New Hookah, Old Hookah

[Saeden]

I bought a hoookah in New York City for about $75 a few months ago and I realized only recently that there is a foul taste in the smoke. I let it off as I thought the shisha was just bad or something, but after a couple days of this nasty taste increasing I assumed it was rust. I took the hookah apart and checked to see if there was any in obvious areas. I found what looked to be early stages of rusting in many areas where I could imagine condensation would be prominant (I wasn't an avid cleaner, which I regret now). The area with the most "rust" is in the chamber where you attach the hoses.

Heres some photos:








I pretty much dismissed cleaning it, thinking it was too far gone, so I ordered a new one from discoverhookah.com. The hookah came today and for paying $110, its pretty flimsy and not at all what I expected. The stem doesnt quite fit into the base (they are both large sized) and the stem is also very lightweight. When I plug in the hoses, the stem nearly falls over, I don't understand how they expected me to use this. I also specifically ordered the stem to be stainless steel so rust wouldn't be a problem, but for some reason, the entire stem is one piece welded together. So even if I wanted to, I couldnt take it apart for cleaning.

Picture of the new hookah:



I plan on returning the new hookah ASAP, which brings me to why I'm here. I wanted to know of a good way to clean rust if at all possible to. Also, if anyone knows where I can find a quality stainless steel hookah that is able to be taken apart for cleaning and has a little more weight to it.

[jordanneff]

Ive never heard good things about that site or one of its' various sister sites. Good thing you're returning it. Next time go with a more reliable site like socialsmokehookah.com or hookah-shisha.com

[waffle]

That white crud on your first hookah looks more like light corrosion, which may be fixed by CLR a cleaning agent available at most hardware stores and super markets. A little elbow grease and I think it may clean up just fine. Looks to me like mineral deposits. For 75 bones that black hookah looks pretty good....Id say its worth cleaning and keeping. Edited August 24, 2007 by waffle

[Saeden]

That white crud on your first hookah looks more like light corrosion, which may be fixed by CLR a cleaning agent available at most hardware stores and super markets. A little elbow grease and I think it may clean up just fine. Looks to me like mineral deposits. For 75 bones that black hookah looks pretty good....Id say its worth cleaning and keeping.

Theres also patches of redish rust-like areas that i'm not sure if it is corrosion or rust. Also, for some reason the top piece of the hookah (the smallest in all of the pictures) is corroded on the inside and also the point at which the smoke enters from the bowl, why is that?

I also bought cleaning brushes with my new hookah, to keep it in better shape than my old one, would these work well with the CLR to get the corrosion off?

[hookahlife]

Hey Saeden,

I dont know if I would recommend using CLR on the hookah, just doesnt seem safe. Maybe stick to safer cleaning agents like bakeing soda and lemon juice. Stems dont usually come apart for cleaning unless its a big hookah and usually you pay a premium for that kind of feature like on The King hookah on our site or a some of the more expensive Mya hookahs.

With regards to a new hookah. It seems like your prefer modern styling so I would recommend a Mya Saray hookah. They are all made of stainless steel and quality built, just check the reviews on this forum. There are lots of designs, size and hose options. You could always go with a qulity Egyptian style hookah from a reputable dealer online if you find something you like.

Some reputable online dealers to buy Egyptian hookahs from:
www.hookah-life.com
www.hookah-shisha.com
www.hookahcompany.com
www.socialsmoke.com

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Mike
Hookah Life
support@hookah-life.com
www.hookah-life.com
847.403.1213