Heat Management For Beginners

[pyromaniac112692]

My friends and I are all getting into hookah and since ive been reading this forum I have come across the term heat management. I understand it to mean the movement and placement of coals throughout the session. Are there any advanced techniques to it that I should know about or is it just whatever works best for the individual?

[Sonthert]

There's a lot to be considered.

Heat management deals with a number of ideas, but mostly placement, number and type of charcoal being used. Also number and size of holes in the foil makes a difference.

1. Placement. Some types of tobacco and bowls will get more heat distributed when the charcoal are moved out towards the edge of the bowl. I've heard this, but I've never observed it. Some bowls and tobacco will get cooler when the charcoal is moved out towards the edges.
2. Number. of coals. More coals make more heat. Trying to get an idea of how much charcoal is a usual amount is important.
3. Type of charcoal. Some types or brands of charcoal will produce more heat than others.

More, larger holes require less charcoal on the bowl. Fewer, smaller holes will compel you to use more charcoal on the bowl.

Thats the intermediate course in heat management.

[Josh Hamilton]

^^^what the master said...yes I am igor

I like splitting 2 coals into 4 halves and put them on a small phunnel (chnats or cocos)
for the alien I can get away with 2 wholes on opposite edges but having 4 halves opposite of each other seems to work better (I said halves ok...) <but then again whatever work I guess> I just hate my coal splitting technique though as I sometimes come up with odd/uneven halves > chisel and hammer / Ill probably try incubusratms guide with a knife...kinda hard with chnats though coz they are harder to split (oh having hd foil seems to have helped me ever since I started getting the heat mgmt right) Edited May 24, 2010 by Josh Hamilton

[ih303]

Everyone has a different way of doing things, but I've never gotten into splitting coals - too much of a hassle.

There are so many variables to tweak with heat management, it's hard to nail down some sort of specific formula that's guaranteed to work. But we can get you started.

1. Tobacco Juciness : Dryer tobaccos (i.e. Nakhla) require more heat than wetter tobaccos (i.e. Al Fakher)

2. Foil Thickness : Most of our recommendations will be based on the use of heavy duty (HD) foil.

3. Bowl Type : Good bowls are made from clay which seem to hang onto heat the best. I tend to stay away from glass and porcelain.

4. Holes (Size vs. Number) : Bigger holes (skewer size) allow for more airflow and require less coals. I actually prefer using a larger number of smaller holes (corncob skewer size). I get the same airflow and a little more control over the heat.

5. Coal Placement - I always disperse the coals around the outside of the bowl.

6. Coal Type - A lot of us use coconut coals. (for more info, go [url="http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/37926-coconut-coalmageddon/"]here[/url]) While they have a lot of similarities, the difference you should be aware of is that Coco Nara's burn hotter. Keep that in mind if that's what you choose to use.

Once you have the setup down, the maintenance phase of heat management simply involves rotating and flipping the coals. At some point, you may implement the use of a wind cover, but get the basics down before you start messing with that.

That should get you started.

[Matto]

Take into account what's been said above and just experiment, getting good hands-on practice is the best way to learn!

[Venger]

depends on the bowl and the tobacco. I have a vortex that works better with 2 half 3 kings 33mm. then I have a mod and a Phunnel a friend made me that requires one whole 3mm disk that I need to rotate around the bowl. Wetter tobacco requires more rotation or I get hot spots.
Ray

[pyromaniac112692]

Thanks for the replies. I just smoked with two coconaras on watermelon sb shisha on my cheap beginner hookah and it smoked a million times smoother than my friends using QL's and screens. Thanks for the input.

[bellydancerakn]

I do love that your name is pyromaniac and you're asking for tips on heat managment.

[hookah hippie]

Heat Management is, as it was explained, using the correct amount of coals and positioning of them in relation to the bowl you are using. It is a trial and error sort of think you will get better with time.