Help with cleaning hose ports.

[xdeliberatex]

My friend has a hookah where the hose ports on the stem have bearings in them so you don't have to plug them when only using 1 hose. And it seems that 2 of the 3 holes are plugged up or clogged. Anyone have suggestions or fixes for this? Thanks.

[Nima]

maybe there are bearings in the other hoses (from factory) to allow better smoke from the first hose.

You usually should be able to un-screw it and remove it,

[Apronym]

I've had this same problem with a two hose hookah. I've found that the best way to clean valves is to use a product called 420 cleaner. The cleaner is discreetly marketed for cleaning cannabis paraphernalia. It's commonly available at most "head-shops", many of which also sell hookahs and hookah accessories. There are tiny crystals in the solvent that settle to the bottom so you should shake the bottle well before use. Just remove the valve, plug one end with your finger and put a small amount of cleaner inside. plug the other end and shake for about one minute. Rinse with water and replace the valve. It should now open freely when you pull on the hose. 420 cleaner costs between $7.50 and $12.00 depending on where you buy it.

[kalutika]

Clean it with any conventional cleaner used for stainless steel. CLR should work perfectly fine I would think. Make sure that no matter what you do you need to clean out and air out the hookah extremely well after using the solution.

also make sure that there you remove all rubber grommets and hoses and things. Any good cleaner will eat through rubber like there is no tomorrow.

A good idea for auto-seal system hookahs is to get a small airsoft pellet and replace the metal ball bearings. they don't get jammed as easily and they won't rust. Just make sure it's plastic and not bio-pellets. Those ones will eventually break down and melt away. I figure that would not take very long in a hookah hose port.

[kalutika]

I can not comment. I don't know and I don't participate in any activities that would involve those pipes.

[Apronym]

I'm glad to here that you abstain from using illegal drugs. However, I was merely citing the effectiveness of the product. Its original intended use is hardly relevant and my mention of it was just a side-note on the nature of its availability. Also, 420 cleaner will not corrode the rubber fittings and easily washes away with water.

[kalutika]

Sorry if you thought I was implying that you did or that i was passing judgment. I only dictate my own actions and wanted to make sure that my views were clear.

Wasn't there a link in this thread that was to some questionable pipes? I thought there was one... that is what i was responding to. If not I must have replied on the wrong tab when I had a few open at a time.

I have never heard of that cleaner or what it's made out of. any idea of the ingredients?

[Apronym]

I'm not sure what the ingredients are. They don't list them but claim that they are all natural. I've heard speculation that it contains some sort of alcohol (I suppose not the very best thing for rubber but it won't eat it.) and a guy at a hookah/head shop told me that the crystals in it are from some sort of sea shell or something. It smells pleasantly like citrus and parts initially take on this smell after cleaning. One use and the smell subsides if you don't like it.

[kalutika]

hmmm... makes me wonder if it is the lemon and baking soda mix that works so well for cleaning hookahs with some granular salt i it.

[Apronym]

I suppose that's possible. I don't have a bottle currently but as I recall I couldn't smell any alcohol and it seems like the scent would be overpowering if it did. After all, beverages with even a low alcoholic content smell of ethanol so one would think a cleaner containing alcohol would reek of it.