Getting the perfect hit out of your water pipe is easier than you think, you just need a balanced temperature and percolation for the hit. Depending on what kind of water pipe you have, you'll want to go with on of two strategies. Either way, you'll want to use distilled water. Why? A few reasons. Distilled water is free of minerals, and won't leave deposits against your piece. It's also resistant to becoming cloudy at different temps, and that keeps your piece looking nicer too. If you have a piece with an ice catch. Use less ice, most people put too much, you only need a couple pieces. Fill your Ice catch water pipe up with water until the end of the downstem is submerged an inch. The water should be at room temperature, 65-75°F. When you take a rip, the room temp water will percolate the water as it should but not cool it down by much. That's good because you want your hit to be neutral temp, not cold. Cold air is worse on your lungs than hot air. Once the still warm hot passes over the ice, it will be chilled down to a pleasant neutral temp, and you will only get a rich, flavorful, smooth hit. If you don't have an ice catch or a perc in your pipe, then you should treat yourself to a Chiller.
If you have a perc in your Water Pipe, then you can fill the bottom chamber with cold water, and the top chamber with the minimum amount of warm water. When you take a rip from your pipe, you will get a balanced, flavorful hit that isn't harsh or dry. When the cooled smoke passes back through the warm water, it has humidity added back into it which is easier on your throat. If you don't have a pipe with a perc in it, then check out our store, we have a few to choose from. So rip hard, rip often, and enjoy!