Vaping Through Water | A Guide to Cooling & Reducing Harshness

Introduction

Hey guys, Sneaky Pete here and today I want to talk about vaping through water. This is something that you see me do all the time in my videos, and always advocating for as well. For me, it’s almost a necessity to the process. I mean, it’s not something I do every single time, but to imagine a world where you vape without water being involved, that’s not a world I want to experience. So, let’s go over why I like to vape through water so much.

Reasoning/Benefits

For me, adding that water piece increases enjoyment. Some people don’t realize that just like you can smoke through a bong, you can use a vaporizer in that exact same way. I think that using the water piece really adds something special to the process and makes it a lot more enjoyable.

Also, it opens your experience up to new products; it enables you to try a bunch of new accessories and a whole different type of device. As we all know, VAS (vaporizer acquisition syndrome) is a real thing and this enables you to participate in the hobby aspect by opening up a new aspect of vaping.

Vaping through even a little bit of water cools down your vapour dramatically. Even if vapour isn’t super hot, it is certainly warmer than normal air and that can get harsh over time. Putting it through water gets rid of a lot of that heat and makes it more possible to do back to back hits.

Not only is the vapour is hotter than normal air, it’s also much drier, and that can lead to throat irritation after a long session. When you vape through water it helps to hydrate that vapour so it is not nearly as dry and significantly less harsh.

Some vapes are optimized to be used through water — it’s a simple as that. The Vleaf Go is an awesome little portable I just reviewed, but without a water piece it would be tough to recommend it. The Hopper io heats up in a few seconds, but using it natively is harsh. Run these vapes through water, though, and it’s a whole different ballgame.

Selecting a Water Piece (one-piece or two-piece systems)

Once you have decided that you want to vape through water, you have two broad groups to select from in terms of choosing your water piece. The first group is a one-piece system, where you don’t need a separate adapter and then a separate water piece; this is a self-contained set up. 

In a one-piece system, you have something that is a little bit simpler and more portable because everything is provided by that one piece. One-piece systems also enable you to use your vaporizer a little more like normal, if you don’t want to change things up too much. 

For an Arizer bubble straw, at the bottom of the bubble straw we have a bowl just like on your stem, and you fill this with herb. This middle reservoir section holds your water, and you simply put this on your vaporizer, heat it up, and then start vaping. We also have bubble straws for the Crafty and the Mighty, the ArGo, and other vapes as well.

There’s also a variety of other products, like the brand new BubbleMax for the Arizer Solo 2 or Air 2, this is a pretty substantial water piece that’s going to give you a whole bunch of cooling. And we also have things like the Reaper Mini-Bong or the Baby Bong XL for the DynaVap, this is the easiest way to add water to into your DynaVap. Or we have these Mini Bubblers for the Crafty/Mighty or for the Pax 2/3. 

You can see for some one piece adapters you are going to load your flower directly into the device, like with an ArGo Bubble Straw, whereas with the Crafty or Mighty Bubble Straw you can load the device or use a dosing capsule and then the Bubble Straw goes on top of that, so usage will just depend on the specific vape.

Glass Adapters (Two-piece system)

The second group is a two-piece system; where you put an adapter on their vaporizer, and then puts it into a water piece. With a two-piece system, it is more expensive and you are dealing with more physical things, however this is going to enable you to use larger water pieces which are recommended for maximum possible cooling.

When using a two-piece system, the first thing you will need is an adapter for your vaporizer. In general, you are going to need an adapter for each specific vaporizer. It’s not the sort of thing where you can buy a glass adapter and use it from vape to vape to vape, it needs to be sized specifically for the dimensions of that device. There’s a glass adapter  that we sell for the Air 2 and the Solo 2, one for the Crafty and Mighty, one for the Fury Edge, and the DynaVap.  As you can see, we have one for everything but each vape gets its own adapter.

