All You Need to Know About Downsteam!

The long tubular piece of glass that links your bowl piece to your bong's main water chamber is known as a downstem. The best downsteam facilitates suction pressure necessary to drag smoke from your bowl piece down into the water chamber as you inhale by creating an airtight seal between the glass parts. Your smoke would just ascend through your component without going through the water if you didn't use it.

These glass parts are either detachable or permanently attached to the item. Fixed downstems connect to your percolator and are incorporated right into your component. While it's one less thing to worry about, you won't be able to replace them as simply as you can with separate downstems if they break. You'll need to know two things when purchasing a downstem, i.e., joint size and length. When it comes to selling, headshops employ these two standard measures. Downstems are available in the same sizes as joint sizes: 14mm, 18mm, and the less popular 10mm for tiny rigs. 

Apart from the regular downstem, there are a variety of downstems. Some downstems, known as diffused downstems, can help break up your smoke in the same way as percs on bongs may. Some have little slits, similar to tree perc, while others have holes, similar to honeycomb perc. They all serve the same goal in terms of assisting your smoke's movement.

Cleaning your best downsteam is similar to cleaning your other glass pipes: soak detachable downstems in a rubbing alcohol and salt solution. Remove the downstem after soaking it for at least a few hours. If your downstem is exceptionally filthy, perform two soaks to thoroughly clean it. Fixed downstems are more difficult to clean, but not impossible: of course, it helps if you can pour water through your bong after each smoke session since regular maintenance is the best way to keep your bong looking new. Every week or so, use cotton swabs to go inside the downstem and remove any bits of resin or ash that may be trapped inside. You may also fill your bong with a combination of isopropyl alcohol and salt and let it rest for a few hours. Seal the joint and mouthpiece of the best downsteam with your fingers once the internal glass has soaked, and give it a few strong shakes.