What is a Bong and The Science Behind How it Works
Have you ever wondered what makes bong rips so smooth and satisfying?
Behind every puff is a fascinating dynamic of science and physics. From the moment the flame sparks the cannabis in the bowl to the final inhalation, a bong transforms harsh and dense smoke into a cooler, cleaner experience through a series of carefully designed stages.
The journey involves combustion, diffusion, percolation, and vacuum physics principles. This article breaks down the science behind how bongs work for the absolute beginner so you can get the most out of your water pipe - let’s go!
Short Answer:
- A bong uses water to trap ash, resin, and absorb heat from smoke
- The bong's percolator filters, cools, and smooths smoke even more
- Vacuum dynamics in the water chamber pushes smoke up for a powerful bong rip
What is a bong?
A bong is a specialized smoking device for cannabis, typically made of scientific glass. It uses water to cool and purify the smoke. The bowl, downstem, water chamber, and percolator are key components, which work together to provide a cleaner, smoother smoke.
Four components of a bong:
Bowl: The bowl of the bong is where cannabis is loaded and combusted. Typically made from glass it connects to the downstem, leading to the water chamber. The bowl must be pulled from the downstem to allow fluid dynamics to force the smoke up for an inhale.
Downstem: The downstem is a tube in a bong that connects the bowl to the water chamber. It functions as the conduit where smoke from the bowl travels down to enter the water for filtration. The downstem usually can be removed for easy cleaning.
Percolator: A percolator in a bong is designed to diffuse smoke by forcing it through small holes at the end of the downstem, breaking apart dense, hot smoke. This process cools the smoke as it interacts more with the water, improving the smoothness and taste on the inhale.
Water chamber: The water chamber in a bong is essential for cooling and filtering smoke. As smoke passes through water, it creates bubbles through the perc, increasing surface contact. This process cools and filters out impurities in the smoke.
Still confused? Check out our visual guide on every bong part name for a closer look at all the different components and how they function together in a bong.
How Do Bongs Work?
A bong cools and filters smoke through the water chamber and percolator. Smoke passes from the bowl to the water, creating bubbles that increase cooling and filtration, then ascends the neck for a smooth hit. This process leverages combustion, diffusion, and physics.
Bong sizes, shapes, and features can impact the overall experience as there are dozens of different types of bongs with different neck lengths, percolation systems, and water chamber capacities.
The sole purpose of a bong is to allow you to take a larger more concentrated burst of smoke, while simultaneously filtering and cooling the hot smoke in the water chamber. Without the cooling from the water chamber, these larger bong rips would be far too uncomfortable and irritate the lungs.
Below we will discuss the physics and science behind how a bong works from beginning to end following the journey of the smoke through 6 different phases of the bong:
1. Combustion: Lighting up the bowl
When using your bong the journey begins when you ignite the packed ground cannabis in the bowl of the bong (learn how to pack a bong correctly). As the flame touches the bud, combustion occurs, which converts the solid flower particles into smoke.
The process of combustion releases the THC, CBD, and terpenes from the plant. The heat from the combustion not only vaporizes these compounds but also creates smoke as a byproduct of burning the plant material. Once extracted, your inhale begins pulling the smoke and cannabinoids from the bowl down through the downstem.
Tip: Smoke releases toxins you inhale. Learn how vaping is healthier than smoking, or compare key difference between vaporizing cannabis and bong rips.
2. Journey through the downstem
Once the smoke is generated in the bowl, your inhale pulls the cannabinoids and terpenes through the downstem of the bong, which is the conduit between the bowl and the bong’s water chamber. As the smoke moves through the downstem, it’s funneled into the water below, starting the process of water diffusion.
Downstem 101: A downstem is a glass cylinder tube with one end connected to the bowl and the other end with slits submerged in the water chamber. The force of your inhale creates bubbles in the water through slits placed at the end of the downstem submerged in water.
Depending on your bong you can either have slit openings at the end of your downstem or an advanced filtration known as a percolator which features dozens of slits or holes which create thousands of bubbles. As smoke travels from the bowl to the end of the downstem the filtration process begins, otherwise known as “percolation” or water diffusion.
3. Percolation and diffusion
The percolator is one of the most critical components of a bong and its sole purpose is to filter and cool the smoke. As smoke travels through the downstem it travels in one solid stream until it meets the percolator which splits the smoke through multiple slits, frits, or holes.
The smoke is forced to split and disperses into smaller streams in the water chamber. The splitting of the smoke is known as water diffusion and helps to spread the hot smoke to cool it down significantly before it reaches your lungs.
Why it matters: This stage is all about making the smoke smoother and less harsh on your throat and lungs. Hot smoke can irritate the lungs leading to coughing, so the stronger the perc the gentler the experience. Percolators can vary in complexity from simple slits to intricate powerhouses, each designed to deliver a more comfortable bong rip.
4. Bong water cooling
As the smoke diffuses into multiple streams the force from your inhale begins to create bubbles simultaneously through the percolator's holes. Each bubble increases the smoke’s exposure to the water splitting the dense smoke further, enhancing the cooling process.
Thousands of microbubbles form and burst, allowing the smoke to glide across the surface decreasing the temperature of the smoke.
As the hot smoke moves through the water, the temperature of the smoke is transferred into the water in what is known as “heat transfer” which helps to significantly cool the smoke down further. The water in the bong helps to pull the heat out of the smoke, cooling it down before reaching your lungs.
