n00b - Hose grommets leaking?

[piperdown]

Hi,

Just got my first hookah yesterday - hookahbros 4 hose cyclone, 
and I'm not sure I'm setting it up correctly.  The hose grommets
don;t seem to fit too well.  A small amount of movement seems to
pop 'em loose.  Each one has a little flange on the wide end that
seems to interfere with a proper fit into the hookah, but I'm a bit
reluctant to just trim it off.  my guess is that this is
contributing to the kinda thin smoke Im getting out of it.  Any
thoughts?

[Mathazar]

Use two coals,  you'll get a thicker smoke with more flavor. 
But,  there's a good chance you'll also get more charcoal flavor,
also,  depending on the kind of charcoal ure using.  The
Cyclone hoses, I believe,  have caps on the mouthpieces.  You
have to make sure those are sealed so that when you're puffing your
hookah is airtight.  With the hose grommets,  just make sure
that the hose is firmly-implanted into the  grommet and it will
probably not pop-out.  I have a hard time believing that
Hookahbros is going to make defective hose grommets.  On the other
hand,  it's possible they sent you the wrong size grommets. 
I doubt it,  but it's possible.  Just when you put the hose
into the grommet,  place it in firmly with a twisting
motion,  so as to tighten the hose into the grommet.  If you
still have trouble,  I suppose you could trim away that rim on the
grommets 

[piperdown]

Thanks of the reply - The hose fits into the grommet fine, but the
grommet seems a bit loose where it fits into the hookah itself, almost
seems like the little lip on it interferes.  Just a small amount
of movement allows it to pop free - may this is how it's supposed to
work?

[Guest]

I recommend you try using a bowl grommett vs a hose grommet. if that doesnt help, place a hose grommet inside a bowl grommet, this might allow the bowl grommet to widen so it fits a little more snug into the hose port. Hope you can get it to work.

[HookahCulture]

Do a leak test - put your hand on top of an empty bowl and suck through the hose. You should feel suction at your hand and if all is well you shouldn't hear any leaks. I recently re-welded mine and it's now 100% air tight!
Regarding the hose connection, don't trim the lip off the grommet, no need. Here's a method for a good seal at that point...... Place the grommet only a little inside the fixture to it just rests there ready, and then firmly push the hose into it with a firm half twist. The hose and grommet will seat themselves tightly! Also make sure you don't have any metal protruding into where the grommet sits in the hose junction. I had to dremmel mine smooth on one of the junctions. What you could also do is wrap a few layers of electrical tape on the outside of the grommet to make it wider. Don't take the lip off the grommet, you need something to grab when you want to remove it from the unit.

[piperdown]

Problem resolved.  The grommets were the wrong OD...  Ali
from socialsmoke is sending me some replacements - the bowl grommet is
the hot ticket for the hoses as well.  Those folks have awesome
customer service:  He called me back today (saturday)
and helped me figure out the hose thing plus what I imagine are the
usual newbie issues with bowl packing and lighting.  I wish my
vendors iat work were that responsive. 

All in all I am extremely impressed.

[Mathazar]

Yeah,  the people at Socialsmoke are pretty awesome!