Hookah Corrosion

[sarahgilliard]

Hi everyone. I have a general question/topic about what the best way is to prevent hookah corrosion. I have had both a Mya Econo Gelato and a Mya QT, both of which will last me about a year and then start to corrode. The stem starts to look rusty and makes me concerned, since I don't want to be inhaling rust. I take my hookah with me everwhere and portability is key for me. I usually rinse all my hookah parts with water after every use, and about once a week I clean it with warm water and a little lemon juice. I use my hookah daily and have no complaints on quality other than the corrosion issue. So far I have seem hookahs made of aluminum and stainless steel, but can't find higher quaility metals like cast iron or brass. Any thoughts or inquries about corrosion or tips would be appreciated. Happy smoking!

[Tyler]

Brass can be found but you will pay the price for brass.

[Chreees]

I can understand the Econo Mya giving you trouble, but the QT shouldn't, if it is the regular one and not the Econo one. Econos are crap because they use lesser quality materials. The savings are just not worth it.

For brass look at places online. Khalil Mamoon, Farida, Elmas, and Al Nawras all make great brass pipes. Good sites to look at for these are 5StarHookah.com, Kasbah.us, UltimateHookah.com, and Hookah-Shisha.com. Can't go wrong.

For cleaning, sounds like you're doing everything okay, about what I do anyway. I take it one step further though and blow out the downstem and ports and wipe down the outside of the shank after rinsing/cleaning to speed up the dry time and prevent water from staying on.

[sarahgilliard]

Yeah the my first hookah was the Econo Mya and I wasn't aware of quality and all that stuff. So after research and experience I wasn't surprised when I needed a new one. But the Mya QT is top-rated and made from better materials as you said, so I was surprised as well. I did look at the sites you mentioned, and did find some brass hookahs. However, all of the ones I've seen are all the big 30" and up hookahs, and I need a portable one to take places. I still live at home with anti-hookah parents, and me and my friends like going places with it, its kinda our hang-out thing. So I guess there's no win for me haha. Either I keed buying a new hookah each year or I move out and get a big, durable high-quality hookah. But paying for school and not paying rent > moving out and buying a good hookah lol. Thanks for the response though. I've heard of people using baking soda as well to clean their hookahs. Never tried it since to me the baking soda particles can act as an abrasive agent and may hurt the finish on the hookah after awhile. Any thoughts on that? thanks

[Skoozle]

Buying a new QT every year would come out to about $1 a week. Not that bad if you have to be a nomadic smoker. But it really should be lasting you longer than a year.

Here are my thoughts on why the regular qt is rusting:
Are you leaving it set up with water in the base for long periods of time?
Are you putting it back in the box with wet parts?
Are you 100% sure its not an econo? (Where did you buy it?)

Where is it rusting? I will have to check but I don't think I have much if any steel in my Mya. I don't have a qt though.

[Stuie]

QT Stem is brass core and nickle plated. Downstem is stainless. I have had mine... going on 6 years or so, no rust. It's rough inside the stem but brass doesn't rust. Econo I see, but I would love to see pics on your QT.

[sarahgilliard]

I hardly ever leave the water in the base for long periods. I think I've done that maybe twice in my life. There probably is some water left in the parts when I put it back in the bag since its my portable hookah. Its kind of impossible to fully dry it out, unless I need to start carrying around a blow-drier with me haha. But I do try to get as much water out as possible before I put it back in the bag. And yes, I am 100% sure it is the regular Mya QT. My first hookah was an Econo Mya, and I will never make that mistake again. Maybe I am just mistaking the chrome plating coming off and showing the brass underneath as rusting. But beyond that, some parts of the "exposed brass" seem green, like when cooper oxidizes. Hookah-shisha.com, the place I ordered it from, claims the Mya QT is make of stainless steel. The parts that are rusting/exposed brass or w/e are the inside of the steam/downstem. None of the outside, exposed stem are showing signs of wear-and-tear other than a few light scratches (which is typical to see since its smooth polished, makes even the slightest scratches noticable). If the underlying metal is exposed, as if the chrome or stainless steel plating is coming off, is that something to be concerned about?

[1978]

i got ahold of my buddys pipe and it was rusted all the way though the stem......