Cool Science: The water filtration process also helps to trap particulate matter and some of the harmful byproducts of smoke combustion, such as tar and ash, which are left behind in the water. This is why some believe that bongs are a healthier smoking alternative compared to joints and dry pipes.
5. Final ascent up the Bong Neck
When you pull the bowl out of the downstem, you change the pressure inside the bong’s water chamber and create a vacuum effect. This sudden shift forces the cooled, filtered smoke up the bong’s neck at a rapid pace. The neck of the bong serves as the final cooling passage before the smoke reaches your lips.
Physics of a bong rip: This is a classic example of pressure and fluid dynamics. Removing the bowl creates a lower pressure in the lower part of the bong, causing the higher pressure outside of the bong to pull the smoke up through the neck in one fluid movement as you inhale.
The longer the bong neck, or the taller the bong, the more hot smoke has to cool. So taller bongs will help deliver smoother rips while mini bongs tend to produce much harsher pulls but are more affordable and save space.
The neck of the bong is also a great place to add other cooling elements. Such as an ice bong that features pinches in the neck to suspend ice cubes for cooling, or a frozen glycerin bong that has winding coils in the neck surrounded by frozen glycerin. Both options utilize the neck of the bong to further cool the smoke for a much softer experience but increase the price of a bong.
It’s not recommended to freeze a bong, but if you must read this article on how to freeze a bong correctly for smoother hits.
6. The grand finale: The bong rip
The journey concludes as the smoke exits from the mouthpiece and into your lungs, delivering the cannabinoids and terpenes in a smooth, flavorful hit known as a bong rip. The mouthpiece is much wider than standard weed pipes which helps the intake of large volume bong rips when comparing a bong and pipe.
Tip: Bong rips can be tricky, check out our guide on how to inhale weed correctly.
The entire process from flame to inhale happens in seconds, but the design and physics behind it are the result of centuries of smoking evolution as there are now dozens of different options when it comes to water pipes.
Pro-tip: For beginners, choosing a bong can be an overwhelming process as there are literally dozens of options and combinations. Finding the best beginner bong is essential as you want to find the perfect water pipe that fits all your needs.
Why do we need water in a bong?
Water in a bong cools the smoke, making inhalation smoother and less harsh. It also filters out tar, ash, and particulates, enhancing flavor and reducing impurities. This process improves the overall experience reducing coughing and delivering and powerful yet smooth rip.
1. Water cools hot smoke
The water in your bong’s water chamber works as a natural coolant. The heat from combusted cannabis is harsh and hot. When smoke passes through water, the water absorbs the heat, cooling the smoke to a more lung-friendly temperature.
2. Filtration station
As your percolator creates bubbles in the water, it helps to disperse the solid stream of smoke into multiple pathways. This lets the water really get in there to trap significant amounts of tar, ash, and other particulates from the smoke. This doesn’t just make the smoke cleaner, it also makes it easier on your lungs because nobody wants to inhale ash and tar into their lungs, right?
3. Enhancing flavors
Overheated smoke can burn off the delicate terpenes and flavonoids your cultivators worked so hard to achieve. By dropping heated smoke directly into the water chamber, you preserve the natural flavors, which delivers smoke that retains more of these flavorful compounds.
Pro-tip: To enhance flavors with your bong make sure to change your bong water after every use. Check out our guide on how to keep your bong cleaner longer for crystal-clear water.
4. Fluid dynamics
Without water in the bong, you lose the power of fluid dynamics. The dynamic play of pressures in a bong when you lift the bowl to clear the chamber uses water to deliver the perfect bong rip that is dense and fast-moving.
What happens when you hit a dry bong?
Hitting a dry bong results in harsh, hot smoke since there’s no water to cool or filter. This increases throat and lung irritation and delivers smoke with more tar and particulates, leading to a very uncomfortable bong rip that can lead to coughing fits.
The biggest advantage dry bongs have over water bongs is that they will never get mold, that's because mold requires water to grow in a bong.
FAQ:
1. What does a bong do?
A bong enhances the smoking experience by passing smoke through water, which cools and traps impurities. The bubbling through the perc increases surface contact, additionally cooling and filtering for a smoother and cleaner hit.
2. How does bongs work scientifically?
Bongs work scientifically by spreading smoke through the percolator which diffuses into finer bubbles, which cools and filters. When the bowl is removed, the pressure escapes the water chamber, and fluid dynamics propels the smoke up for a bong rip.
3. Do bongs filter smoke?
Water in a bong serves as a natural filter for tar, ash, and other particulates, enhancing the cleanliness of the smoke. Although it significantly purifies, it doesn’t remove all harmful byproducts but still ensures a smoother and cleaner hit.
4. Is a water pipe a bong?
A water pipe is another term for a bong. Both terms can be used interchangeably. If you smoke a bong without water it’s considered a dry pipe, and the opposite is true if you smoke a bong with water it is considered a water pipe.
Final Thoughts
Bongs are not just a classic cornerstone of cannabis culture, they are marvels of engineering designed to enhance your smoking experience in every way. By using water for cooling and filtration, bongs transform hot smoke into a smooth, flavorful inhalation.
This process is enriched by the dynamics of diffusion and fluid mechanics that deliver powerful bursts of dense smoke into a much smoother and gentler experience. No other cannabis smoking device can achieve what a bong can do. Make sure to check out our one-of-a-kind water pipes, designed and engineered by our in-house team right here in the U.S. From adorably cute bongs, horror bongs, and blue bongs there’s always a perfect match for any style or personality.
