Using a carbon filter on a bong

[bounty29]

Alright, so I had come across this a while ago but forgot about it. I saw a post in a thread tonight that reminded me of it, and now I'm curious. The post I'm talking about...

What country do you live in? If your in Canada or the EU and are looking for a 50cm clear pyrex tube, check out phxglass.ca. The phx duo 50 and trinity 50 are beautiful pieces. They carry them in the US as well, but you cant buy online, only in stores.

PS if your concerned about your lungs, check out the roor activated carbon filter. You can get it from a site called everyonedoesit.co.uk. Ive used them myself and they have prety good service, and also cary a selection of other types of clear pyrex tubes - some at very reasonable prices.



Check out the carbon filter adapter. All parts started out clean at the same time. After a week or two, notice the difference in the section before the filter, and after it. I haven't had to clean the bong yet, and its still crystal clear... and anyone who owns a phx knows the perc(s) don't particularly like staying clean for any amount of time.

The bong water is (literally) drinkable

The tar prety much seems to stop dead in its tracks. I'd definately reccomend one of these to anyone who cares about thier lungs...

There are very obvious visual differences between the filtered and non-filtered.

Do many people have experience with this? I assume it would take away some of the taste and smell, but does it affect the potency? I've seen people say it does, and others say they notice no ill effect. I think I might be getting one of these when I get a RooR, but I will without a doubt rinse the carbon several times, just to be safe. I've seen the dust that comes off of carbon, and I don't want to be inhaling that, I'll pass on the black lung.

Does it make the smoke smoother? Does it make it a less damaging to your lungs? Is it worth the $30 or so?

 

[Jam Master Jaco]

I think it would be really easy to get that thing to clog though don't ya think?

 

[bounty29]

I just assumed it would be used with a screen or glass gauze, but you're probably right, if you don't use a screen I'm sure it would be a hassle.

Roor Carbon Filter Adaptor

There's the product. I really like how you can just use the carbon you can get at a pet store, the same stuff you use in carbon filters for your grow. No need to buy a Roor product every time you have to replace the filter, just do it yourself.

As for what I want to use it in, here's what I'm hoping to get...

Roor Little Sista Icemaster Cup 5.0
Roor Diffuser
Bong Bag

 

[Guest]

i thought that if you heated activated carbon it would = carbon monoxide

 

[bounty29]

I know you can bake the activated carbon in the oven to clean it. When I made my carbon filter for my grow I rinsed it all (took a lot of rinsing to get rid of all the dust) and let it sit on the counter for about a day. Even still, it wasn't completely dry, because water gets into the microscopic pores. That's what makes the snap crackle pop sound when the carbon gets wet.

I haven't heard anyone mention that heating carbon results in carbon monoxide, but that would be a good reason to avoid this if true.

 

[Ruosk]

Those activated carbon filters rock, and ones you posted even look way better than the ones I've tried. Water can stay clear for days, indicating that most of the bad stuff actually is caught. It clogs faster, yes.. but I'd get one right now if I hadn't bought a vape.

Edit: Isn't carbon monoxide produced only under low oxygen conditions? I'm not a chemist though...

 

[bounty29]

I was gonna buy a vape, but I've always kinda wanted a nice clean looking RooR, and now that I can get a filter for it that seems to make a big difference (which is what I'm trying to find out), the RooR has moved up on my list, beating out the vape.

 

[Guest]

Beware of oxygen depletion. Oxygen depletion is caused by the use of too much carbon. You can avoid this by presoaking the carbon for an hour before placing it in the water pipe filter.
links about aquariums but helpful just the same
http://www.athiel.com/lib/txtfiles/carbon.html

if i used a carbon filter for smoking it would be for my exhaust not my inhale

 

[Ruosk]

It really does make all the difference. It's not vape but will still benefit your health a great deal. Kills some of the taste though.

 

[bounty29]

unicorn - I think that whole page is about the use of activated carbon as a filter in the water. Would all the same facts still apply?

if i used a carbon filter for smoking it would be for my exhaust not my inhale

I've always wanted to build my own "smokeless ashtray" but a little more beefed up. Something to set on the coffee table to blow smoke towards and have it get sucked into, killing the odor and smoke.

