Bag height

Dif'rent strokes, dif'rent bag heights...

Just setting it on your hip when on your side will allow a lloonngg, ssllooww enema, and you can give it a squeeze whenever you want a quick (or longer) pulse...

Usually about 1.5 - 2 feet. but after a couple, I sometimes rinse with the bag quite high overhead. after a certain point, the flow rate does not increase, but the pressure does. It still takes a couple of minutes for a 2 quart can to empty even 6 or 7 feet up.

Depends on what mood I am in. If I am in the tub, and have the water to support me, I like to hold at arms length and let the water flow in slowly. If I am on hands and knees, I like to hang it high and let it pound inside me.

Have also done a few on my back with the bag WAY up high, those are nice also, very different feeling.

Between 18"-24" for safety and comfort. Anything much higher and you stand the risk of too much pressure. Anything lower and you might have too little pressure and backflow.

I use enema bag only 40 centimeters over my anus. In this case the water flow slowly, so I can take big volume - 4 liters.

40cm seems a bit low for a 4 liter enema... I usually hang it it around 80 to 100 cm high to ensure the water isn't flowing back into the bag in case of some cramping.

I like my bags high. I use two, 2 qt open top fountain syringes, or one of those large sun shower bags that hold either 4 gallons or 6 gallons. That way you don't have to keep refilling your fountain syringes. I do like the fountain syringes because that way I can pause between each 2 quarts. I take 2 quarts, then open the other one, refill the one that was just emptied. 24 to 40 inches or more above my stomach. If they are too low, I get back flow and that is not good. That way I get enough pressure so that I don't get a back flow. I have a clamp that I can adjust the flow so I can make it fast, slower, or very slow. I like the water to flow in fairly constant, that way I can feel it as it moves inside of me. I also like water that is very, very warm, almost hot inside me. It helps stimulate me and it feels very good. I check the temp with a thermometer just to make sure it is not too hot.

I like it to flow reasonably fast so I actually feel thr water on my insides particularly if it is soapy-then I remember the enema for a long time becasue it is so uncomfortable fom the cramping it causes and it gives a really good cleaning out

While I've tried all positions, I generally prefer laying on the bed, on my back, with the bag suspended from the top hook on a coat rack. With the height of the bed about 20 inches, the bottom of the 2 quart bag is about 40 inches from my asshole. This seems to work pretty well, no cramps at all, and I get a fill in just a few minutes.

The other day, I read that the medically suggested level is 12-18 inches above the butt. That would suggest a low flow rate, and very little pressure.

Hi Magellan:

It doesn't really matter how high the enema bag is above your anus. What matters is how quickly the water flows into your body. You don't want to rush things when taking an enema deep into your body. Hang the enama bag about a metre above your body and use a thin tube so that the water will flow in very slowly.

Depending upon how much water you are taking, it should take about 10 - 15 minutes to "fill you up". If you try to take the enema in too quickly, you probably will have cramping and you will not be able to hold it for very long.

It DOES make a difference how high the bag is above your body. If it is higher, there will be greater pressure than if it is low. If the bag is low and you have a very wide hose, the water CAN flow fast, but since it is under low pressure, it won't flow deeper than the colon will safely allow. If the bag is high, you could slowly take water under high pressure than could harm you if you kept the water flowing.

Since this thread is not addressing specifics of flow rate and pressure, let's just say that if you have a normal colon, hanging the bag up to four or five feet will be safe for just about anybody.

I agree that hanging the bag too high could be a problem, but again, a Walmart standard bag and hose will drain in about 5 minutes, with absolutely no cramps. That's when the bag is as high as the hose allows. My curiosity is whether a 15-20 minute flow would be more pleasurable?

As I read this, I get the feeling that the best way to find out is give it a try at 12-18 inches. But I am curious as to how high all of you hang the bag.

I like to hang it as high as possible and control the pressure with the shut-off valve, about 2 or 3 clicks.

Keep in mind medical enemas are likely to be prescribed due to constipation etc. and low pressure/more time helps to soften and move the contents of the bowel. Now I personally like the bag hung as high as I can and still be comfortable. But the first enema of a series I have to take slowly for me to be comfortable. Each succeeding enema I seem to be able to hang the bag higher. Sometimes I have been able to hang the bag on the shower rod and kneel over the side of the tub for a real gusher!

So I think the answer is moderation in the first enema to "clear the road" and then increase bag height as you take more in a series. Also if it gets really uncomfortable...reduce the pressure.

I agree with Marvin, just be sure that you can turn it off if you get to much going so you don't perforate the colon

Decide which position you are going to use first. You are higher in knee-chest than in Simms. Then place the bag about 26-30 inches above where your rectum will be when you are in position.

The height really does matter. In a non flowing hydraulic system, the pressure is independent of the diameter of the tubing. The pressure at the lowest point of a 1/4 inch tube will be the same as a 1 inch tube. When flow starts, there will be a pressure drop that is dependent on the friction of the tube (pipe), and therefore a large tube will have a greater pressure at the bottom than a small tube. But when the receiver becomes full and the flow slows down, then the pressure will rise to the maximum based upon the height of the bag. If the colon becomes full and you allow the flow to continue, then there is the chance of a burst colon if the bag is too high.

