What Is That Smoke Odor?

[tsquared]

[quote name='twoapplesplease' date='20 April 2010 - 02:41 PM' timestamp='1271792514' post='464429']
I rember somewhere on the forums some one had a simialar problem with one of the small mya hookahs and it turned out to be the base gromet had a heavy rubber smell to it and I think it needed to be soaked in lemon juice for 24hrs to get rid of the smell......so check out your base gasket and see if thats where the smell is coming from
[/quote]

Now that you mentioned this, I remember smelling my base grommet and it has that awful rubber smell to it. I'll clean that as you suggested.

Thanks!
Tom

[KeepItSimple]

[quote name='twoapplesplease' date='20 April 2010 - 12:41 PM' timestamp='1271792514' post='464429']
I rember somewhere on the forums some one had a simialar problem with one of the small mya hookahs and it turned out to be the base gromet had a heavy rubber smell to it and I think it needed to be soaked in lemon juice for 24hrs to get rid of the smell......so check out your base gasket and see if thats where the smell is coming from
[/quote]

Yea, my Econo Gelato's grommet had that heavy rubber smell for sure. After a few times smoking with it, it went away though. I do remember that thread, apple's advice will probably solve your problem.

[tsquared]

[quote name='tsquared' date='20 April 2010 - 11:16 AM' timestamp='1271780181' post='464404']I was examining every piece closely last nite. Inside the long tube that extended into the water, there was a large piece of melted something. I scraped it out and it looks like resin of some sort. I took a picture but can't login to upload to my photobucket. I didn't get a chance to smoke the hookah last nite, so I don't know if this is the reason for the odor or not. Tonite, I'll have a chance to use the hookah. Will report back...
[/quote]

Looks like this is the culprit of the odor. Tonite, there was barely barely any odor at all. There's still a little bit of this gunk in my tube that I couldn't scrape out last nite. So every now and then, I get a very faint whiff of the odor. But 95% of the odor is gone now. I'll try to boil the tube to see if it'll loosen up the gunk so that I can scrape it out.

I bought some spare grommets and they arrived today. I'll swap out the stinky rubber base grommet tomorrow as well.

I'm glad there are communities like this to help out newbies like myself. Thank you everyone to help me troubleshoot this problem!

Tom

[tsquared]

argh! The odor is back again. Since my last post, I've changed the foil, got a Nammor hose, got a new base grommet, an Alien Mini funnel. Still have the smell. I've cleaned the bowl with lime juice and baking soda too. But since the odor is with the Mini as well, I don't think it's the bowl.

The only pieces left that are common are: the base and the stem. I think I'll boil the stem tonite. Maybe something in there is getting funky creating that odor...

[rhineholt]

[quote name='tsquared' date='30 April 2010 - 12:47 PM' timestamp='1272649651' post='466119']
argh! The odor is back again. Since my last post, I've changed the foil, got a Nammor hose, got a new base grommet, an Alien Mini funnel. Still have the smell. I've cleaned the bowl with lime juice and baking soda too. But since the odor is with the Mini as well, I don't think it's the bowl.

The only pieces left that are common are: the base and the stem. I think I'll boil the stem tonite. Maybe something in there is getting funky creating that odor...
[/quote]

Let the stem soak in lemon juice!
I don't know about boiling it.
And put lemon juice in the base. Leave that there for a couple hours.

[bellydancerakn]

Yeah if ever I smoke a really sweet and fruity shisha (Usually SS or SB) I do a quick clean and then fill the base with hot water and lime juice and let it soak. I put all the accesories like the stem, down stem (unscrewed from each other), the bowl, grommets (taking the base grommet off the base), even the tongs and let them soak in a giant mixing bowl filled with hot water and lime juice. I let it all soak overnight. Any smells I did have are gone except for lime which washes away easily enough with some scrubbing using soap and hot water.

