Bong Water Alternatives

[cybrguy]

A user posted in the Rezblock/CE thread about a bong water alternative called Piece Water at https://piecewater.com/. Unlike rezblock or CE (cranberry extract) it is a replacement for your bong water rather than something you add to regular water. It appears to be a liquid made from organics which they describe this way "Piece Water Solution's unique proprietary blend of safe-all- natural mineral, vegetable, and fruit extracts". It is meant, apparently, to allow you to use your bong water for extended periods without changing it, and, like CE, keep your glass from getting dirty and needing effort to clean. I have not yet tried it, but I will admit it has made me quite curious. I change my CE laden water every day to prevent mold and avoid odors.
For any who HAVE used Piece Water, please tell us in this thread what your experience has been like and if you recommend it over rezblock/CE or just as a regular water replacement whether or not you have used CE in the past.

 

[seki]

I purchased a couple of bottles of Piece Water a while back and I found at least in my limited use case, that it worked as advertised. To be fair I didn't use it with combustion to verify that side of their claims, but my pieces rinsed clean with hot water after a good amount of usage with my vapes.

What I found more interesting about the product was that in conjunction with legalization in Canada, it sort of forced me to re-examine how I viewed cannabis along with how I handle, prepare and consume it.

It's a little difficult to explain, but I've started to change my perception of cannabis as a "drug" so to speak and I realized I've started to look at it more similar in fashion to how I consider food in general. Things like realizing that I wouldn't store food long term in a ziplock baggie, so my cannabis is now stored in sterilized glass jars with Boveda packs along with oxygen absorbers for the jars that I intend to store longer term.

Along those lines I started to consider my glass pieces sort of like I consider cups. I'm generally ok to use a cup for several uses before washing, but I won't use the same cup for a week and certainly not a month. On some heavy usage days I'm putting my lips to the glass dozens of times, pretty much the same as I'd do with a glass of water. So I started to think about Piece Water and the claims of being able to use it for a month between washings. In the sense that I would be able to wash infrequently but still be able to clean it without a lot of effort it was still appealing, but I found I ended up trying to balance convenience with hygiene and ended up in a place where I feel more comfortable cleaning my glass more frequently making Piece Water much too expensive per use for me. These days I find a few drops of CE seems to work well for me and like you, I generally clean my pieces daily.

 

[FlyingLow]

There is no substitute for cleaning your rig regularly and using fresh water...

Peacewater does work as advertised, but who wants to sip through old water that is not really water??

 

[cybrguy]

Since changing to vaping these many years I have become more particular about taste and odor. I haven't tried Piece water yet, but I suspect my opinion would be similar to @FlyingLow. I have gotten in the habit of changing the water daily and my desire for "fresh" would be pulling at me all the time after a couple days at best.
I will admit, however, that I am a little fascinated at the idea that you can economically create a clear liquid from organic material like fruits and vegetables, especially that doesn't "spoil" after a few days at room temperature, and I would love to know more about the process.

 

[somethingcool]

I will admit, however, that I am a little fascinated at the idea that you can economically create a clear liquid from organic material like fruits and vegetables, especially that doesn't "spoil" after a few days at room temperature, and I would love to know more about the process.

If I had to guess it probably works similar to how honey doesn't spoil, which is to lower water content and increase acidity to a point that bacterial and mold growth is greatly inhibited. They can use oils extracted from plants to replace water, some of which have their own antimicrobial properties. The oil probably helps coat the glass as well. The more impressive part would be if it really doesn't affect flavor.

Since it also lists mineral in "safe-all- natural mineral, vegetable, and fruit extracts" (wtf is a mineral extract lol), they might also add something that acts as a sacrificial binding agent, something that will stick to the lipids and waxes in the vapor and keep it in suspension versus sticking to the glass.

It also says "Viscosity Produces Better Draw For A Deeper Pull" which is probably another indicator of oil vs water. It could be as simple as mineral/vegetable oil.

They even have a redacted safety analysis: https://piecewater.com/chemical-analysis-safety-statement/
3 ingredients. The first two are likely quite common, the oil and acid. One is listed as affecting the acidity (bingo), could be something along the lines of citric acid. The third ingredient is probably the secret sauce, likely less common as it doesn't have any studies on LD50, carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic (had to look that one up) effects; but it does say it's a common food additive.

I bet a real chemist could probably figure out what's in it pretty easily, I'm just some dork on the internet. Regardless, knowing that's it's 3 common food additives, their markup is huuuge. RezBlock is likely similar chemistry, they list "Contains fruit extracts, vegetable glycerin, purified water, citric acid", Piece Water just replaced the water with something else (likely some type of oil, hell it might just be all glycerin).

 

[seki]

I bet a real chemist could probably figure out what's in it pretty easily, I'm just some dork on the internet. Regardless, knowing that's it's 3 common food additives, their markup is huuuge. RezBlock is likely similar chemistry, they list "Contains fruit extracts, vegetable glycerin, purified water, citric acid", Piece Water just replaced the water with something else (likely some type of oil, hell it might just be all glycerin).

