Bad Seal Between Bowl And Stem/grommet On New Mya

[smokeup]

So, I just recieved my Mya Saray hookah direct from them. It's like the Vortex, only with the older style base with a silngle silver band and no other designs. This is my first Mya and I'm concerned that the ceramic head/bowl is not making an airtight seal with the stem and the supplied grommet.

Basically, the fit between the ceramic head/bowl and the stem
with grommet seems very loose and the grommet
does not seem wide enough to make a proper seal with
the ceramic head.

When I place the bowl down onto the stem/grommet, it starts to stick a bit (forming a seal), but
basically slides over the entire grommet so that the
base of the ceramic head goes all the way down to rest
on the bottom of silver plate -- with the grommet completely within the stem part of the ceramic head. At this point, it feels somewhat loose as the bowl piece sits on the silver base -- like the
grommet is not making an airtight seal with the head.

Is this normal? Have others experienced this with their Myas? Sorry if my description above sucks, but its kinda hard to describe.

[MechAnt]

I haven't experienced this personally (my Mya comes in next Tuesday!) but here's a way to check if its airtight or not.

Assemble your hookah completely but no tobacco and no water needed. Then, place your hand over the bowl and cover it completely as if to close it (which essentially you are) and then suck in with your hose. If you feel the suction on your hand and it is a fair strength relative to your inhaling, then your seals are just fine. Otherwise, tweak your setup a little to see if you can get a more airtight seal SOMEWHERE.

Hope this helps

[smokeup]

Thanks MechAnt. I'll try that when I get home tonight. I just thought it was really wierd that that bowl was able to slide over the entire grommet/stem part -- even when it hit the widest part of the grommet stem. With all my prior egyptians, the head basically was wedged down about half way down the grommet/stem thereby creating the seal.

With my Mya, the head basically starts to wedge a bit on the grommet, but with only slight pressure, slides over the entire grommet so that the bottom stem part of the ceramic head is touching and resting on the plate.

that can't be right, can it???

[MechAnt]

Most chinese made hookahs tend to do that, especially with the so called "modern bowls". Mya bowls, from my experience tend to be a little wide in the area where it is supposed to contact the grommet. No worries though, chinese hookahs almost always have the bowl touch the tray.

[KillZedKill]

We've been smoking MYAs here since i got into hookah, and heres how it goes. The grommets that MYA gives with their products are thin and flimsy and don't tend to seal very well. The bowl grommets are usually the ones that make the most trouble. If your poor, just use like, tin foil and make a new grommet that can be thrown away later, or if you have few bucks, order some nice grommets from whoever. H-S has nice thick grommets.

[smokeup]

We've been smoking MYAs here since i got into hookah, and heres how it goes. The grommets that MYA gives with their products are thin and flimsy and don't tend to seal very well. The bowl grommets are usually the ones that make the most trouble. If your poor, just use like, tin foil and make a new grommet that can be thrown away later, or if you have few bucks, order some nice grommets from whoever. H-S has nice thick grommets.

So I take it then the bowl should NOT be sliding over the grommet and resting on the plate then (as it is with my new Mya). And I need to proactively make some modifications or get a better bowl grommet so that the Mya bowl wedges down on the bwol grommet and does NOT slide over it.

P.S. I'm sowhat annoyed that I have to rig up modifications to a brad new Mya that have been heralded as the best air tight hookahs straight out of the box, etc.

[stryet]

What you can do is take some wet paper towel and wrap it around the grommet until it is thick enough to make a seal. It will ensure it stays airtight with the bowl's heat expansion and whatnot. Easy fix.

[smokeup]

What you can do is take some wet paper towel and wrap it around the grommet until it is thick enough to make a seal. It will ensure it stays airtight with the bowl's heat expansion and whatnot. Easy fix.

Thanks. I'm going to try smoking out of it for the first time tonight and will try that fix if its not working properly.

I know there are alot of other Mya Vortex owners out there -- has anyone experienced this issue with the bowl not snuggly fitting on the bowl grommet?

[KillZedKill]

Many MYA's do have the bowl rest right on the coal tray,. its really not that big of a deal as long as its sealed, if yours wont seal at that point, try putting your grommet in the bowl loosely, then sticking it onto the hookah. (This is what i did before I replaced my grommets. Colored egyptian grommets can add a nice touch to a MYA.