rust in hookah?

[Monil]

Hi,

As of yesterday I've been getting some really nasty taste from my
hookah and from looking into the stem i think I can see rust? but i'm
not sure.

Can anyone offer me any advice as to how to tell if its rust for sure
and if theres anything I can do to get rid of it and stop it from
developing?

[mushrat]

Hmm...we'd have to see it to tell what it is. Got a camera handy?
As far as keep ing corrosion down in general. I'd say don't leave water in the vase after you are done smoking. Clean your hookah after every use with the usual brushes, dry it when you are done....
 

[yashman19]

Also, what type of hose are you using? A lot of the hoses that arn't
washable will have a spring type lining all down the hose, and when
water gets in the hose it tends to collect a lot of nasties and rust.
When this happened to me, I got a sort of metallic type taste in my
mouth, but getting a new washable hose fixed the problem, so check your
hose as well.

[Aggroman]

Ditto, Yashamn.  I did the very same thing with my first shisha
and went and washed a hose I later learned had metal coils
inside.  I started getting little pieces of rust in my mouth which
was really disturbing and gross and stopped smoking until I had a
discussion with my local vendor who put me to rights.

You're sure the rust is coming from the stem and not the hose?  If
you wash a regular coil hose even once, odds are you'll have rust in
there.