6 Important Parts Of A Hookah You Need To Know
Identifying 6 Parts That Are Important For Your Hookah
In today's topic, we will be doing a quick rundown of each of the individual parts of a hookah parts and accessories one must understand & be familiar with in order to properly use a hookah correctly. Understanding how each hookah part functions can effectively help you improve the way you smoke your shisha for better & longer sessions. Let us take a dive into the major parts of a hookah so that you can enhance your smoking experience.
Parts Of A Hookah
Pipe Parts Names
1- Hookah Bowl
The bowl is one of the most and important main parts of a hookah in order for you to be able to use your water pipe / narguile properly. The bowl (also known as the head) is what holds your shisha tobacco in place in order for you to be able to smoke your pipe. The majority of bowls are generally manufactured out of clay but now in our modern age, we have plenty of different types of bowls made of various materials to choose from. Some of the various type of bowls are made up of metal, clay, silicone & so on. There are also different styles of bowls that are shaped and designed differently from one another. The 2 major styles of shisha heads are Phunnel bowls & Egyptian Clay bowls. Below are a couple of images illustrating the main differences of these two types. As you can see the internals of these are different in design. The phunnel contains only one large and internal air vent which is raised while the Egyptian style contains multiple air vents in the centre of the structure itself.
 |
 |
Phunnel Style |
Egyptian Style |
2 - Hookah Tray
The tray is another part of the pieces that are vital for your pipe. The tray is what protects your surroundings when smoking shisha and also acts a charcoal holder throughout your session. The tray firmly sits underneath the head on the shaft of the stem. Charcoal trays can come in various shapes and designs but their main functionality is to play a role in preventing lit coals from falling onto the ground. As funny as it may seem, this is probably one of the most important of parts that will end up saving you money in the long run by helping you prevent spending additional funds on replacing carpets or furniture. Simple style trays nowadays also may include lifted carriers to help your coals breathe and prevent them from blacking out.
3 - Hookah Stem
The stem (shaft, pipe, argila) is basically the centerpiece of your hookah-bong and obviously the main functioning part for your complete setup. The shaft is what connects all of the pieces of the puzzle together. The top part of your stem is called the bowl port where your bowl sits atop firmly. The bowl port is basically the main entrance of where your shisha flavoured smoke travels down from. The shisha stem sits on the vase/base to be held upright and vertically.
The stem also has two other ports that sit at the chamber section of your stem (part that sits on glass vase) that help make your pipe function. The first port on the pipe chamber is the hose port and is where the hose is gripped and placed firmly. This port allows the user to inhale smoke through the hose which is obviously the reason as to why were going through this entire process! The other chamber port which is typically on the opposite side of the hose port is called the purge valve port. The purge port typically holds a ball bearing internally and plays two roles for your setup. The first role of the smoke valve port helps enable you to restrict air from entering your pipe which then allows you to generate smoke from your bowl into your base and out into your hose when inhaling. The second role of the purge valve port is to release smoke when purging air into your stem. Purging your stem will help release stale smoke from your base so that you can maintain your sessions to your liking.
The final part of the stem is the bottom shaft which sits directly into your glass base and about an inch into your water level. The bottom part of your stem is what helps leads your smoke from your bowl into the water of your base for filtration. The bubbling effect when inhaling is actually the process of the smoke being generated into the base and out of the hose port.
4 - Hookah Base
The base (aka, vase, hookah-glass, hookah-jar) is another important part for your pipe for obvious reasons. The base is what holds your entire apparatus together and is essentially the carrier of your smoke. A base is vital for your water-pipe as it carries the stem, tray and bowl upright. When smoke is generated, the base preserves it and allows the smoke to travel out into your hose port. Smoke vases also allows your stem to filter out harmful particles when smoking.
5 - Hookah Hose
This shisha part is fairly simple and the easiest to explain for obvious reasons. The hose is the part that you carry in your hands and inhale smoke from. Its main purpose is to transfer your smoke into your lungs when inhaling, basically the inhaler. The hose is held by the hose port on the stem or shaft.
There are multiple and various types of hoses that are manufactured in today's industry. Hoses are usually designed out of fabric and are included with most bundles. Traditional hoses are non-washable therefore individuals tend to change out their hose to modify their pipe. The most common one used and upgraded to nowadays is the silicone hose which is also considered to be washable due to the material used to manufacture. Silicone hoses come in different shapes and sizes by various brands. Most simplistic pipes include a silicone hose whereas traditional pipe include a non-washable hose.
6 - Hookah Grommet
The grommet or gasket is the final important piece for your pipe to function properly. Grommets are designed so that they grip your all parts together firmly and create an airtight seal. Grommets are required so that air does not enter your bong and allows for smoke to being generated and transferred throughout your pipe. There are three types of grommets or seals.
The first grommet is the hose gasket which grips the hose into the hose port firmly. It is important to note this gasket is inserted into the hose port and is air tight to prevent leaks from occurring throughout your session.
The second grommet name is the bowl gasket which allows the bowl to sit firm atop of the bowl port of the shaft. Its job is ensure that the bowl grips firmly onto the top port and fits inside of the bowl for an airtight seal.
The final grommet is the base gasket. This seal is vital as it holds the upper part of the water pipe to the base. The shisha base grommet fits onto the mid section of the stem so that you are able to hold the shaft into the glass firmly. It is important that the grommet fits properly so that the stem is gripped on tight to prevent any movements and accidents from occurring as well as to create a tight seal to prevent smoke from escaping.
Hookah Accessories
The parts of a shisha pipe we discussed today are all very important as they each play an individual role to help generate smoke for a proper session. We hope that this post helped you learn about all of the different piece and components required for proper use. If you enjoyed this post, please share this post on social media with your friends and fellow smokers!