Hookah Troubles

[paintrain]

Hey Im just now getting into the hookah world, and my hookah is acting weird. The smoke is not going through the stem but simply going through the body of the hookah and missing the stem and water completely. What should I do?

[inino]

check if there is a ball in the purge valve. check for leaks. make sure water lvl is high enough.

[Zinite]

Pictures of what you mean by going through the body would help.

[paintrain]

check if there is a ball in the purge valve. check for leaks. make sure water lvl is high enough.

i can see all the way through the the body of the hookah
by body i mean all of this[attachment=2648:Photo_1.jpg]

p.s. water level is fine

Edited December 11, 2008 by paintrain

[SuburbanSmoker]

So by body you mean stem. It has a leak probably due to hastey welding and assembly. if this is the case there are a few things you can do. 1. seal the laks with electrical tape or some kind of sealent. or 2. if you just got the hookah take it/send it back to where ever it came from and get a new one that doesnt have leaks.

however after looking at this picture, is it possible you dont have a hose port sealed?

[paintrain]

So by body you mean stem. It has a leak probably due to hastey welding and assembly. if this is the case there are a few things you can do. 1. seal the laks with electrical tape or some kind of sealent. or 2. if you just got the hookah take it/send it back to where ever it came from and get a new one that doesnt have leaks.

however after looking at this picture, is it possible you dont have a hose port sealed?

sorry for my misinformation, as i said i am very new to this. my problem with return is that it is my friends hookah that i know own, and he purchased it in California 2 years ago, so lacking a receipt and return possibility my chances are slim. if i took it to a local hookah bar or smoke shop do you think they could help me out?

[SuburbanSmoker]

Theres a chance but some guys are just in it for the money. youd be better off just searching the DIY section of the forum to find some quick fixes so you can still use it first. If that doesnt work i would consult someone locally to help you with the problem.

just my .02

[paintrain]

Theres a chance but some guys are just in it for the money. youd be better off just searching the DIY section of the forum to find some quick fixes so you can still use it first. If that doesnt work i would consult someone locally to help you with the problem.

just my .02

thanks a bunch

[inino]

unscrew the hose ports and make sure there is a small bearing in one of them.

[paintrain]

unscrew the hose ports and make sure there is a small bearing in one of them.

hose ports? im not very good with part names as mentioned above

[inino]

the thing that is 1 inch under your pointing finger. where the hose goes. it should unscrew. both of them should unscrew. if they do then there should be a small bearing in one of them. if there isnt a bearing in one of them then you need to to plug one side when you are smoking.

[paintrain]

ok, how can i check for leaks?

[inino]

take your bowl off plug the top hole and suck.

[antouwan]

check for leaks. EVERYWHERE.

for the stem, put your thumb over the part that goes into the base, suck/blow where the head/bowl goes. if you can breathe with relative ease, look for leaks and i guess you can seal them up with tape or maybe an epoxy, but this is a pretty big problem and should probably start looking for a new pipe.

to make sure the stem + base combo is alright, put the stem on the base and then cover the top of the stem with your palm or finger (try sucking through all of the hose ports, so block the unused ones, and try to suck through one at a time). check around where the stem meets the base to make sure the grommet seals correctly. if the grommet doesn't seal right, get some tape or cloth and you can wrap it around the stem until it's the right size. if there are other leaks, check the welds around the hose ports. check for ballbearings in the hose ports (it should have them).

check the hose/s, block the end of the hose that goes into the hookah with your thumb, and then blow or suck. if there's a leak, find some tape and seal it up as best you can until you can get another hose.

make sure there are grommets on everything, and that the grommets fit (le duh). that's pretty much it, post some more if there are more problems...or if you need help fixing...