Metal Ball Bearing Stuck In The Purge Valve

[antouwan]

i got a hookah for a friend of mine a while ago. we smoked it once or twice but he didn't take it then. i told him to come pick it up whenever he got a chance but he never stopped by. i cleaned it after the uses but never used it. it's just been sitting in the closet untouched for the past few months. i decided that since he wasn't going to come get it and has had MONTHS to do so just fuck it, i'll use it, or give it ti my cousin who needs a new pipe. ANYWAY, i got the pipe out to clean and then smoke, but the damn ball bearing won't come out. i've tried wd-40 (a buddy of mine told me that it gets rid of rust), pulling it out with pliars, hacking at it with a machete etc. anyone have any methods that actually work so i can use this thing completely including the purge!

thanks

[mushrat]

i got a hookah for a friend of mine a while ago. we smoked it once or twice but he didn't take it then. i told him to come pick it up whenever he got a chance but he never stopped by. i cleaned it after the uses but never used it. it's just been sitting in the closet untouched for the past few months. i decided that since he wasn't going to come get it and has had MONTHS to do so just fuck it, i'll use it, or give it ti my cousin who needs a new pipe. ANYWAY, i got the pipe out to clean and then smoke, but the damn ball bearing won't come out. i've tried wd-40 (a buddy of mine told me that it gets rid of rust), pulling it out with pliars, hacking at it with a machete etc. anyone have any methods that actually work so i can use this thing completely including the purge!

thanks

Use something to heat the area around the ball. The metal will expand before the ball does. Then take a flat head screw driver and tap t out gently with a hammer. works every time.

[ilikemyusername]

thats what i was going to say!

[mohinder]

Heat it up and belt it with something! You got anything you could push up from underneath it? a hole poker stick or something sturdy enough that'll bend up through the purge port?

[Sonthert]

And...I'm still learning things...thanks Mushy, good tip.

[delSol_si]

i got a hookah for a friend of mine a while ago. we smoked it once or twice but he didn't take it then. i told him to come pick it up whenever he got a chance but he never stopped by. i cleaned it after the uses but never used it. it's just been sitting in the closet untouched for the past few months. i decided that since he wasn't going to come get it and has had MONTHS to do so just fuck it, i'll use it, or give it ti my cousin who needs a new pipe. ANYWAY, i got the pipe out to clean and then smoke, but the damn ball bearing won't come out. i've tried wd-40 (a buddy of mine told me that it gets rid of rust), pulling it out with pliars, hacking at it with a machete etc. anyone have any methods that actually work so i can use this thing completely including the purge!

thanks

Use something to heat the area around the ball. The metal will expand before the ball does. Then take a flat head screw driver and tap t out gently with a hammer. works every time.

+1 I was rebuilding the engine on my old car with my dad and couldn't get the dampener pulley off. We applied heat to the pulley and it came off. Same concept.

[antouwan]

Heat it up and belt it with something! You got anything you could push up from underneath it? a hole poker stick or something sturdy enough that'll bend up through the purge port?

i was thinking about heating it up...

i was thinking a wire coat hanger?

[mushrat]

wont need soemthing to push it up with. Just heat the part its stuck in and tap it as i described. If that doesn't work, THEN worry about pushing it from behind.

[lowspeedchase]

If this happens a lot you can use vegetable/olive oil on the bearing to keep it from sticking (Once you un-stuck it ;-) )

[antouwan]

If this happens a lot you can use vegetable/olive oil on the bearing to keep it from sticking (Once you un-stuck it ;-) )

i'll just replace that shit with a plastic bb

[EternalSoil]

And...I'm still learning things...thanks Mushy, good tip.

Lol, I think i have heard you say that before; on the same subject no less.

i'll just replace that shit with a plastic bb

Good idea. Airsoft pellets ftw!

[delSol_si]

i'll just replace that shit with a plastic bb

Good idea. Airsoft pellets ftw!

Not so much. I used to use plastic bb's until I found out that the seam on them was letting it leak. I'm pretty sure there have been a couple major discussions about this before.

[antouwan]

i'll just replace that shit with a plastic bb

Good idea. Airsoft pellets ftw!

Not so much. I used to use plastic bb's until I found out that the seam on them was letting it leak. I'm pretty sure there have been a couple major discussions about this before.

yeah i mean they do let in SOME air. but it's negligible. equating the tiny amount of air leakage from air pellets to a major leak, dangerous enough to ruin your session is about as ridiculous as vegetarian hamburgers.