According to this, carbon will filter out butane, which is another plus for those of us that use lighters.

 

[Guest]

set the ash tray on top of a hepa air cleaner
i cant find anything i looked last night but i was drunk..
i know i have read somewhere how dangerous activated carbon is when heated by fire...i could be wrong as i cant find anything..i will research it some more later on today...peace

 

[bounty29]

It seems that the carbon filter is about 2 inches from where the flame would be held. After some quick searching, it looks like Bic lighters burn at around 1300 degrees Fahrenheit (Is that accurate? Seems high...)

I've always wondered how that works, I have a few spoons where there is about 2 inches between the bowl and your mouth, how hot is the air that is going into your lungs? I know it's a little off topic, but do you have any info on that? It would be relevant to the air temperature that is coming into contact with the carbon in the bong filter here.

 

[Guest]

i think im wrong on my findings...aparently you can buy carbon nasel fillters even...crazy
http://www.breathe-ezy.com.au/Our Products.htm

 

[trumie04]

Wouldn't the carbon also filter out some of the THC?

 

[Guest]

it would seem

Wouldn't the carbon also filter out some of the THC?

 

[trumie04]

I was searching around on the net and I found this: http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v06n3/06359mj1.html

It is a study done by California NORML and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. It says that "Researchers speculate this is because cannabinoids are exceptionally sticky and adhere to other solids. Hence, any filtration system that picks up particulates is likely also to screen out cannabinoids."

I take this to mean that anything that is filtering out the crap from your smoke will also filter out some THC. That would be like putting a filter on a joint. If you like using the filter, by all means, continue using it. But I think if you are really concerned about the health benefits, get a quality vaporizer. You can get vapes that work will water bongs too if you want to keep using the sweet bong! Peace!!!

 

[bounty29]

Lemon - Wow, I was gonna get a vaporizer as my next purchase, thinking a little towards the health side of things, but that's amazing. Does it have any effect on the potency, or how it smokes? Does it take away the taste or smell at all? I might have to get a nice little RooR or PHX with one of those instead of the vap.

I wondered the same things before I bought it. After I got it, I tried smoking with and without the filter, and there was no noticable effect on potency. If there is any, its negligible. The bong smokes a little smoother - its like putting on an ash catcher. The taste is still 100% there, but the smell is reduced (i guess this could be considered a good thing or a bad thing depending on your situation and preference).

According to Lemon, there is no noticeable difference. I'm sure that you do lose some THC, but would it be an amount large enough to have an impact on rips from the bong?

 

[Guest]

I think what is happening is that the oils and water in the plant are easily attached to air molecules and therefore can bypass the charcoal, while the heavier plant fibers attach to the pores in the charcoal.

Think about when you try heat up herbs on aluminum foil with a lighter underneath it. What you will see is the water and oils easily turn to vapor while plant fiber just burns. I'm trying my best to explain this but it's hard because I think using visuals.

Basically the air can grab the thc with no problem due to the oil sucking up the oxygen and the fibers are just broken down due to the high heat and draged along with air when you inhale and therefore will just get stuck into the charcoal. This can be why the smell is reduced yet the taste isn't because the fibers that hold the chlorophyll which give burning weed it's smell we know it for, gets trapped in the charcoal while the terpenoids and other essential oils get's to pass on because they are attached to oxygen. Peace.

 

[grasspimp]

I'm going to buy one and try It

 

[Lemon]

Hey Bounty,

Theres a thread on this forum i came across: http://forum.everyonedoesit.co.uk/showthread.php?t=83302 with several people's experiences with the adapter. You might find some useful feedback here.

For peace of mind, with a tall bowl like the phx one, the flame is never close enough to the carbon to heat it. If my memory from studying chemistry serves me right, carbon will only oxidize in a combustion reaction - it has to be set on fire, the resultant smoke containing mono&dioxides. The water in the bong should also hydrate any carbon dust and make it too heavy to continue travelling in the air up the chamber.

Oh, I still havent cleaned my bong since I made that post back then