water reaches your mouth when you inhale.

How Much Water Do You Put In An Ice Bong?

If you are adding a bunch of ice cubes into your ice bong you will need to assume they will melt pretty quickly adding to your bongs water level. Be sure to either add slightly less bong water when also adding ice cubes or during your smoking session as the ice begins to melt, simply pour out a little bit of water every so often.

If you let the ice melt and don't watch your water level you are going to be drinking some pretty nasty bong water. Trust us, no one wants to do that.

How Much Water Should I Put in a Perc Bong?

The perfect amount of water for your bong can change based on its size. So, what if you have a huge scientific bong with multiple percs and chambers? The idea remains exactly the same-- you need to add enough water to submerge all of the different perc openings. For example, if your bong has a matrix perc and an inline perc, then both of them should be submerged in water. This step ensures that you’re taking full advantage of the bong’s filtration!

How Much Water Do You Put In A Bong With A Fixed Downstem?

Just like any other bong with a perc or regular diffused downstem, you want the water level to be just above the bottom of your fixed downstem. The cool thing though with beaker bongs with fixed downstems is chances are you are tilting the bong towards you when you inhale and this allows you to add more water then you might add to a normal perc bong giving you a nice chug when you inhale.

Water Level For Ash Catcher?

If you add an ash catcher to your bong that adds another layer of complexity to figuring out how much water you should add to your bong. But the same rules apply, you will want to add just enough water to cover the percs of your ash catcher. But when adding an ash catcher you have to make sure that when the water level drops it doesn't overall your ash catcher which could get your herbs wet. So just like with your bong do some trial and error to find out water the water level for your ash catcher should be with the particular bong you are using.

Why Does the Water Level in a Bong Matter?

Like we said before, the level of water in a bong or dab rig can make a huge difference for your smoking experience. With the perfect water level, you can enjoy cool and filtered smoke, and easily pull the smoke through the water. When there’s too much water in your bong, your lungs have to work a lot harder to pull the smoke through. You may also run the risk of getting water in your mouth. On the flip side, not having enough water means you aren’t taking full advantage of the bong’s filtration and percolators. It's important to know how to use a bong to its fullest potential to get the most from your herbs.

How To Check If Your Bong Water Level Is Correct

The easiest way to check if your bong has the perfect water level is to test it while its brand new or freshly cleaned. My tried and true method is to dump a bunch of fresh water into your bong and suck up as hard as you can. Don't worry you are supposed to get water in your mouth. Spit that water out and do that again until you are no longer getting any water in your mouth. And there you have it the perfect water level for your particular bong. And the cool part is you only need to do this once if you remember how much you filled it this first time. Please never do this with dirty bong water, that would not taste good.

How Do You Know If You Added Too Much Water In Your Bong?

The easiest and maybe not the most pleasant way to know if you added too much water is if you are getting water in your mouth when you inhale. Sometimes adding too much water can cause water to ride up the stem into the bowl piece and get your herbs wet. You should always test your bong water level before your bong water is dirty. If you added too much, no worries just dump some out, you can always add more if you need it.

How Do I Fill a Bong With Water?

Now that you know how much water to put in a bong, we’ll explain how you do it. Believe it or not, filling your bong up with water the wrong way can result in quite a mess.

Filling Simple Beaker or Straight Tube Bongs With Water

For simple bongs that only have a downstem, the water filling process is easy. Simply pour the water through the mouthpiece (on top) into the base, until the downstem is submerged in water. If you prefer, you can remove the downstem, and pour water in through the stem.

Filling a Perc Bong With Water

When your bong has multiple percolators or chambers, it can get a bit more complicated. As we mentioned before, the idea is to submerge the bottom of each percolator in water. So, the best way to go about doing this is pouring water in the mouthpiece, so that the water flows down to the percs on the bottom. If the water doesn’t quite make it down, try blowing through the mouthpiece to push the water down to the lower percs, or (lightly) tilting the bong sideways.

The Finishing Touches

After the water has settled, make sure that all of the percs are submerged. If not, you can always add more water from the top to submerge the percs in the top chambers. If you accidentally overfill a chamber, simply tilt the bong to move the water to the bottom, and then dump it out of the bottom of the bong. You can also fill up the stem of the bong with water from the joint, rather than the top.

What Does the Bong Water Do?

The water is what allows your bong to give the smooth, cool hits that you love so much. It helps to filter out a lot of the harmful toxins in your dry herbs. The bong water also cools down the smoke, making the inhaling process a lot smoother. Some smokers prefer ice cold water, and others prefer warm water. At Toker Supply, we recommend using only water, as other liquids can clog your bong and make it dirty.

Cold Water or Hot Water? Which is Better?

There are mixed opinions on this, but me personally I always prefer ice cold water. When you take that first hit you will get a nice cool rush of cold air before the smoke hits your lungs. Also it makes sense that colder water would cool down your smoke better than warm water would.

Which some scientific smokers say warm water allows the smoke to pass through easier making more bubbles and thus better diffusion and cooling, it's really up to you. Try both warm and cold water and see what you prefer.

Do all bongs need water?

If you want to enjoy your bong hits then yes you should always add water to your bong. Is it required to burn and inhale the smoke? No but nobody wants to do that. Adding water is required for all bongs to get the best possible smoking experience.

Final Thoughts

Ensuring you have the proper water level not only ensures you get the best possible smoking experience, but it also ensure you don't accidentally get your herbs wet or get a mouth full of water. Nobody wants either of those things to happen to always make sure you are filling your bong with the right amount of water following our tips listed above.