How To Make My Natural Coals Last Longer? I Need Analysis Of My Set Up And Technique.

[HellCat]

Hey everyone, I finally got a portable coil burner from Walgreen's and a bag of Kingsford 100% Natural Lump Charcoal.

I plugged in the burner and set it on high. I sawed several pieces of the charcoal to "give or take" 2X2 squares.
I placed them on the hot burner. After a bit, they glowed red from the bottom half. I proceeded to flip them over and let them stay on until they were glowing red all over.
I picked up one with tongs and blew on it and the whole coal glowed brightly.
I placed it on the foil. The smoke was plentiful and all was good. After everyone got 2-3 hits from the hookah (4 people) I flipped the coal that was on the hookah.
It was good, but it died out too fast, it lasted almost as long as a quicklight. I cant maintain the red glow all over. I am very disappointed.

How can I make them last longer?

Will a windcover make it work better/last longer?


My hookah setup:

Mini portable hookah.
Normal bowl that came with the hookah.
Tobacco is Blueberry. Dont know which brand though.
Water level is 3/4 of inch from bottom of stem.


Thanks =]

[Arcane]

the windcover should help you get ~10 minutes more out of the coal...i've never used lump charcoal though.

the life of your coal also depends on how often people are taking pulls from the hookah...more pulls means a shorter coal life.

[RingsMaster]

the windcover should help you get ~10 minutes more out of the coal...i've never used lump charcoal though.

the life of your coal also depends on how often people are taking pulls from the hookah...more pulls means a shorter coal life.

yeah if there are frequent pulls the coal will burn faster and thus get smaller faster lol. less pulling is more life of the coal

[HellCat]

hmmm... so the best thing would be to have a pile of the coals and while the first one is on the hookah, I start lighting another one and continue until everyone is done for the night?

Can I use an empty soda can as a windcover? Where to I place the holes and how many holes (in the windcover)?

[HellCat]

Not to be an asshole, but BUMP! lol... I have another session tonight and would love an answer to my above post =] THX!

[liquidglass]

Here's a few opinions

the natural charcoal it's not treated like reg. char. is it? It concerned me when you said "kingsford"

You can use a can, but I would say be careful, the coating put on the inside of the can may heat up and vaporize into your smoke. Honestly with a soda can though, you don't really need holes just cut the bottom off, pop the top and make sure you have a way to pick it up.

If you do want holes, some around the sides mid to high should work, not a ton but like 4 or 6

[joytron]

id suggest only using the windcover later into your session. while with a windcover you will get more smoke with less coal, it will also cause the coals to burn faster

[srawas89]

I would not use a soda can if I were you. As for your naturals, most lump charcoal dont last that long but are so cheap that when made in piles you can have a long session. If you are going to light multiple ones that the same time try to get your hands on some ash (like the ones your coals produce) and place the coals that you are not going to use right away in them so that they will not be tiny pieces by the time you get around to using it.

[ih303]

Yeah, I would ditch the lump coal and buy some nats. I like having all my coals uniform in size/shape so they all burn at roughly the same rate. That way I can time my next batch of coals just perfectly. Check out John's CH coals for the best value. AF Nats and Cocos are also good but a bit more pricey. They also last quite a bit longer. I get about 30-45 min from a set of coals.

And stay away from the soda can idea. Anyone with a wind cover can tell you how hot they tend to get. I can't imagine anything as thin as a soda can being exposed to that much heat resulting in anything but pain and frustration. Wind covers are cheap. Just do yourself a favor and get one.

I know this won't help for your current sessions, but it should prepare you for many a good session in the future.

[hookah hippie]

you also might consider that kingsford doesn't make hookah charcoal and isn't intended for that use

the charcoal is meant to sustain when air is being pulled through it which makes it hotter and burns out quicker

[liquidglass]

while I agree with everyone staying away from the Soda can I agree b/c I think it has the possibility of being hazardous to your health. Their reasons of it not working properly are not reasons to not use the can (sorry guys, I just disagree)

But I'm basing this on last year a forum member used a soda can as a windcover with a small desk top hookah and it worked beautifully for him.


Although alternatives to the can are

1) foil wrapped around the top of the bowl to make a chimney

2) Foil shaped into a wind cover with holes poked in it

3) Soup can used in the same manner of the foil chimney

[Sonthert]

If they are preformed and consistent in lump size, avoid them. Like Milky Ways are consistent in size.

Otherwise, you have to wait longer, until the coal has lit to an orange-yellow and a thin dust of ash is forming around them. They are hot...but not hot enough to sustain their burning.