I believe an independent analysis was done on either RezBlock or Piece Water a little while ago and it was confirmed that the "mystery ingredient" was in fact cranberry extract or some slightly modified form of it. I could be misremembering, but I believe the details are buried somewhere in the RezBlock/Cranberry Extract thread.

 

[somethingcool]

I believe an independent analysis was done on either RezBlock or Piece Water a little while ago and it was confirmed that the "mystery ingredient" was in fact cranberry extract or some slightly modified form of it. I could be misremembering, but I believe the details are buried somewhere in the RezBlock/Cranberry Extract thread.

Yes, according to a post there by this very thread's OP, it was @Vitolo who brought rezblock and Botanic Choice Cranberry Extract to a chemist who verified same ingredients but not necessarily quantities. I'm pretty sure Piece Water is a new formulation on the market, especially due to the reports of higher viscosity than water.

I have to say I'm pretty intrigued, hadn't heard about this before, but no way would I pay those prices long term. Gotta reverse engineer it hehe.

 

[cybrguy]

Yes, according to a post there by this very thread's OP, it was @Vitolo who brought rezblock and Botanic Choice Cranberry Extract to a chemist who verified same ingredients but not necessarily quantities.

Correctimundo. Others in the early parts of that thread also contributed ideas, including adding citic acid to prevent mold growth. I bought some CA to try it out, but decided I wanted to change the water daily anyway so the CA wasn't really necessary for my use.

 

[BrianTL]

I used to use it for combustion, it definitely worked as advertised. More importantly than keeping the fluid itself clear and not nasty looking, it made cleaning the bubbler so much easier, which was the biggest win for me. A solid one piece bubbler, no removable parts, small openings, very difficult to clean before, but I could basically run some hot water through it after using piece water and it would look new. It probably doubled the "necessary" time between changing the water from a visual standpoint, and then cleaning it thoroughly was a breeze compared to using tap water.

Water pipe usage basically stopped once I switched to vaping so I have no experience with it there, and I have a few bottles sitting around un-used. Maybe I'll get back into it and see how it compares with vaping, the handful of times I've busted out my bubbler since starting vaping I've just used tap water because it was just getting used for the day and put back.

I dont know how I would feel about it now, definitely have gotten more "snobby" about weed since I picked up vaping and quit combustion... but I'll give it a shot. I have a feeling now I would probably prefer clean fluid, whatever it may be, each time but idk. I can say I looooved it for combustion though. I realize now its pretty gross but I could (and did) go multiple 4 week periods with the same fluid on nightly use. Never used rez block or anything else to compare

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

I wonder if i can wash my hands with it once a week and keep the dirt away ,instead of few times a day ... There is already a thread about peace water if you want you can check it out. I hope someone doesnt spread the rumor of being anti-covid cause many people might have a sip ..

Piece Water

Hey guys, I was at the Denver Champs show a couple of months ago and met the owner of Piece Water at the Magic Flight booth. He was a good guy and sent me home with a sample to test out. It's made for smokers and keeps their bongs clean, but it turns out it works well for our applications...

fuckcombustion.com

 

[cybrguy]

I didn't notice that thread when I opened this one, but given that one is "Piece Water" specific I don't think this one in necessarily redundant even if we are only talking about PW in here so far. Of course if a Mod feels differently they are obviously free to mod...

 

[FlyingLow]

When did simple, clean H20 become not good enough?

 

[cybrguy]

This stuff is probably too pricey for me, but keeping glass clean makes CE more than worthwhile for me.

 

[RustyOldNail]

I’ll add my two cents to the conversation. Many have already stated some smart and healthy advice.

This is my OPINION only. Since our lungs don’t have a great defense system, other then phlegm and coughing, I try to protect them as logically as I can.

This means NOT adding anything NOT needed in my vapor path, and obviously that includes the WATER in a rig. While all these additives may work keeping the glass and water cleaner looking, it’s yet another ingredient that is NOT needed if you are a fairly sanitary person that CLEANS your vapor devices and water rigs, OFTEN.

We are always looking for a time and labor saver, but let’s face it, money aside from these add on products, a lot of folks are just plain LAZY. As it’s their lungs, they made a decision, right or wrong. Problem is, you won’t know the potential damage until far later, and maybe that’s just too late. I don’t mean to sound a doom alarm, but just to bring awareness to the moment you have to make a decision on what you decide to inhale. Coming from making my own ejuice liquids, and of course the tainted vitamin E, cartridge scandal, I have to constantly remind myself, just to be diligent when choosing what I’m inhaling, as my lungs don’t have any input.

Be smart and safe in your choices, and ask yourself, do I really need to ADD anything....

 

[seki]

When did simple, clean H20 become not good enough?

