Percolator Bongs Explained: Do They Actually Filter Tar?

You've probably encountered percolator bongs before – they resemble mini science lab equipment and look like they belong in a laboratory more than on a cannabis consumer's table.

Percolator bongs not only sound cool, they're also touted as giving smokers cleaner hits, which may appeal to anyone concerned with minimizing inhalation risks. At least, that's what I hear.

Can perc bongs actually eliminate tar from your hit? Or is this all a bunch of hokum?

Let's take a closer look.

What is a Percolator Bong And How Does It Work?

Before we dive deep, let's clarify our terms.

What is a percolator bong, anyway? To put it plainly, perc bongs are water pipes designed with many filtration chambers. While typical glass bongs (or "regular bongs") function with a solitary downstem, perc bongs have complex structural designs utilizing disks, grids and other forms of chambers to diffuse smoke.

This process breaks your smoke into microbubbles. In doing so, perc bongs exponentially increase smoke-to-water contact from 150 percent to 300 percent compared to regular bongs. With such extensive exposure, the result is improved smoke cooling and humidification, leading to smoother inhalation with less irritation.

Different kinds of percolator types include:

• Tree perc beaker bong: Has a trunk that branches into many smaller sections, dispersing smoke more efficiently.

• Honeycomb perc: Consists of several disc-shaped components with small holes, allowing for gentle and smooth inhalation.

• Showerhead perc: As the name suggests, this style of bong works like a showerhead.

• Matrix perc bongs: Have a 360-degree array of bubbles.

• Turbine Perc: Has angled slits cut along the edge of a glass disc.

• Swiss perc: Has a disc-shaped chamber with holes cut through the middle, creating a "Swiss cheese" design that filters smoke through water with very little drag.

Debunking the Myth: Do Percolator Bongs Filter Out Tar?

One question that has haunted many stoners’ minds is whether percolator bongs have the ability to filter out tar or not. Well, let me spoil it for you.. they cannot.

It’s easy to see why many believe otherwise by experience. After a few hits, your bong’s water might turn a cloudy yellow, and sticky residue can coat the glass walls, leading to a sense of relief: “Look at all this gunk -thank goodness it's not in my lungs!” However, that conclusion is not entirely true.

The truth is that tar, which consists of tiny particles created from burning herb, is hydrophobic, meaning it doesn’t dissolve in water. So when you inhale, most of those tar particles sail right through the water, ending up back in your lungs.

As for the percolator’s bongs purpose, it has nothing to do with tar filtration but rather cooling the smoke. The black resin that you find in your bong water is a result of the condensing smoke that cools off instantly.

The Impact of Tar on Lung Health

Our lungs are designed for clean air, and they rely on tiny little hair-like structures called cilia to work properly. These cilia help clear out dust and other particles from our airways by moving mucus toward our throat.

But when you inhale tar, it coats these cilia, slowing them down and eventually causing them to stop working properly. This causes a big buildup of mucus in the lungs. And as your body tries to cough all that gunk out, you end up with that all too familiar smokers cough.

On top of that, the tar can also sit in the alveoli which are those teeny tiny air sacs in your lungs and it makes them all stiff & lose their elasticity - which eventually makes it a real struggle to take a deep breath.

And here is the thing. The way we often smoke from percolator bongs can make the problem worse. How? Because they cool down the smoke, they can give you a false sense of smoking clean which encouraging deeper inhalation and longer holds and as a result more tar to accumulate in the lungs instead of being expelled.

This brings us to our next section on why using bong filters is the best way to filter out tar when smoking weed.

How to Use Filters to Reduce Tar in Bong Sessions

But there is also good news for those who do not want to give up their smoking experience just because of the risk of inhaling dangerous tar. In case you love your percolator bong and would like to actually filter out any tar particles before they reach your airways, all you need is the Mooselabs bong Mouthpeace filter. The filtering effect of these accessories is provided by replaceable filters that contain triple-layered virgin activated carbon granules.

As you may know, virgin activated carbon has the incredible surface area with thousands of tiny pores that absorb non-water-soluble toxins and other heavy particles, including the tars, without removing any of the moisture and active compounds like THC and CBD. You will literally see how white filter disc turns into dark brown or even black color after several sessions thanks to the trapped tar particles!!

Related: How to filter a bong