What's Going Wrong--leak?

[Hassouni]

OK, last time I used my nargile, it worked great. Last night, however, something weird happened: While it was getting a lot of smoke, there was a hissing noise (kind of like air rushing) coming from the top of the nargile at each inhale...furthermore, each hit barely bubbled the water.

To make matters more confusing, having removed the bowl and drawing through the hose: plenty of bubbles. Empty bowl, plenty of bubbles. Empty bowl with hand covering it, no draw at all, so to me that means it's airtight. But loaded bowl: problems described above.

I'm loading the bowls no differently than I always do, and last night i even tried again trying to fluff up the tobacco even more, and poked a toothpick through several times to ensure airflow.

What could be happening?

[Voski]

I would say take the bowl off and blow through it from the bottom to make sure everything is ok.

Or you could pick up a small phunnel bowl.

[mushrat]

The hissing just sounds like air beign sucked through the hole sin the fol. You may have just packed the bowl too tight, or it sucked itself down a little tight, thus getting little smoke and bubbles due to the restricted air flow.

We all have bad bowls now and then. Give it another shot and see what happens.

[Stuie]

could be your packing technique.

foil too loose

Bowl not sitting properly on the grommet.

Charcoal gnomes....they are tricky little bastards...show no mercy if you see one.

[mushrat]

charcoal gnomes???

Seriously, all the signs point to a too tightly packed bowl.

[Hassouni]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I tried repacking very loosely, and the same problem occurred. Like I said, I know how to pack a bowl that suits my preferences fairly consistently. Apparently this has happened before, when I was out of town last weekend my roommate had the same problem (which he only told me about after the issues presented themselves last night).

The weird thing is, there is still a lot of smoke being produced, but very little of it seems to be going through the water.

[ryno]

How far is your stem in the water? Maybe you need a little more water

[Hassouni]

How far is your stem in the water? Maybe you need a little more water

About an inch or so, maybe slightly more, same as usual

[ryno]

Well, water seems fine. Do you have any other bowls you can try to pack? Also, have you checked the stem or hose for anything possibly blocking the airflow?

[Stuie]

charcoal gnomes???

Yeah they are the little bastards that knock the charcoal off and make them land on your carpet....stupid gnomes.

Also have been known to:
Crack/break bowls
Loosen foil
Mess up your packing when you go to grab the foil
Drink the water out of your base to screw with your water level
Do stuff to your hoses that cause that "mysterious" ghosting in it
Chip the paint off your base
Shock Tangiers
Steal your grommets
Hide tobacco
Make Grape smell like ketchup
Destroy the glue on your Nammor/Razan
Screw with the Purge Valve
...and I am sure a lot more.


Odds are it's just packing technique....or the damn gnomes!

(Stuie needs sleep)

[Hassouni]

Well, water seems fine. Do you have any other bowls you can try to pack? Also, have you checked the stem or hose for anything possibly blocking the airflow?

Yeah, I tried another bowl, and while slightly better, it still had the same problem.

The stem and hose are fine, when I did a test to see the airflow without the bowl, everything was fine, with lots of bubbles etc.

It's just weird, I could get the fluffy al-Fakher clouds, but it seemed like very little of it was going down the stem

[r1v3th3ad]

maybe time for a new grommet?
what kind are you working with?
...seems like you aren't getting a good seal possibly...experiment with a wet paper towel as a grommet and see if the new found seal helps at all

[Hassouni]

maybe time for a new grommet?
what kind are you working with?
...seems like you aren't getting a good seal possibly...experiment with a wet paper towel as a grommet and see if the new found seal helps at all

I've tried that, it makes little difference. Here's a video that I just took illustrating whats going on. I'm pulling HARD on a razan hose, and to me it seems like it should be bubbling a lot more. I have the valve blocked with my finger. There's also a weird whistling sound.
Video

[antouwan]

check the welds around your ports...that happened to me once, the seal around the check valve wasn't welded very well and the damn thing was pulling in air like crazy and the pipe wouldn't smoke for shit

[Hassouni]

check the welds around your ports...that happened to me once, the seal around the check valve wasn't welded very well and the damn thing was pulling in air like crazy and the pipe wouldn't smoke for shit

Is there a way to check apart from visually? Just looking at it everything looks fine

[inino]

make sure there is a small bb in your purge valve.