I think this is more people just exploring different ideas as their knowledge and understanding grows. Sometimes it takes experimentation and first-hand experience for people to come to the conclusion that "simple is better". Sometimes people have different motivations with respect to their desired end goals. Some want the cleanest taste all the time, others hate cleaning and only want to do it when absolutely necessary and still others feel like hygiene is the most important factor particularly in our current global environment. Different strokes and all that I'd say.

I personally use only distilled water in my pieces to avoid any potential mineral deposits from tap water and as mentioned, I add CE as well. I don't think this is absolutely necessary, but I find it helps with maintenance quite a bit. I've personally come to the conclusion that the added cost of the distilled water + CE is outweighed by the shorter cleaning cycles and convenience that affords me in my use case. Having to purchase water and CE adds a layer of cost and complication, but I feel the trade off is worth it.

I'm actually hoping there's more of this type of experimentation as more and more places around the world legalize it. I'm anticipating significant efforts in research and experimentation being put forward and I'm hoping this will result in knowledge that I can't see being anything other than a benefit to pretty much any one who uses cannabis in some way.

 

[RustyOldNail]

I think this is more people just exploring different ideas as their knowledge and understanding grows. Sometimes it takes experimentation and first-hand experience for people to come to the conclusion that "simple is better". Sometimes people have different motivations with respect to their desired end goals. Some want the cleanest taste all the time, others hate cleaning and only want to do it when absolutely necessary and still others feel like hygiene is the most important factor particularly in our current global environment. Different strokes and all that I'd say.

I personally use only distilled water in my pieces to avoid any potential mineral deposits from tap water and as mentioned, I add CE as well. I don't think this is absolutely necessary, but I find it helps with maintenance quite a bit. I've personally come to the conclusion that the added cost of the distilled water + CE is outweighed by the shorter cleaning cycles and convenience that affords me in my use case. Having to purchase water and CE adds a layer of cost and complication, but I feel the trade off is worth it.

I'm actually hoping there's more of this type of experimentation as more and more places around the world legalize it. I'm anticipating significant efforts in research and experimentation being put forward and I'm hoping this will result in knowledge that I can't see being anything other than a benefit to pretty much any one who uses cannabis in some way.

Nicely written, and I’m glad you brought up using DISTILLED WATER. I’m still more of a “purist”, in terms of not adding anything to it, but as you say “use case”, I’m fairly OCD, so cleaning my various devices and water rigs is somewhat enjoyable, as being the LAZIEST person, I’ve developed simple and effective ways of doing what most make into a chore, in the least amount of time.

BUT, I’ll stick by my assertion that some... are just LAZY.. OCD or not....
Your lungs will thank you, by lasting longer, hopefully...
ENJOY!

 

[BrianTL]

Nicely written, and I’m glad you brought up using DISTILLED WATER. I’m still more of a “purist”, in terms of not adding anything to it, but as you say “use case”, I’m fairly OCD, so cleaning my various devices and water rigs is somewhat enjoyable, as being the LAZIEST person, I’ve developed simple and effective ways of doing what most make into a chore, in the least amount of time.

BUT, I’ll stick by my assertion that some... are just LAZY.. OCD or not....
Your lungs will thank you, by lasting longer, hopefully...
ENJOY!

I wonder if it would make any difference using true RO/DI water... I have an RO/DI set up from when I was into keeping reef tanks...

 

[crossfader]

I tried a bottle of it last year when I still fired up the bong. I didn't want to lay out the 12 bucks when water is free (or pretty close to it lol) but the counter guy swore by the stuff. It worked very well, it did what he claimed, kept my piece clean even after heavy use. If I were still combusting I'd still be using it....because cleaning a filthy bong SUCKS! ✌

 

[Ramahs]

I've been happy with simple cranberry juice extract added to my water.
Keeps my glass plenty clean.

 

[EZ Wind]

I've been using Piece Water for about 6 months in a Sneaky Pete Predator glass water piece (vape only, no combustion) and I absolutely love it. I bought 3 bottles for $25 and I'm only about 2/3rds of the way through the first bottle. So in 6 months of daily use I've only used about 5 bucks worth of PW. Relative to what I spend on nugs and VAS acquisitions, that's pennies on the dollar. I go about two weeks between changes, sometimes longer. After a hot water rinse, the glass looks like new. I also like the thicker viscosity of PW -- it adds a nice resistance to the draw. I have absolutely zero health concerns about it -- I'll quit alcohol and McDonald's before I worry about what's in my bong water. If PW is still around in another year or two when I run out, I'll definitely fork over another 25 bucks.

 

[Kins]

I also like that it's tasteless and doesn't add any "flavor" to your hits. I've tried "RezBlock" and don't like it because it turns the water red and causes an aftertaste. Plus Rezblock is not thick at all and won't catch small particles like piece water does.

 

[EverythingsHazy]

If you use CE, you only need to use 3-5 drops for most pieces, and any more will add flavor and color without much benefit. Once the glass is coated with a few drops, it should rinse clean the next day, with hot water.

 

[Ramahs]

I like the pink-water!

 

[davesmith]

You guys should check headyhoots on ig. He has some great alternatives for bongwater