[delSol_si]

I have found the difference to be substantial from my personal experience. Each to their own I suppose.

[Toxik916]

Good tip Mushrat I did that to my Nou Nou last night and it worked like a charm.

[mushrat]

Good tip Mushrat I did that to my Nou Nou last night and it worked like a charm.

Cool, glad it helped. How'd it go for you delsol?

[Charley]

i'll just replace that shit with a plastic bb

Good idea. Airsoft pellets ftw!

Not so much. I used to use plastic bb's until I found out that the seam on them was letting it leak. I'm pretty sure there have been a couple major discussions about this before.

if your BBs have seams on them then there the cheap kind.

if you know someone that has a few of the good kind just ask for a few you will see the difference.

[antouwan]

THANKS MUSHY

finally got around to this today and worked like a charm. HOWEVER, be being the brilliant man that i am, decided that this would be a gerat idea to do over the rug...fail whale. the burning hot ball bearing burned straight through the rug and successfully embedded itself in the carpet fibers. facePALM. at least the rug is dark and the wound not easily spotted.

delsol, sorry about my earlier post, after reading it a second time that came off rather harsh, which was not the intent. and my bbs don't have seams; on 3 of the 4 pipes i use the bbs on there is NO air leakage, on one of them it's because the purge thing isn't completely round/flat and the air that comes in is, as previously stated, negligable. if you want to pm me your address i'll mail you a few of them (if you're sick of those metal ones jamming your purge up).

[delSol_si]

Good tip Mushrat I did that to my Nou Nou last night and it worked like a charm.

Cool, glad it helped. How'd it go for you delsol?

I wasn't actually one of the guys with a stuck bearing...thanks for the concern though mushy!

[delSol_si]

delsol, sorry about my earlier post, after reading it a second time that came off rather harsh, which was not the intent. and my bbs don't have seams; on 3 of the 4 pipes i use the bbs on there is NO air leakage, on one of them it's because the purge thing isn't completely round/flat and the air that comes in is, as previously stated, negligable. if you want to pm me your address i'll mail you a few of them (if you're sick of those metal ones jamming your purge up).

Lol, no worries. I didn't take it as a harsh statement. But you are right, there is usually going to be A tiny leak somewhere, my point is I figure I might as well try to avoid all leaks possible I haven't had the metal ones completely jam yet...but they do get pretty stuck. Plus, when I am trying to purge, sometimes it takes a lot of force to get it to initially purge. AND, like I have said, I am actually using the little ball from my tongue ring, which has a small hole for the stud to screw into, so I have to be careful the hole doesn't touch the side causing a leak.

That is very kind of you to offer. Thanks! I will gladly MF you for them. I don't really need the right away though. Until I find a place to smoke (parent do not allow it) I am not able to smoke for the summer. Then again, I am sure both of us will probably forget by the time august comes around, lol. I tried one night when my mom was sleeping and she smelled the CH QL when I was lighting them. She didn't complain or notice as I had the oven on at the same time and she chalked it off to the oven, but I don't want to take the chance again.

[evilded777]

If this happens a lot you can use vegetable/olive oil on the bearing to keep it from sticking (Once you un-stuck it ;-) )

Does this work?

The bearing on my KM Single Pear sits so damn deep, its gets lodged ALL the DAMN time. I can usually get it loose, but its pain having to do it every third or fourth time I want to purge.

[mohinder]

If this happens a lot you can use vegetable/olive oil on the bearing to keep it from sticking (Once you un-stuck it ;-) )

Does this work?

The bearing on my KM Single Pear sits so damn deep, its gets lodged ALL the DAMN time. I can usually get it loose, but its pain having to do it every third or fourth time I want to purge.

Works for me, I actually tried it after reading this thread. My purge valve ball was kind of gunky and skanky right from the beginning, so I rubbed it down a tiny bit with wet & dry to get the crap off it then went over the purge valve a little bit. I just clean it out and put a drop of vegetable oil on it every few washes. It does occasionally get stuck still when the oil's dried out but I can actually just bang the hookah and it'll free up.

[lowspeedchase]

If this happens a lot you can use vegetable/olive oil on the bearing to keep it from sticking (Once you un-stuck it ;-) )

Does this work?

The bearing on my KM Single Pear sits so damn deep, its gets lodged ALL the DAMN time. I can usually get it loose, but its pain having to do it every third or fourth time I want to purge.

Yes it works.

[evilded777]

Thanks fellas, I'll give this a try.