[Hassouni]

make sure there is a small bb in your purge valve.

Yup, there is.


The whistling sound is definitely coming from the housing that the shaft, downstem, valve, etc screw into. I have no idea what it could be, but I don't think there's a leak in either the hose port or the air valve: when blocking the hole for the main shaft, there is no air being drawn at all

[Sherwood]

Where are you blocking the hole for the main shaft? if you just pull the bowl off and place your thumb over the shaft at that point, can you draw from the hose?

[Hassouni]

Where are you blocking the hole for the main shaft? if you just pull the bowl off and place your thumb over the shaft at that point, can you draw from the hose?

My nargile is the kind that completely screws apart. I've blocked it every level: by placing my hand over the bowl, by placing my hand over the opening of the main shaft, and by placing it over the opening at the thing the shaft screws into when the shaft is unscrewed. At no point blocking the airflow can I draw....that's why it's so confusing.

[Sherwood]

At no point blocking the airflow can I draw....that's why it's so confusing.

Well, we've ruled out your pipe, then. It's tricky without watching you pack a bowl and smoking it with you (hey now there's an idea ) but my guess is it has something to do with your water level, water temperature, the shisha you're using, your bowl, or how you're packing your bowl.

You seem like a fellow who knows what he's doing, so it's tough to say what your issue could be.

Lots of variables, huh?

[TheShishaDoctor]

Try placing a small bit of wet paper towel around the tip of the stem where you place the bowl. The only thing that I can think of is that your bowl isn't sitting properly and there is a small leak.

When you place your hand over the bowl, the sound stops. Maybe that's because of the pressure your hand provides. If I had to put money on it, I'd point at the stem where the bowl connects.

There's only a few places the air could be coming from.

Another option is to place the pipe on its side in a tub of water (at a slight angle with the top being slightly higher). Then, gently blow into the shisha. You should only be getting bubbles out of the very top. If you see bubbles elsewhere, you've found your leak.

[Hassouni]

At no point blocking the airflow can I draw....that's why it's so confusing.

Well, we've ruled out your pipe, then. It's tricky without watching you pack a bowl and smoking it with you (hey now there's an idea ) but my guess is it has something to do with your water level, water temperature, the shisha you're using, your bowl, or how you're packing your bowl.

You seem like a fellow who knows what he's doing, so it's tough to say what your issue could be.

Lots of variables, huh?

Indeed! What was most puzzling was the fact that I could get normal smoke amounts....but with such little bubbling, as well as the damn whistling!!

For the record level, the water level is about 1-1.5 inches above the bottom of the downstem, the water was not very cold (thats a departure, but I don't see why that would effect how much smoke comes through to bubble up.

I'm using standard al-Fakher strawberry, into an MYA Lebanese bowl that I always use, loosely packed, fluffed up, blown into after foiling, etc.

All the same as I always do

[Hassouni]

Another option is to place the pipe on its side in a tub of water (at a slight angle with the top being slightly higher). Then, gently blow into the shisha. You should only be getting bubbles out of the very top. If you see bubbles elsewhere, you've found your leak.

You mean hose, air valve and all?

[ilikemyusername]

check where the downstem meets heart of the pipe, a crack or loose spot would cause you to get plenty of smoke and not much bubbling, thats all i got.

[Sherwood]

check where the downstem meets heart of the pipe, a crack or loose spot would cause you to get plenty of smoke and not much bubbling, thats all i got.

Yeah, that's a thought. Like when you're drinking through a bendy straw with a hole in one of the bends. Harder draw, more aeration, generally unsatisfactory. You could test for that by taking the entire assembled stem out of the vase, plugging up one end and trying to draw out of the other. If you get any air, there's a leak, break, or bad weld somewhere along your stem.