Shisha Not Working!! Help!!

[Intrikit]

Posted before and replies were great but my shisha is still not working properly, and ive done everything right!
Put flavor in properly by breaking it up, shisha pipe 1inc in the water but i still cant taste anything and theres next to no smoke coming out.
This is the second shisha ive bought and the first one had the same problem, im not sure what im doing wrong. Its a brand new shisha so im not sure if that plays a part in why its not working properly.
If anyone can help please reply soon. Thankyou
/Arazi

[the hookah hitman]

Make sure it has a ball bearing in the valve.  Im sure it doesn't.  If this is the case, take a piece of tinfoil and wad it up into a ball bearing shape and plug the hole inside the valve.

[Intrikit]

Ball bearing is in place. Everything is in place properly, so not sure what else it might be.
/Arazi

[cambo]

any leaks?
 
how many coals you using? what kind of coals? are you lighting the coals at all?

[Intrikit]

Using the quick lighting coal disks, and using two of them. Ive tried to take away the tin foil and placing the coal on the flavouring, a little smole comes out but it tastes like coal lol.
/Arazi

[yashman19]

Just to check for air-tightness, with the bowl not on teh hookah, use
your hand and cover the top of the stem where the bowl would sit so
that no air can get in. Then try pulling through the hose, you
shouldn't be able to pull anything through. If you still can even when
covering the top, you know theres a leak somewhere.

If your hookah is still airtight, then I'm not sure. Check for this for the time being.

[Intrikit]

Just tried that, and didnt get any air through the pipe, but i did hear a noise, like air inside the shisha but didnt get any air when i covered the top and pulled.
/Arazi

[the hookah hitman]

are you using grommets on the hose, bowl, and base?

[Lakemonster]

How long do you wait after you put the coals on to start smoking?
 

[mushrat]

Another possessed hookah. Call an exorsist. No really...
Ok..now on to the stupid ideas...how many holes are in your bowl and do they all go all the way through? what kind of coals are you using? How many of them?
Are you inhaling? This is actually a serious question. If you are just mouth puffing like a pipe or cigar, you may not be getting enough air flow through the coals and Ma'asell to generate heat and smoke. Once the coals have been on for a few minutes, start doing some deep long puffing. keep it up for several minutes (without hyperventillating) and see if you get a little more smoke.
 

[Steviethepope]

From having been through this before when I got my first hookah I am going to place my bet that you are not putting enough holes in the foil / you are not getting the coals hot enough. You gotta blow on the flippin thing until it is red flippin hot and then blow on it some more. Then, put it on the foil and let it sit for several minutes. If you try to pull right away it will burn the shisha quick. Start slow you wont get very much but as it heats you will get more thicker smoke. That is what my problem was when I got my hookah. I was getting nothing cause the coals were not getting hot enough. So I bought a butane torch and that solved the problem of getting no smoke. The shisha burned though cause it was to hot so now I just fire it up on the stove.

[Intrikit]

Lol problem kinds solved lol, wasent inhaling, just left the pipe in my mouth and hoped for the smoke to come out = P. Lol, joking, was the fact i didnt get coals hot enough and the fact that i didnt leave them on the foil for a new mins. Smoke is good now. Only problem is that i cant taste much flavor, lol any sugestions?
Thx all for great replies.
 
/Arazi

[Aggroman]

I've been having the same issue with flavour myself.  My main problems were a combination of these:

a) making sure you're not burning the shisha.  I had a hard time
listening to people who told me not to pack the shisha in the bowl and
to leave a tiny space below the tin foil.  I listen now and get
better results.

making sure the right amount and size of holes.  I've found
that a safety pin is perfect and I make tiny little to mm slits instead
of holes.  Also, with a longer pin try sticking your first five
holes right through to the holes in the clay head.  Kind of hard
to hit them all but it comes with practice after a while.

c) does your ma'assel suck?

d) maybe your clay head is a piece of crap.  I can tell you that I
notice a massive difference between my tiny-diameter, shallow head and
my wide-diameter, deep one.  They're cheap to buy, so get a few
different ones and experiment.

Hope some of this helps.  I know it's frustrating (I've been there, and I'm still learning all the time), but it'll come.

Cheers.

[Intrikit]

[quote name='Aggroman']I've been having the same issue with flavour myself.  My main problems were a combination of these:a) making sure you're not burning the shisha.  I had a hard time listening to people who told me not to pack the shisha in the bowl and to leave a tiny space below the tin foil.  I listen now and get better results. making sure the right amount and size of holes.  I've found that a safety pin is perfect and I make tiny little to mm slits instead of holes.  Also, with a longer pin try sticking your first five holes right through to the holes in the clay head.  Kind of hard to hit them all but it comes with practice after a while. c) does your ma'assel suck?d) maybe your clay head is a piece of crap.  I can tell you that I notice a massive difference between my tiny-diameter, shallow head and my wide-diameter, deep one.  They're cheap to buy, so get a few different ones and experiment.Hope some of this helps.  I know it's frustrating (I've been there, and I'm still learning all the time), but it'll come.Cheers.[/quote]
Thx alot, will give some of these a go, might also buy a bigger bowl.
/Arazi