limehookah Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Hello all, I am having issues with my hookah so let me start out with giving a quick description of what I use Khalil Mamoon Tri-Oxidized Vortex Bowl packed not too tight but not insanely loose 3 Coals, interchange to 2, constantly move them around to avoid burning AF, Fantasia shishas This hookah produces less smoke than the cheap one I bought at a store down the street. I have no idea why. All videos of this hookah on YouTube show insane cloud production. I've been smoking hookahs for about a year and a half now. Tips to better smoke production? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouda Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 What kind of coals are you using? Play with your packing styles as well. AF need to be pushed down slightly while packing. I always pack it a little tighter than fantasia or statbuzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limehookah Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 I use the Fantasia air flow. I want some coconut coals though haha, just haven't got around to ordering them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouda Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Take a picture of your set up when you smoke next. But ya just try to pack your AF a little tighter next time you pack some Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Get rid of the air flows. They don't work that well. A 3K QL would be better than an airflow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limehookah Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 Get rid of the air flows. They don't work that well. A 3K QL would be better than an airflow. Really? I just don't like the taste I get from those. I'll buy them the next time I'm at the store though. Take a picture of your set up when you smoke next. But ya just try to pack your AF a little tighter next time you pack some Will do. Is it possible that the hookah is defective? The rubber piece that connects the base to the stem is side ways. I've moved it around but it simply won't go all the way onto the stem. It sets at like a 5 degree angle off the stem. Other than that could there be some sort of issue with the suction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
â€On Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 One of my standby packing tips that works for just about anything in just about every bowl is to lightly sprinkle the tobacco (very lightly and very fluffy) into the bowl until it sits about 1cm (~.25"-.5")above the outer rim of the bowl. Then, after doing that, use the palm of your hand to press down on the tobacco until it sits even with/slightly below the outer rim of the bowl. Every tobacco is a bit different in how dense it smokes optimally at, but that should give you a good starting point for how dense it should be in your bowl. For the foil, I like to use Reynolds HD or Alcan HD, as it is a bit more durable and lets you really stretch it "drum tight" over the bowl. I use a Fumari foil poker to poke holes, but what I used before was a standard sewing needle (it's just a little bit thinner than a standard round toothpick). Here's the thing, either poke a lot of smaller holes (I mean A LOT), or larger holes with less of them. It doesn't matter, but you need good airflow. You don't want your draw restricted, as that's when the bowl is going to burn. Every coal is different (3 Coconaras does not equal 3 Golden Canary does not equal 3 quicklights) in terms of how much heat it puts out. I don't have any experience with fantasia air flow, so I'm not going to be much help there. As someone who lives in a dry-as-fuck climate, humidity makes a BIG difference in how big your clouds look. I have no idea which Huntington you are in (there are almost 20 in the US), but if it's dry there, you will get smaller clouds. It's something a lot of people overlook, even though it's a basic as fuck concept. There is glycerin in mu'assel, and the reason it is there is because it literally pulls moisture out of the air, which is why you have dense "smoke" (vapor) without burning the tobacco in your bowl. More humidity, more vapor. While there are many people doing videos who know their shit and do things proper, there are also a lot of people who do videos who overheat their tobacco so that they get big clouds. It's no big deal if you're only smoking short durations, but I smoke for 2-3 hours at least, every night, and longevity of my bowls matters to me. I am all about big flavor as opposed to big smoke. With proper heat management, you should be getting big flavor AND big clouds, but usually not until the second set of coals will it really "gel", for me anyways. My advice: experiment. If it's not performing how you want it to, change things around and experiment until you find what DOES work. For every bowl, try doing things a bit differently. Density of pack, size/quantity of holes, amount of coals/positioning of coals, water level. Whatever. Just play around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limehookah Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 Hell honestly I get better smoke production from the new rocks that are out. I rather not use them though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
â€On Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Also, if you are worried about suction, set your pipe up without any water in the base or a bowl on, and plug the top of the pipe with your finger. Blow into the hose and then get close to the pipe and listen if any air is escaping. If it is, fix it. If not, you have no issues. If in a quiet room you can't hear air escaping, it will never be a big enough issue for it to affect your smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limehookah Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 I have been experimenting with it. It is humid here in the summer (Huntington, WV). My hookahs usually provide about 30-50 minutes of smoking. I think better shisha packing and different coals would largely make a difference. I'll have to mess with it a little more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