[rhineholt]

[quote name='bellydancerakn' date='30 April 2010 - 03:55 PM' timestamp='1272660954' post='466148']
Yeah if ever I smoke a really sweet and fruity shisha (Usually SS or SB) I do a quick clean and then fill the base with hot water and lime juice and let it soak. I put all the accesories like the stem, down stem (unscrewed from each other), the bowl, grommets (taking the base grommet off the base), even the tongs and let them soak in a giant mixing bowl filled with hot water and lime juice. I let it all soak overnight. Any smells I did have are gone except for lime which washes away easily enough with some scrubbing using soap and hot water.
[/quote]

You use soap? [img]http://www.hookahforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/scratch_one-s_head.gif[/img]

[bellydancerakn]

[quote name='rhineholt' date='30 April 2010 - 05:38 PM' timestamp='1272674289' post='466172']
[quote name='bellydancerakn' date='30 April 2010 - 03:55 PM' timestamp='1272660954' post='466148']
Yeah if ever I smoke a really sweet and fruity shisha (Usually SS or SB) I do a quick clean and then fill the base with hot water and lime juice and let it soak. I put all the accesories like the stem, down stem (unscrewed from each other), the bowl, grommets (taking the base grommet off the base), even the tongs and let them soak in a giant mixing bowl filled with hot water and lime juice. I let it all soak overnight. Any smells I did have are gone except for lime which washes away easily enough with some scrubbing using soap and hot water.
[/quote]

You use soap? [img]http://www.hookahforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/scratch_one-s_head.gif[/img]
[/quote]


Yeah Sensaria concentrated all natural household cleaner. It is all natural and even food safe, but strong enough to use for dishes or mopping. As long as I rinse with hot water there is no taste at all.

[tsquared]

I'm completely stumped now. Couple days ago, I boiled my entire stem (down-stem and the heart/pear-looking part) in water, lemon, and baking soda. Then let it cool down over nite. Then let it dry for another day. Smoked it last nite and the friggin odor is still there. Here's where it gets crazy. If I purge and smell the smoke, it doesn't have the odor. When i exhale and take a whiff of the smoke, it doesn't have an odor, but as it dissipates in the air, the odor become apparent. So I'm thinking there's a few possibilities:

1. The hose is dirty. I've swapped from the stock Mya hose to a Nammor hose, cleaned it as detailed in the forums, and the smoke odor is still there. I've changed out the base grommet, hose grommet, bowl grommet, the bowl itself, hoses foil, and shisha flavor/brands. The only pieces unchanged are the base and the stem.

2. Me. I'm a smoker and mostly have smoker's breath (eww). But maybe it's my smoker's breath that's causing the odor?

3. Something is in the air in my apt? I dunno.

I have a KM Carnival arriving next week. If the odor is still there, then it's something in the air, or me.... arGH! This is frustrating.

[mitchard]

[quote name='tsquared' date='07 May 2010 - 12:45 PM' timestamp='1273261559' post='467146']
I have a KM Carnival arriving next week. If the odor is still there, then it's something in the air, or me.... arGH! This is frustrating.
[/quote]
I was just going to post saying you should just give up and buy a KM or something, but it looks like you beat me to it

[F16WarBird]

For glass and plastic, I let it soak in a 3:1 ratio of bleach/water for about an hour. After a thorough rinsing the parts are like brand new.

For metal, I let it soak in a 3:1 ratio of vinegar/water for about 30 minutes. Again, after a thorough rinsing, the parts are like brand new.

There is no residual smell or flavor.

I've been doing that for years with my beer/wine making equipment, where a sterile environment and equipment is paramount.



WARNING: Do [u][b]not[/b][/u] soak metal in bleach. It will pit (uniform surface corrosion) the metal.

[NitetimeReign]

I been using my MYA QT for over a month now and a few times a day at times. I have to say that has been part of the appeal of smoking hookah for my wife and I is that the aroma of the smoke is about as good as the taste of the shisha. So yeah definatley not a normal ordeal you are going through. Nice going with getting the KM. Hopefully in a couple weeks I'll be getting me a KM as welll and my wife gets my qt, she thinks it's cute..lol Hope the new hookah does you well as in my opionion the aroma of the smoke is very much part of the hookah appeal.

[tsquared]

[quote name='F16WarBird' date='07 May 2010 - 11:47 PM' timestamp='1273294063' post='467189']
For metal, I let it soak in a 3:1 ratio of vinegar/water for about 30 minutes.
[/quote]

Thank you for the tips! So that's 3 part vinegar to 1 part water right?