A String Of Bad Luck =(

[Apoc Genesis]

Let me just say before hand that i REALLY miss the chat =(

OK so my new hookah is a big hit, and its my new baby. Unfortunatly, I've had some problems with coals that somehow keep ending up on the floor and burning our carpet. We now have like 6 or 7 coal sized holes in the carpet, and my roomates are freaking out because while they all smoke nobody wants to get fined for having a fire hazard in the dorm (as do I)

I think the problem is the shape of my phunnel, because I have to reach up and around to place a coal thats been in the coal tray which puts it over the carpet. Also my problem has been with coals breaking over the carpet while they are in the tongs (and i am pretty sure I am not squeezing too hard)

Theyr suggesting that we get a new hose thats longer, and IM willing to try it but thats not going to solve the coal problem. We're gonna be able to repair the holes but my roomates are getting kinda mad, which is unfortunate.

Anybody have advice?

[Apets22]

That sucks, say good bye to your security deposit. Lay a towel down, or a rug, under the hookah to prevent any more burns.

[steeeeeeve]

i went to a carpet shop and asked for an offcut.... works as a rug perfectly

[staygone]

Seems like you have to be more careful really. There should be no troubles concerning the coal if you are more careful.

Step it UP.

Yeah, off-cut carpet works wonders for the unfortunate circumstances that slip by.

-QM Edited September 21, 2008 by QuiltedMaple

[r1v3th3ad]

1. carpet repair I've done it by shaving the burned area and fluffing for the long threaded rugs. For the tight "office" style rug, you have to spend hours picking at the burns with a sewing needle, wire brush might make the initial loosening easier and save ya some time. You also have to clean the crap out of it. The only thing that is really affective is a carpet cleaning vacuum(...the water ones). You may have to do some dye-ing after that. I had a blend carpet with blues and grays, so I used toothpaste and mixed a few dif batches of it with blue ink and black ink from some pens I had laying around. Worked like a charm, no one noticed.

And for the future, get a cheap throw rug, can save some trouble.

As for the coals, I mainly had the explosion problem with golden coals and 3kings. No troubles with swiftlights to day...been through about three boxes now.


good luck

[bjelder]

Sucks to hear man. I'm guessing you have quicklights? Those are the biggest contributors to carpet burns IMO.

Why are you taking the coals from the tray onto your phunnel? Once you light them (preferably outside), sit them somewhere else for a while to let them cool (coal holder or something), then go straight from there onto the bowl.

When you need to ash them, I guess just be more careful... you dont really need to drop them down onto the tray for any reason...

[ryno]

Use something other than the tongs to transport the coals. I use a metal lid off of some random tin that had peanuts or something in and it works fine. Either that or get one of the charcoal carriers from some of the sites online.

[Apoc Genesis]

I'm definitly going to have to look into the carpet repair =)

Unfortunatly I have to use quicklights because we have no stove in our room, and the kitchen is 6 floors down so it makes natural coals impractical. Next year we'll be getting a kitchen so hopefully ll be able to use much better coals. I also think i'm gonna have to change the way I ash my coals.

For now I've packed my hookah up for the next few weeks until inspections come around, and any smoking will be done outside. Its gonna be freezing cold but i dont plan on having any more burns in my room.

My carpet is mainly blue, so a mixture of toothpaste and blue ink will get the decoloration out?

[r1v3th3ad]

do those methods of repair and cleaning first. Then work with the toothpaste and ink, but be careful, my recoloring was a little darker than it should have been, they didnt notice...woulda been a lot darker too, good thing after it dries, a lil scrubbing will lighten it.
So mix it so the color appears lighter than the carpet, I would recommend(if possible) experimenting...can you snip some "threads" at all of the carpet?

[Jacob]

I just use a blanket I got from Mexico every time I use it in the house. It covers a pretty big area of my carpet and works as a buffer so I have time to pick up the coal or put it out before it hits the carpet.

It also catches all the ash when i accidentally blow it off the top of the bowl.

[Canon]

use a coal carrier, and use that to light the coals on. you can also buy a bigger tray and put it on your hookah (depends on the type of hookah you have though)

also keep your hookah on the floor, it will help

[Stuie]

use a coal carrier, and use that to light the coals on.

+1

I even ash my coals in the carrier now, instead of manuevering from the coal tray to the top of the bowl, because that's when I usually drop them.

Don't hold the coals too tightly. If you squeeze the tongs to tight, they my crack and fall or pop out and fall. Done both.

[EternalSoil]

you could also do what someone else said about the repair...

cut the burned pieces out and pluck a few pieces of the carpet from other places and superglue them in.

[Apoc Genesis]

i think im going to do that for the bigger pieces, but for the small ones just coloring in the black should work fine i think