Hookah Problems.. Starting It Up

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Hello
I have a 29 inch hookah with a 2 inch wide bowl. Fairly large. [url="http://www.hookah-shisha.com/p-5986-RamsesIII-Nammor-Hookah.html"]http://www.hookah-shisha.com/p-5986-RamsesIII-Nammor-Hookah.html[/url] Ive been smoking for 3 years or so now and ive had luck with my other two smaller hookahs but this one i cant figure out how to set up properly.

I pack it usually to the brim or a 1 cm. bellow it. Then i have these stargate hookah charcoals about 3inches long each. Im using those.. man i feel sick even typing this...

I fill my hookah with water and ice so that just about an inch of the stem is submerged under water.

So i start by cooking the charcoals turning them over until they are red, then i break it in half.

then with the tip of a knife i punch about 20 little holes all around the foil, make sure its tight.

i place one half on the of the red hot in the center and start puffing.

then there is little smoke and i have a feeling there is alot of CO2 cause i start getting light headed and cold and a little numb hahaha
so then i place another coal on to get it cooking. smoke gets thicker but it still tastes kinda bad and a little hot.

im still getting light headed too.

few days ago though i did something different and it smoked bautifuly with smoke and taste and coolness but i cant figure out what it was any advice??

I really appreciate it

[agunn1231]

Keep messing with the heat management, maybe start with putting on more coal to get it smoking and then taking one off if it gets too harsh, try not adding ice to the base, sometimes that affects the smoke. try to remember what you did the time that it worked well. Just keep trying.

[Tvbox]

[quote name='agunn1231' date='10 August 2010 - 02:28 PM' timestamp='1281475683' post='478351']
Keep messing with the heat management, maybe start with putting on more coal to get it smoking and then taking one off if it gets too harsh, try not adding ice to the base, sometimes that affects the smoke. try to remember what you did the time that it worked well. Just keep trying.
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yaaah i think thats what happened i put the whole thing in then i took one off that makes sense right?

[Chreees]

You said you put your coal in the middle of the bowl? Don't do that. Put coals on the edge of the bowl, two pieces opposite each other. See how it goes.

[Tvbox]

[quote name='INCUBUSRATM' date='10 August 2010 - 04:28 PM' timestamp='1281482883' post='478369']
You said you put your coal in the middle of the bowl? Don't do that. Put coals on the edge of the bowl, two pieces opposite each other. See how it goes.
[/quote]

alright will try that too probably tomorow

[Allstar]

It sounds like the side of the coal that is down is going out. Have you looked at that. I mean that is what I taste when it happens, though I don't get the affects that you do.

[kajon]

ya as was said earlier dont put the coal in the middle. Also, dont put a coal on when it is red hot let the coal ash a little bit then place it on the bowl. Once the coal has a little ash I usually let the coal sit on the bowl for 2 min before i start puffing.

[Tvbox]

[quote name='kajon' date='11 August 2010 - 07:00 AM' timestamp='1281535224' post='478474']
ya as was said earlier dont put the coal in the middle. Also, dont put a coal on when it is red hot let the coal ash a little bit then place it on the bowl. Once the coal has a little ash I usually let the coal sit on the bowl for 2 min before i start puffing.
[/quote]

hmm well i tried two coals, i still got light headed and there wasnt much smoke till i put 3 cloals, smoke and taste was much better but i was still getting sick and it was a little hot. I think my tobaco is too old and im going to try different coals. Any recommendations for the best coals?
i ordered a kilo of Blue Mist starbuzz so thats guna be yummy 100%

[IainUM]

everyone here, for the most part, swears on coconaras.

im a poor college student and dont have a way to light natural coals, so i use quicklights.
some say 3 kings are the best quicklights, but i have grown fond of sultan's, cause in my experience, they burn at a lower temperature and last longer than 3 kings. only downside is it takes longer on a flame to get the sultans ready, but worth it in my book

[king_lunchb0x]

exotica's arent to bad for the price. i personally prefer C-H natural coal from hookahjohn.com they arent to pricey and last pretty long (but when heating them, they can smell pretty funky) I would go to ur local shop see what other kind they carry if u dont want to order again

[Mikefu]

[quote name='kajon' date='11 August 2010 - 06:00 AM' timestamp='1281535224' post='478474']
ya as was said earlier dont put the coal in the middle. Also, dont put a coal on when it is red hot let the coal ash a little bit then place it on the bowl. Once the coal has a little ash I usually let the coal sit on the bowl for 2 min before i start puffing.
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Do the above. I also had a few sick experiences when i was first starting my hookah smoking, and i was using natural lemonwood coals. It turns out that I wasnt letting them get heated enough to be fully lit before I started puffing, and they then slowly went out and tasted bad and gave me a wicked headache and dizzyness. I'd suggest your coals are old/got wet or soaked up a lot of humidity, or they just arent getting lit enough before you begin taking pulls. I second the hookahjohn coals, I love 'em. Also, is your stem free of air leaks? and is your bowl tight and not leaking? you may be losing smoke density just due to outside air getting in on your pulls.