Activated Carbon - Is it good for either combusting or vaping?

[tokenitup]

I keep wondering about Activated Carbon filters for my water pipes...It seems like TOTAL overkill to use this with my vape-bong setup, but it seems reasonable to use when I burn green on my other bong.

Does anyone have combustion experience with Activated Carbon filters on your GonG water pipe?

Here is a link if anyone has a question for what it is or what it does:
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/guitarplyr6444/d9.jpg

*Edit*
In this picture, the Filter I am speaking of is the little piece in between the Ash Catcher and the Bong's Downstem...

And my real question is, is it worth spending $40 bucks to get a filter? I love keeping my pieces clean, and currently clean them with ISO/salt at least once a week, sometimes every 2-3 days depending on use.

If this could help me cut down on my cleaning, I would buy it in a heart beat....but I don't want to lose any THC obviously.

 

[Frickr]

if they pump it into peoples stomachs to suck up all the toxins that they ingested, i think its safe.

 

[Purple-Days]

Isn't activated carbon used to absorb organics (carbon based molecules) ? Wouldn't it absorb the THC and other canabinoids? Safe sure, but sane?

 

[tokenitup]

Supposedly the activated carbon doesn't take any thc out but that's just hearsay. I'm looking for someone like max or someone who knows a lot more than me to tell me what they think!

 

[aznfknpride]

I didn't notice any difference in potency. Taste is greatly affected however, and when you take snaps, the burning embers that hit the carbon leave a nasty taste in your mouth. But definitely makes the hit smoother and does keep your pieces cleaner.

Just my $.02.

-azn

 

[quomist]

I have an EHLE one I bought with my first bong but I never used it more than a handful of times. You need to wash it and pack it too often. While it does keep your piece really clean, I prefer just cleaning the tube or a trash catcher.

 

[aznfknpride]

Yup, I feel the same way... honestly I dont use AC's much either, they either add too much volume or have too much splashback. And on some tubes I dont want extra diffusion, like on my 4-8. Easier to just soak your tube with GO, or if you're really in a rush, hot iso/salt works great.

 

[smolderson_bud]

...Taste is greatly affected however, and when you take snaps, the burning embers that hit the carbon leave a nasty taste in your mouth...

I agree...sort of.
In my case, I didn't taste any nasty flavor at all. In fact, for the most part, I would probably say that I didn't taste much of anything. Is that a bad sign....like, are more goodies getting leached out by the AC and cotton that I have in the path?

 

[nacho257]

I keep wondering about Activated Carbon filters for my water pipes...It seems like TOTAL overkill to use this with my vape-bong setup, but it seems reasonable to use when I burn green on my other bong.

Does anyone have combustion experience with Activated Carbon filters on your GonG water pipe?

Here is a link if anyone has a question for what it is or what it does:
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/guitarplyr6444/d9.jpg

*Edit*
In this picture, the Filter I am speaking of is the little piece in between the Ash Catcher and the Bong's Downstem...

And my real question is, is it worth spending $40 bucks to get a filter? I love keeping my pieces clean, and currently clean them with ISO/salt at least once a week, sometimes every 2-3 days depending on use.

If this could help me cut down on my cleaning, I would buy it in a heart beat....but I don't want to lose any THC obviously.

I don't know about the rest of those who have posted, but after trying activated carbon with combustion I'd never to back to using a piece without it.

--It keeps your piece spotless

--You can buy aquarium carbon that's cheap

--Most importantly, the hits are significantly smoother and cause much less irritation. The morning after toking with carbon I feel completely normal, which is not the case at all with a conventional setup (for me).

I've also considered using it with a vape setup. I'm thinking about trying to craft an inline carbon filter that would be somewhere near the bowl of my EQ. That way it'd catch all the oil and any particulates that escape to ensure my whip and lungs stay clean. If you're using a longer whip or filtering with a water pipe it's probably not necessary, but at the end of the day it's not going to hurt. I've never experienced a decrease in potency with combustion--it tastes slightly better, likely due to the carbon catching a good bit of tar and other nasty shit.