On some adapters, like the one for the Fury 2 and the Solo 2, you are going to load your flower directly into the adapter, and then place it in your vape. For other adapters like the one on the Pax, you are going to load the vape like normal, and then put your adapter on top of that.

Your adapter can come in either a 14mm or 18mm size typically, but we also sell universal versions which work in a 10, 14, or 18mm water piece. If you don’t know what water piece you will be using then a universal adapter is always a safe bet, but if you are going to use it with a specific piece then you can simply purchase a 14 or an 18mm depending on the joint on your water piece.

One caveat to this “each vape needs its own adapter” thing, you can also use something like the Master Adapter which allows you to use a lot of different vaporizers with a single water piece. It’s not going to have the same precise fit as a glass piece that directly interfaces into it, but it certainly is a lot cheaper as you can use this with many different vapes.

In the video, you can see the Master Adapter that works with the stock Arizer stem.  It’s evident that it’s a lot taller and it’s not going to fit like this glass adapter, but it’ll totally work. It will also work with the Fury Edge, or even something with an odd shaped mouthpiece like the Crafty+. So, you can go with a specific glass adapter for your vape, or you can try something more versatile like this.

Technique Differences

For a one-piece system, first you want to fill up your water piece. If it is the self-regulating variety, hold it under a tap for 10 seconds, turn the tap off and let it regulate to the proper water level. Inhale through it to pull all of the water into the reservoir, and then you want to leave this out for a bit. If you see  little droplets of water still in the piece, that water is going to run into your vape or onto your flower if you put the  glass on your vaporizer right away, so, give it some time or help to dry it with a Q-Tip.

On other pieces you typically fill from one end or the other, and either blow air or gently tap to force the water through or out of the piece. On smaller water pieces, you do not want to put in too much water. If you do, then you have to inhale super gently or else you’re going to get water in your mouth, so just fill it up to the proper level and try not to overdo it.  If you’re using a larger water piece, you have much more flexibility on the fill level, but make sure you test it both with a vaporizer on the device and then as you remove it. If you inhale with the same ferocity as you remove the vape, you are going to end up drinking it with almost any water piece.

Once you have the proper level set, you can go ahead and turn your vaporizer up to the temperature you normally use if you want, or you can go a good 10° to 30° higher than that without really noticing it. If you normally vape at 370°F, try it all the way at 400°F as you are going to get more vapour production, but you won’t feel the added heat because of the water cooling.

When you are using a water piece, you want to inhale steadily and gently. Don’t hit it like you’re using a combustion set up in a bong; slow and steady is going to give the air a chance to pass over your material so it can produce the most vapour. Once you remove your vaporizer, though, inhale hard so you can completely clear the water chamber in one go or it can get harsh.

Things to Keep in Mind

Some people wonder if you are going to have a reduction in flavour or effects when using a water piece. You can find articles that suggest yes and no, but overall, I feel that you will get a slight reduction in both flavour and effects if you are using it through a water piece. To get the most pure flavour possible from a vaporizer, it doesn’t make sense that running it through water is going to somehow increase the flavour. It’s the same with the active material, one would have to assume some of it will be contained in the buildup you’ll eventually see. That being said, I don’t find either of these differences to be terribly noticeable, and regardless, the mitigation of the heat and harshness from the vapour as well as the enjoyment I get from my water set-ups makes it completely worthwhile to sacrifice whatever minor flavour and effect losses you may experience.

Overall Thoughts

I hope this gives you some info and insight as to why I like to vaporize through water so much. If you have not tried it with your current vaporizer, I implore you to do so. If you ever find your vape too harsh, before you think of buying a new vaporizer, try your vaporizer through water and you may find that it improves it enough to enhance your enjoyment, which will save you a tonne of money as compared to buying a whole new vape. 

Check out vapenorth.ca and sneakypetestore.com to find the vapes and accessories you see me go over in my videos, and be sure to visit our review section where you can find all of our video & written reviews.

Thanks so much for reading guys I really appreciate it,

KIG KIS