Hookahs Marijuana Hookahs How does a Hookah work?

Hookahs - What's a Hookah ? How does a Hookah work?

Hookah information: A hookah, nargile in Smoking Hookahs Turkish or shisha is a single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based) water pipe for smoking shisha (a type of tobacco). Originally from India, hookah has gained immense popularity, especially in the Middle East and is gaining popularity in the USA, Canada, UK, and elsewhere. Today, some of the highest quality and most extravagant hookah pipes come from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Turkey. The hookah operates by water filtration and indirect heat. It is used for smoking fruits although some people have now used hookahs to smoke other items such as hashish or marijuana products.

Hookah is the name of a large water pipe that originate in India, but gained popularity in the Middle East, mainly in Turkey and Iran. It is a large pipe that utilizes water and indirect heat for smoking.

Shisha is the name of the tobacco mixture that is smoked in the water pipe. Shisha comes in several flavors, with fruit flavors being the most popular.

Smoking the hookah is a social activity that is gaining popularity all over the world, especially among young people. A typical hookahs session lasts about 45 minutes and a hookah can be shared by one or several people.

Traditionally, the hookah pipe is reserved for men. It is extremely frowned upon for women to smoke the water pipe. However, you may see female tourists in Middle Eastern countries like Egypt enjoying the water pipe.

Components
Excluding grommets, a hookah is usually made of five or six components, four of which are essential for its operation.

The Bowl
Hookah Nargile Shisha Also known as the head of the hookah, the bowl is a container, usually made out of clay or marble, that holds the coal and tobacco during the smoking session. The bowl is loaded with tobacco then covered in a small piece of perforated tin foil or a glass or metal screen. Lit coals are then placed on top, which allows the tobacco to heat to the proper temperature.

There is also a variation of the head which employs a fruit rather than the traditional clay bowl. The fruit is hollowed out and perforated in order to achieve the same shape and system a clay bowl has, then it is loaded and used in the same manner.

Windscreen (optional)
A windscreen is a cover which sits over the bowl area, with some form of air holes. This prevents wind from increasing the burn rate and temperature of the coal, and prevents ash and burning embers from being blown onto the surrounding environment. This may also offer some limited protection from fire as it may prevent the coal from being ejected if the hookah is bumped.

Hose
Technically speaking, if the pipe has a hose it is not "hookah"-hookah refers to a straight-neck tube. The hose is a slender tube that allows the smoke to be drawn. The end is typically fitted with a metal, wooden, or plastic mouthpiece, and come in various shapes, sizes, colors and material type

Body and gaskets
The body of the hookah is a hollow tube. The bowl is attached to the top. Sometimes an ice bucket is attached between the body and the bowl to cool the smoke. At the bottom is a thin tube (the downstem) that is submerged in water. The point where the body meets the water jar is sealed with a gasket. Near there are at least two holes that open into the space above the water. One or more may accept a hose.

Purge valve (optional)
Many hookah are equipped with a purge valve connected to the airspace in the water jar to purge stale smoke which has been sitting unused in the jar for too long. This one-way valve is typically a simple ball bearing sitting over a port which seals the port by gravity alone and will open if positive pressure is created by blowing into the hose. The bearing will be held captive with a screw-on cover. The cover should be opened and the bearing and seat cleaned of residue and corrosion regularly to ensure proper sealing.

The body of the hookah sits on top of the water jar. The downstem hangs down below the level of the water in the jar. Smoke passes through the body and out the downstem where it bubbles through the water. This cools and humidifies the smoke. Liquids such as fruit juice may be added to the water or used in substitution. Pieces of fruit, mint leaves, and crushed ice may also be added.

Plate
A plate or ashtray sits just below the bowl to catch ashes falling off the coals.

Grommets
Grommets in a hookah are usually placed between the bowl and the body, the body's gasket and the water jar and between the body and the hose. The reason for the usage of grommets although not essential (the use of paper or tape has become common) will help to seal the joints between the parts, therefore decreasing the amount of air coming in and maximizing the smoke breathed in.

Operation
The jar at the bottom of the hookah is filled with water sufficient to submerge a few centimeters of the body tube, which is sealed tightly to it. Deeper water will only increase the inhalation force needed to use it. Tobacco is placed inside the bowl at the top of the hookah and a burning charcoal is placed on top of the tobacco. Some cultures cover the bowl with perforated tin foil or a metal screen to separate the coal and the tobacco, which minimizes inhalation of coal ash with the smoke. This may also reduce the temperature the tobacco is exposed to, in order to prevent burning the tobacco directly.

When one inhales via the hose, air is pulled through the charcoal and into the bowl holding the tobacco. The hot air, heated by the charcoal evaporates (not burns) the tobacco, thus producing smoke, which is passed down through the body tube that extends into the water in the jar. It bubbles up through the water, losing heat, and fills the top part of the jar, to which the hose is attached. When a smoker inhales from the hose, smoke passes into the lungs, and the change in pressure in the jar pulls more air through the charcoal, continuing the process.

If the hookah has been lit and smoked but has not been inhaled for an extended period, the smoke inside the water jar may be regarded as "stale" and undesirable. Stale smoke may be exhausted through the purge valve, if present. This one-way valve is opened by the positive pressure created from gently blowing into the hose. It will not function on a multiple-hose hookah unless all other hoses are plugged.