â€On Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 If you are only getting 30-50 minutes out of a bowl, you are doing something very wrong. I don't mean that as offense or anything, but many of us get 6-8 hours out of one bowl regularly, and I've heard tale of 8-12 hour bowls (yar, but surely they be fish tales!). Would you be able to take pictures of your entire packing process (empty bowl, lightly packed, then final pack before putting foil on), your pipe all set up, the water level in your base and how you position your coals for us? It's a lot easier to help out when we know exactly how you have things set up! As an alternative, if you have a webcam, many of us can hop in tinychat and guide you through it step by step and tell you if you are doing anything wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limehookah Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 (edited) If you are only getting 30-50 minutes out of a bowl, you are doing something very wrong. I don't mean that as offense or anything, but many of us get 6-8 hours out of one bowl regularly, and I've heard tale of 8-12 hour bowls (yar, but surely they be fish tales!). Would you be able to take pictures of your entire packing process (empty bowl, lightly packed, then final pack before putting foil on), your pipe all set up, the water level in your base and how you position your coals for us? It's a lot easier to help out when we know exactly how you have things set up! As an alternative, if you have a webcam, many of us can hop in tinychat and guide you through it step by step and tell you if you are doing anything wrong. I'll return to this thread (or at least supply a link to the new one) once I can do that. Probably tonight around 9pm eastern. I believe burning the shisha is a main problem for me. I will put two or three coals on, regulate to avoid it but the coals are burnt out or the top layer of shisha is black by the 40 minute mark. Edited April 30, 2013 by limehookah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Try breaking the air flows along their triangle and using 3 parts of a coal set up around like a star shape, if that makes sense. The problem with airflows on tobaccos like AF is that they do not provide enough direct heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limehookah Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 Anyone out there available for a tiny chat of this here soon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang67n Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I think someone is in TC now, actually. I'll hop in too for a bit. (waiting on a call to go pick a friend up) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limehookah Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 How can I broadcast on the channel? Or do I need to start my own channel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limehookah Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 Nevermind, stop by the channel if you'd like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzbizz Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 This sounds like too much coal and too little tobacco. I can see the airflows not making enough surface contact on the foil. try laying them on their side and maybe that will help. I can go into tc if you'd like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limehookah Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 I'll go TC tonight. I got some three kings QLs. My hookah is a single hose with another, much smaller, hole on the opposite side. It has a ball and a small cylindrical thing with a slot for hair flow at the top. I took cylindrical piece and the ball out and placed my finger over the hole and it ripped so much better. Any reason why this would happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cotsi95 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 What your describing is the purge valve. It's there to allow you to release stale smoke from the chamber. You might have a leak there if it works better plugged. Put your thumb over the top where the bowl goes and then try taking a hit with the ball and cover back on. If you can pull some air though you have a leak. If not then its another issue. Honestly I dont think switching your coals will help much unless they are going out. I would first try using a different bowl. I prefer the standard eqyptain bowls that km's come with for af. Im about to load a hookah and I can get on tc for you if you need any more pointers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limehookah Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 What your describing is the purge valve. It's there to allow you to release stale smoke from the chamber. You might have a leak there if it works better plugged. Put your thumb over the top where the bowl goes and then try taking a hit with the ball and cover back on. If you can pull some air though you have a leak. If not then its another issue. Honestly I dont think switching your coals will help much unless they are going out. I would first try using a different bowl. I prefer the standard eqyptain bowls that km's come with for af. Im about to load a hookah and I can get on tc for you if you need any more pointers. I have been using a standard Egyptian bowl. My vortex one broke. I'll check it for leaks when I get home. Thanks. Also the QL three kings lasted soo much longer than the fantastic air flows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cotsi95 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 no problem. It's weird to me that your ql's are lasting longer than air flows, granted there is a giant chuck missing out of the air flows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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