Yesterday I tried out a lower level, maybe 12 inches between the bottom of the bag and the nozzle. It seemed to take forever! To start with, I used half a 2 quart bag for a cleanout, to make some room. Then with the bag at 12 inches, took the other quart, and this took about 4-5 minutes. I was using a small enema nozzle, just barely inserted, and controlling the flow by squeezing and relaxing. At the low height this was not as much fun as a faster flow.

Then I hooked up the 2nd bag, same 12 inch height, and my regular douche nozzle. This 2nd bag took 12 minutes to drain into me. I could see nothing to recommend this very slow flow, except that there was no cramping with a total of 3 quarts of warm water. I think for me, I prefer a faster flow for a greater sensation of filling, but this may just be a personal preference.

Your results may vary.....

Flow rate is a personal thing--each person finds his/her preference through experience. A slow rate does no harm while a rate that is too fast will cause cramping or pain. I suggest that you install a flowmeter on your downtube as a way of monitoring your flow rate.

24" above the hips.... Always a red-rubber, open-top enema with a red rubber hose, chrome clamp, and black nozzle smeared with globs of vaseline. 3+ quarts of very soapy warm water with some baking soda and salt to ease the cramps- it still makes me have to pant....

Hello, 1 1/2 to 2 feet works quite well. Maybe higher if your wanting it quicker or desire cramps. Sir Gerald

I like the flow to be very slow so that I can avoid hydraulic shock to the system: with a little practice, I can "turn off" or greatly reduce peristalsis in order to do large-volume. To make that work, the bag(s) have to be hung high and clamp stopped-down do that the pressure is low. Of course, the plastic-teeth clamps (stopcocks) are very unreliable and for self-administered high colonics, it's quire unpleasant to have the teeth suddenslip on the clamp and wind up with my eyes bulging out while I'm trying to sit up in the bathtub and find that stupid clamp -- and sitting up quickly isn't conducive to making the most out of a now-interrupted HHH/SS colonic.

For the person who made the comment about preventing water reflux into the tubing and bag, there are a number of companies that make anti-reflux valves for fitting into 5/16" ID tubing, though they have to be occasionally soaked in warm vinegar solution to the prevent build-up of dissolved soap (such as Ivory) in the valve itself.

The set-screw type need to be larger so that there is a bit finer-control of water flow, but I've found that they usually have very poor quality and workmanship that they quickly break.

Someone mentioned having wide tubing (something larger than the 5/16" ID tubing common to most kits today. Does anyone know of a source for wider tubing short of Acme Plumbing and Large-Diameter Enema Supplies? That would be great kit to have -- great volume, low pressure.

^^^^ To have very good control over the flow rate, I use two plastic clamps. One is to set the flow rate (you can count the number of clicks it makes from full open to full closed) and another that is used purely for ON and OFF. That way once I set the rate, I can use the other clamp to turn it off momentarily if I want without changing the flow rate.

East Coaster said:

I find 3 ft. to be ideal. There has to be SOME pressure involved - after all, it's an enema, not a walk in the park. 18 inches is not high enough to administer a proper enema. Of course, my childhood enemas all had the bag hanging from the shower curtain rod, which was too high!

Yes, my lover says that shower curtain rod is the height we all got our childhood enemas at, so I have to relax and learn to take it. It's easier after the first three or four clean out enemas, which he sometimes puts lower even thoug he thinks it's wrong.

It's also easier for me to take if the nozzle is large and long because he can push it in and hold it firmly so I can relax completely. I love the feeling of his arm gripping me tight while he holds the nozzle. First he fills my rectum, clamps the flow, and starts working the large dildo nozzle deeper. I can feel it slide slowly past that first internal sphincter, and to the left. At that point, no clenching in the world could stop the flow, and I get to submit all over again.

My apparatus has a flow control valve set at 8 fl.oz./minute. Any height up to the maximum tubing length of seven feet is safe and comfortable so long as the total quantity of fluid injected into my rectum is within normal limits, say 500 to 1500 ml.

If you want to have a slow flow and therefore a low hung bag, you will find a one way valve is great for preventing backflow. I have a good long tube with a bulb included, a flow meter and as stated, a one way flow valve. With this setup, I reckon I can cope with any eventuality!

I go about one foot above my butt. I find that anything faster than that and I start to cramp up. I use an old fashioned bag with no other means of controlling rate. I find that a slower rate reduces the chances of "injecting" air into the colon, which really causes cramps. An enema is not something to rush. If you can't hold it in, it doesn't work! If properly done (slow flow and ~100 degrees F), I can hold a soapy solution in for half an hour (an hour for tap water) and I get great relief from constipation.

I think this topic comes under the heading of "What you need, vs. What you want." As others have pointed out, for a common enema for say, constipation, no more than 18 inches is ever medically recommended, or NEEDED. Walt

I know that when receiving a barium enema, the bag is typically 18 to 24 inches above the nozzle. It does have a large tube, and when the clamp is opened, it does flow in 'fast'! (Can't keep the doctors waiting...)

Of course before such a procedure, one is given clean out instructions, so basically your intestines should already be empty, with no resistance of the solution going in easily.

Definitely. When I had my barium enema, it was probably positioned 2 or 3 feet above my anus. The nozzle was also larger bore than what I was used to. The coldness of the stuff rushing in sent chills down my spine -- they had to stop the flow in the middle to allow the intestinal spasms to subside. I was glad that they had the balloon nozzle inflated!