Remove the glass bowl, the downstem, the main body, and the mouthpiece. Use warm water and dish soap (like Dawn) to thoroughly clean everything twice, then let it air dry. Important caution: Global – Hookah avoid using coarse salt and isopropyl alcohol (ISO) to clean it! After submerging an Eyce silicone rig in 99% alcohol for the entire nite, the silicone was white, sticky, and beginning to break down the following day. Warm water and soap are your closest allies in this situation, as usual.
The rig is made of silicone, but the bowl and downstem must be made of glass since silicone melts and releases dangerous chemicals when it comes into contact with an open flame. Remember that hard-won lesson when you want to reassemble it: A dry glass downstem should never be jammed into a tight silicone aperture. It has been reported that the force can shatter glass tubes in the user’s hand, necessitating stitches. The proper method is very simple: simply lubricate the silicone aperture with a drop of water or even a tiny bit of spit, and the glass tube will glide in smoothly.
Since silicone is opaque, adding water is the most challenging aspect of using a silicone setup. You run the danger of consuming half a cup of contaminated bong water with a strong pull if you pour blindly based on your experience with glass bongs because you cannot see the water level inside.
Put your phone’s flashlight on maximum brightness and press it firmly on the side or back of the rig to get a clear picture of the water level. The majority of food-grade silicone—especially bright or light-colored silicone—is somewhat translucent, and when intense light shines through it, the shadow of the water level within is clearly visible, much like an X-ray. Your user experience will be drastically altered by this small action. The bowl and downstem must be removed in order to add water. Water can be added through the downstem hole or straight into the main opening. The percolator apertures at the bottom of the downstem can be covered by around 0.5 to 1 inch (1 to 2 cm) with a proper baseline water level.
Don’t start lighting and testing as soon as you have a sense of the water level. To prevent catastrophe, you must perform a “dry test” (inhale without illumination). Someone I knew went camping with a silicone bong and overfilled it with water since they couldn’t see inside the tent. The first shot was a mouthful of resin-steeped, ice-cold bong water that tasted like “aged pickled mustard greens.” It went straight down their throat and nearly caused them to throw up their meal in front of their friends. The dry test became an unbreakable “golden rule” for survival as a result of that harsh experience.
For the dry test, put the bowl and downstem together (don’t add any herb yet) and inhale sharply and forcefully without lighting anything. You can use normal force or even a little more. You can accurately determine and adjust the water level by using the tactile sensation and sound:
There will be a whooshing sound if there is too much water. You will get an uncomfortable sting in your throat as a result of improper smoke filtration.