What Are Percolators And What Do They Do

Have you ever wondered what are percolators, and how they can help? Keep reading to find out exactly what they do.

Sera Jane Ghaly

There are probably some bong frequenters out there wondering exactly what this word percolator means and whether or not it helps.

A percolator is a contraption for your bong or water pipe that helps to cool down the smoke. This helps smokers achieve a smoother hit and way less coughing.

They come in all different shapes and sizes and have different designs for different bongs. A percolator is a really cool thing to look for in a bong, especially if you find them hard to hit.

How Do Percolator Work?

Photo by Fat Buddah Glass

The percolator is usually in a dome shape but lately have been found in all kinds of crazy designs. It is basically an additional water chamber for your bong and usually lives in the tube of the bong. It contains water in it and is another filtering process for your smoke.

After you pull the smoke from your bong, it interacts with the water in the bowl. When it’s traveling up the tube, the smoke interacts with the water for the second time in the percolator.

There are two ways that this process cools and filters the smoke more efficiently. Firstly, the smoke has another opportunity to make contact with water, which is naturally going to cool it down. It also allows for a greater surface area of smoke to reach the water, making it cooler again.

It also works by breaking down the bubbles into smaller sizes, due to the pressure in the percolator. This also means for a cooler, smoother hit from your bong.

Do Percolator's Affect Your High?

There’s no doubt that a percolator is successful at cooling your smoke down. The main purpose of the contraption is to make the smoke easier to inhale. So if you have trouble hitting a bong, try one with a percolator and see how it goes.

But the more pertinent question is whether or not it affects your high. Some people think that the percolator increases THC absorption, but this is, in fact, wrong. The percolator doesn’t make you any higher than a regular bong.

In fact, slightly more THC is lost in bongs with percolators than in bongs without. Although the added water makes no difference (THC is not soluble in water), slightly more is lost to the glass of the extra chamber.

However, have no fear. The difference is so slight that it won’t impact your high at all. And most people claim it’s worth it for the smoother hit.