Brand New KM Question

[Kross]

I'm really excited, I just got my first nice hookah and it is a KM Tri-Metal Pharonie. I really can't wait to smoke it but I have a question before I do so. I just opened the box it came in yesterday and haven't done anything yet except put it together. I was wondering if I'm supposed to clean it or anything before I smoke it for the first time; if so, how should I go about doing it?

Thanks for any and all help!

[Neorej]

Yes Definity rinse it with just warm water i would suggest ...

So that means EVERY Single bit ... Purse Valve Stern Base everything ( if u got a washable hose clean that one to with warm water.


If u done that ..

Put some Lemon Juice trough it ... and clean it agian with warm water

.

I got the tri metal as well .. its a gift from heaven man !

[nerdy]

Also be sure to rinse it out with baking soda and a little vinegar. If you have a stem brush, be sure to use it to get off any bits of dust or sand that might've gotten stuck inside of the stem. The applications of baking soda and vinegar will create a volcanic effect and explode, so be careful.

Once you think it's thorough clean, give it a dry and smoke and see how the baby runs!

[Kross]

Thanks! I'll try it out and let you know how it smokes!

[Kross]

Cleaned it through and fired it up, the clouds aren't that thick and I feel like I did something wrong

[Aesir Elite]

Originally Posted by Kross

Cleaned it through and fired it up, the clouds aren't that thick and I feel like I did something wrong

What kind of bowl, shisha brand and flavor, packing method, foil pattern, and coals (# of coals as well) are you using?

[Kross]

It's the regular ceramic bowl the hookah came with. Using 2 starlight instant charcoals. sporadic holes throughout the foil.

[Kross]

I tried to have the holes be more or less concentric rings. As for how I packed the Shisha, I just sprinkled it into the bowl and put the foil on top. I didn't pack it in tight or anything.

[Kross]

I attached three photos of my setup.

[Kross]

Side note, I unscrewed the purse valve top and there was no ball bearing inside, is there supposed to be and could that be important?

[Aesir Elite]

Well you seem to be approaching in a pretty typical manner. Is it just the cloud size that isn't that big or is there not much flavor too?

Lots of smaller holes is always better. Fluff pack it (sprinkle). Make sure the tobacco isn't touching the foil or it might burn. Part of your problem may be the coals. Starlight coals aren't good from what I have heard, even as far as quicklights go. You should upgrade to natural coals if you can or at least 3 Kings QLs. It could just be the tobacco you have that doesn't produce large clouds. Some don't produce very big clouds. Generally the "Wetter" the shisha the clouds will be bigger. If it's more dry, you are less likely to obtain large clouds.

[Kross]

Also, I'm using Blue Bee tobacco which is pretty wet and it isn't touching the foil. I definitely will try different coals next time too

[Aesir Elite]

Originally Posted by Kross

Side note, I unscrewed the purse valve top and there was no ball bearing inside, is there supposed to be and could that be important?

That is very important and is 99% the reason you aren't getting flavor/clouds. An 8mm Ball Bearing or BB (plastic or metal) should work to replace it. For the time being I would unscrew the purge valve cover and get some foil and a rubber band and just cover it as tight as possible. If you need to purge, remove the foil and purge. Then cover it back up and continue smoking!

[Aesir Elite]

I'm sensing you bought this hookah from Hookahset? For the record I tried out some of my Blue Bee a couple nights ago and it has decent flavor and not so large clouds. Or at least their watermelon flavor anyway.

[Kross]

Ah, ok, thank you so very much for your help..I'm very worried as I just got this hookah and I really like it I just want it to work haha

[Kross]

That is correct, I'm using Blue Bee watermelon and this all came from HookahSet

[Aesir Elite]

It's doing it's job man. I have one very similar that I got recently. It smokes like a dream. Granted I have only got one session in, it worked fantastic and I plan to try out some other shisha tomorrow afternoon. The Blue Bee is just ok. But I can't complain too much. I found it had insane amounts of stem in it

[Neorej]

b

Originally Posted by Kross

Side note, I unscrewed the purse valve top and there was no ball bearing inside, is there supposed to be and could that be important?

That's yout answer right there...

Cover that up , with a ball bearing or bb gun bullet( Plastic ones ya know)

And try agian ,, if it still isn't working as good as i should ..

it prob will be how you pack the bowl ( wich seems ok)

Or your heat managemnt... Also make sure you get some Natural Coals ...Sice QuickLights arn't good....

Ok is 06:10 in the morning i need to go to work

Happy smoking !

[Kross]

So yeah, I put a plastic BB in the purge valve place and used three carefully placed charcoals (small ones) instead of two and my hookah smoked amazingly! Thanks again to everyone for your help!

[michaelsteele]

If you think every hookah session is going to be perfect you're going to be disappointed. This 'heat management' that us HPers talks about takes some practice. Watch lots of HP instructional videos (check out linerndunch's videos), ask lots of questions, and PRACTICE! But mostly ENJOY!

[epitome]

A new KM! Yay!!! You must be tickled!

The ball bearing is a must for pull, but the other thing I noticed now that I have a KM is that it takes more heat than my other hookahs. I'm sure it's a combination of the huge size and the very dense clay the bowl is made from, but I'm needing more coal until I can get a windcover that will fit to "preheat" the hookah.

With no windcover I'm using 4 coconaras and rotating them after 10 minutes to make up for the lack of "oven effect" which is working pretty well. The vase is huge on the KM so take care to not add too much water which is very easy to do. Make sure all your gaskets are tight and rock on.

Hope some of that helps you out! Yummy smoking!!!

[Boonie]

Dude, I'm so envious, I have just ordered that exact same hookah and am waiting for it to arrive.