If your hookah does not seem to be working properly, there is no need to panic (not yet anyways!). In this article, we will go over the complete list of things to double check when you need to troubleshoot your hookah.
The first thing you want to look at is your water level. If you water is too low, your session will be harsh and the smoke will be raspy. If your water level is too high, it will be very difficult to pull your smoke and you risk getting some water in your hose. Ideally, you want your water to hover 1 ½ inch above your down stem.
Once that is taken care of, we will secure all of the connective parts. Start by ensuring that your base grommet is properly sealed. After, check the hose and bowl grommets as well. It only takes one loose end to mess up your entire session. You also want to make sure your using the proper grommets for the proper connections. A base grommet won’t help you a whole lot at the bowl connection.
Next up is your hose. We will start by looking at the connective parts of both ends of the hose. Make sure they are nice and tight. If everything checks out so far, closely scan your entire hose and see if there are not any tears.
The following step is to use our hose to confirm that all the connections are in working order. You will blow into your hose and if smoke escapes from your purge, you are all set. It’s also worth unscrewing your purge to take a look at your ball bearing to clear out any built up residue that might have accumulated over time, preventing your smoke from completely escaping.
If your hookah still isn’t working properly, we are going to keep moving on up. Your coals might be the culprit in this scenario. If the coals aren’t properly lit when taken off the stove, they will likely fade out quickly. When this happens, you will notice a very bad taste in your smoke so it’s worth paying attention to this. A good indicator that your coals are not ready for action is a lack of “glow”. You want your coals to be glowing fully before moving them onto your bowl.
In addition, it is never a bad idea to regularly flip your coals during your sessions. This will help the hookah maintain a consistent heat level and not mess up the flavor of your shisha.
If you are still having a hard time smoking your hookah, you may have made the mistake of over or under packing your bowl. If you notice that it’s looking a little thin, sprinkle a bit more on top of your original coat.
If you think you have put too much, stir it up a bit to clear some air passage and even maybe remove a small amount.
Good job, you have just completed a top to bottom diagnosis of your hookah and you should be back in business!