[mushrat]

The qt is a nickle plated brass core, no matter what the idiots at Hookah-shisha tell you. I have had minor issues sometimes with the nickle coating peeling off around the screw in ports, but thats after years of heavy use in a lounge setting. Make sure you unscrew the hose port and the purge valve now and then and give them a good cleaning as well. Also , if you have "hard" water with lots of minerals it will also cause some build up, especially in the threads if you don't clean them regularly. This build up CAN look like corrosion btw.

[sarahgilliard]

It is possible that the hard water issue may be an accelerant. My neighborhood recently underwent construction to put in sewer pipes. For about a month we had very heavily chlorinated/hard water in an attempt to flush out the pipe before sewer connections were made (so the county claimed, but I have other suspicions). I remember I tried to avoid using the water, but maybe I did use it once or twice to clean out my hookah. If in that event, then I may have caused some corrosion there. Brass contians copper elements, which when exposed to hard-water ingredients like sulfites, chlorine, carbonates, etc. will speed up oxidization. Soooo maybe that is part of it. But the coating on the brass interior of my stem has been there for more than just this recent change in water at my house. It has been there for mabye 6+months, but now has a slight green tinge/line in the interior circumfrance of the top of the stem. So it is possible that hard-water issues are acting like an enzyme to speed up the process, but I don't think its the root cause. Still wondering why the coating on the brass came off so fast in the first place...

[mushrat]

Now, tobacco juice will also interact with the metal and give you green gunk when you clean your hookah sometimes. Is it possibly some of that just drying on?

http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/5294-green-crap-in-my-stem/page__hl__%2Bgreen+%2Bgunk
http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/3282-unwanted-leftovers-please-read/page__p__35530__hl__+green%20+gunk#entry35530

As far as the coating coming off the brass....they just aint making them like they used to??

[sarahgilliard]

The below picture is the best shot of how there is a little bit of green in the area where the brass is exposed. Is this something to be concerned about?
[img]http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s720x720/644484_3773750097707_467520164_n.jpg[/img]

[Skoozle]

That green stuff is nothing to worry about as long as it is from the exposed brass. it is the same copper oxide you see on old pennys.

Save those silica gel packets you get in shoe boxes and other packages and toss them into your hookah bag to help soak up some of the moisture when you pack the hookah up moist.

BTW, that top piece should screw off and you could replace it if it bothers you.

[mattarios2]

Nothing to worry about looks like brass that has been used and exposed to the elements. Smoke away

[Stuie]

Little Bar Keeper's Friend will clear that right up!

[sarahgilliard]

Ok thanks everyone =)

[mushrat]

ya what they said.

[iamagoodboy2003]

Hey guys. Sorry for bumping up such an old thread, but I guess I've just made an alarming discovery and I'm kinda freaked out - so couldn't help posting here. I've got a mya gelato econo hookah, and have been using it a couple of years now I think. Just last night after a session I observed my stem clearly and it looks like it's rusted - however it seems to be a aluminium stem with chrome finish - from the description - so I must have taken really bad care of it for it to turn out this way - please check attached pictures.

So the freaking out part comes after I decided to read up on the rust, and discovering that smoking from rusted pots can be poisonous! I've no clue how long this rust or buildup has been on my pot and how many sessions I've smoked since it's been up! So I wanna ask the experts here if I should look out for something health wise, or better still, should I get any tests done? I know it's risky during covid but I don't know what else to think. 

I'd like to thank you all in advance - please help a brother out!

PS - while we're at it, what should I look for in my new pot? What materials preferably? Thanks!

[corey13g]

Quote

 

So the freaking out part comes after I decided to read up on the rust, and discovering that smoking from rusted pots can be poisonous! I've no clue how long this rust or buildup has been on my pot and how many sessions I've smoked since it's been up! So I wanna ask the experts here if I should look out for something health wise, or better still, should I get any tests done? I know it's risky during covid but I don't know what else to think. 

I'd like to thank you all in advance - please help a brother out!

PS - while we're at it, what should I look for in my new pot? What materials preferably? Thanks!

 

 

Honestly, I would considering of purchasing new parts instead of those damaged by corrosion. Cause it would be much harder to them up. But it's all about me.