Well, That Sucked...

[cheeeseinacan]

i just smoked for the first time with my own hookah...i have only been to hookah bars before...and basically it kinda sucked...i only had it going with nice clouds for like a 2 minute period...and even then the flavor was non-existent...i used three kings coals (or at least that's what i thought they were..i'm suspecting they could be fake? i'm not even sure..they came in the 3 rolls and said three kings on them..but they wouldn't even light all the way and they wouldn't stay lit or anything..i also have no idea what size they are cause it didn't say.) first i used one coal and i couldn't get any smoke so i went to 2 coals..that's when i had it going for a little bit..but then i noticed that my bowl was actually coming off, so i took it off for a second and noticed that the piece of rubber under it had drippings on it from the shisha...so it would not stay on..so we took the piece of rubber off and after we did that we could not get it to smoke good at all..honestly we couldn't get any smoke. i tried everything..i heard to pack the shisha down when using a screen (i was using a screen) so i did that..i thought maybe i wasn't using enough shisha so i put it higher..then it burnt...then i don't think i was using enough..i literally wasted so much cause i didn't know what the hell i was doing. i'm so bummed. i really enjoy smoking and was hoping this would be good..guess i'll get better at it...can anyone tell me what i was doing wrong? i'm sure i was doing a lot wrong..i mean most of the time i could literally get no smoke. i'm afraid i may get sick now too cause i wasn't doing it right and i was inhaling a lot to try to get some smoke.

[malakas]

It'll come with time. Even the best struggled at first!

I have had no success with screens however. Might want to try a good foil?

Don't take off the rubber off. That's to keep everything airtight and removing it will jeopardize a good session.

Coals do have a lot to do with a good smoke, but you shouldn't fret. Try using just one coal. Make sure to expose every portion of it to flame throughly so it lights up. Even just using one, you still need to give it some time for the shisha to get well heated. It isn't uncommon (for me atleast) to spend 5 minutes or so inhaling without smoke to get the shisha going.

btw, what kind of hookah is it? What kind of shisha would help too.

[hookah hippie]

If i were you, I would use foil in order to secure an airtight seal between your grommet, the rubber thing, and your bowl. I am guessing it is a classic mod bowl because they often can't sit upon the hookahs grommet so well wrap the grommet and foil and see if it stays better.

[EternalSoil]

Your coals sound like they might be the problem and you did right to fill the bowl up! I used to use a screen on my bowl like that all the time. i fill that thing up and put 2 coals kinda tilted up on the sides. if it gets too harsh flip the coals onto the dome side so they dont heat up the shisha too much. its ok if some of the shisha is stuck to the screen, it doesnt mean that you're burning it. you will know when you burn it because i will taste nasty, and not just a coal taste. it does take time to learn and perfect your method. also, i believe everyone has different methods that work for them and not for others. just keep at it!
These are 3 Kings coals:

and the bowl i used to use before phunnel:

Hope that helps!

[cheeeseinacan]

my bowl is extremely small i think..could this be the problem? here's what it looks like:

[glz88]

Hey no fear man we all screwed up our first smoke. The first time I tried to put my rotator together i was a mess.


Since you are using a regular clay bowl the shisha is going to drip so I wouldn't worry about that. If you have a regular sized bow i'd opt for 2 small three king coals (33mm). Pack the hookah in a very airy way thin it out with your hands so air can get easily through it.

Check that everything is on tightly and that you have no air leaks. If its a one hose and you have that side hole which you can use to clear the chamber check that it doesn't let any air in from there.

Secure the hoses on nice and tightly so you don't get an air leaks. Another problem that you might have had would be the water. If you put to much water in it doesn't have enough space in the vase to accumulate enough smoke.

That bowl up there its really small so if you smoking alone you should have an okay session but don't expect to go long with 3 or 4 people.

I personally would opt for a 50g funnel bowl with the mod of course.

Happy smoking

[cheeeseinacan]

i tried again tonight...i got big clouds and absolutely no flavor at all but smoke...maybe a little watermelon aftertaste flavor but that's about it...i used foil this time...i have no clue what i did wrong. maybe i'm just not used to the flavor that quicklights give the tobacco but i don't think that was it. the three kings also had trouble lighting again on all sides..when i went to light them on all sides they just wouldn't light..like they were resistant or something...they're the real thing too if i'm going by that picture.

[garykainz]

but then i noticed that my bowl was actually coming off, so i took it off for a second and noticed that the piece of rubber under it had drippings on it from the shisha...so it would not stay on..so we took the piece of rubber off and after we did that we could not get it to smoke good at all..honestly we couldn't get any smoke.

I had the same problem when I first got my hookah (still do actually). I ended up fore-going the grommet and wraping wet paper towel around the end of the stem.

good luck. trial and error man

[Soldmysoul88]

I had the same "no taste" problem when I first got my hookah. This may sound stupid, but when I took the stem off the vase in the middle of a session and dumped some water out, the taste came right up. Now i know where on the genie vase the water level should be and have had no more issues with flavor. I guess I had too much water. I have only about 1/2 inch of water covering the bottom of the stem and the machine functions perfectly.
Soldmysoul88

[Sonthert]

Look at the hole on the bottom of the bowl...is it round? If its not, that going to be a problem forever. Thats why it won't stay tightened down and the only alternative is to use foil, like Hookah Hippie said. I suspect that is what the problem is. The head is cocked and leaking air, so you can get a decent draw. Alternatively, you might want to work on getting the charcoal lit better before using it. Break it into three or four pieces before you light it so that it lights easier and the heat is easier to control.

[cheeeseinacan]

wow...i did everything everyone said...plus i doubled the foil on top of the bowl (i think that really helped)...and wow...i had SUCH a great session! holy crap..i'm so happy and excited...it was amazing haha...my first good session with my hookah..i had huge clouds and i could really taste the tobacco..very cool.

[malakas]

(^____^) glad you got it working! See, that's why this forum is such a badass place! I wouldve had such a hard time getting it right without it!

[anathema]

1000th HOOKAH PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!

CHEEESEINACAN YOU HAVE JUST WON THE MOST AMAZING PRIZE EVER GIVEN IIN THE HISTORY OF THIS FORUM:

THE FAMOUS "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE COUPON" basically what that is or what it isn't, I don't know.

And don't forget to clean your hookah and clear the hose before and after every session or wash the hose if it's washable. And a hookah can be diagnosed with so many different problems. Each problem is always somewhat different.