[header] How to make water rise [title] Fill a pan with water. [step] The pan should be 1-2 inches (2.5-5.1 cm) deep at least. You need a pan that can hold enough water so that it isn't all sucked up into the glass. 
If all of the water gets sucked up into the glass, then air will be able to get in. Since the water is heavier than the air, it will fall back out of the glass because of gravity.