Hey everyone, I just bought this: I bought the main piece and had trouble keeping it clean, so I added the ash catcher. I have a few questions: 1. Water levels? From poking around on this forum and the others, it seems like I want the water in the main chamber to be just above the holes in the inline? Correct? Below is a pic of where I have been putting the water levels (indicated by the blue lines), it seems to be working fine but maybe one of you has some info to add. 2. Keeping it clean? The ash catcher has helped, using a screen has helped, and not grinding so much has helped, but it still gets clogged after a few hits. I put a red arrow on the pic below to show where it is getting clogged. That whole area gets brown funky residue in it, making it impossible to let smoke through. What else can I do to help keep it clean, or am I doing something completely wrong? 3. Cleaning it sucks. The part getting clogged is tough to get to. I have been using the alcohol/salt method and it works fine, but I hate having to do it after every 3-4 hits. I can flush the whole thing with hot water and it will help break it up enough to get a few more hits out of it, but I need an easier way. Thoughts? 4. Crushed ice or cubed for the ice catcher? 5. Is there a right way or wrong way to fill it? I have been filling up main chamber through the downstem to just above the perc holes, filling the thing below the ice (where it is getting clogged) though the mouth, and filling the ash catcher seperately. Then I put it together, and give a few good pulls to get the water circulating and then I have to readjust all of the levels. Is there an easier way? Any other info would be greatly appreciated.
Have you gotten all of the resin out of the first downstem in the a/c? Because it looks dirty as hell and I think that's the problem
Could you take an up close picture of the splash guard? That's the green piece that's getting clogged and it looks poorly designed from what I can see.
I owned this exact same bong basically, with an ash catcher like that too. *vid* Mine got gummed there too. To clean it, run hot water under it in a sink, I could actually take out my elbow piece, idk if yours can. From there I used a pipe cleaner and scrubbed up that hole. (From the bowl end) and blew into it hard, each direction to free up any chunks. Worked a lot better after that. Edit: oh shit, upon looking at the photo again idk what you'll do :c how much did it cost you?
It is definately a tight area and getting easily clogged. Better? Even with this first downstem clean, it still clogs up at the same place just as easily. I can't disassemble mine that far cant get to it as-is with a pipe cleaner. I paid $115 for the bong, and $35ish for the ash catcher. Both dudes at my local shop recommended it, but can't answer any of my questions or help me figure out a way to stop it from clogging after 3-4 hits. It really sucks to have to completely soak and clean this thing after every 4 hits, especially when I have more than one person using it in one sitting.
I don't think there is anything you can do but by a new piece. It sounds like its poorly designed if it clogs after 3-4 rips. Talk about a buzzkill cleaning that in a middle of the sesh.
Can you draw an arrow on the close up picture to show a little more clearly where it clogs? Also, is the air traveling up the inner green tube and then has to clear that 1mm gap below the dome? Edit: Or is that a weld there and the air goes a different route? Just get a carbon adaptor btw... problem solved.
I don't understand how it clogs after 3-4 hits. Seems like a bad design like everyone is saying. Maybe try no water in the dome perc, I probably wouldn't have water in that ash catcher either maybe one chamber of it.
Put a few drops of lemon juice in the ash catcher to stop the resin build up so fast Also try a torch lighter with smaller bowls if that doesn't help... Allot of pieces that are designed poorly get clogged really fast from bud slipping through and sticking to the resin... Its inconvenient and a waste of good bud. Try not to suck bud down your stem.