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Coughing Problem


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Since I couldn't find an apt thread about my particular issue, I state it here:

I've been smoking an Aladin hookah for many many years, and since a few months I own a KM Tri Metal Orignal hookah. All smoked well, until a few weeks ago. Suddenly, like twenty minutes into smoking session, I can't take two consecutive draws without coughing mad.

It's not the smokers cough, I don't smoke anything but hookah.
I don't smoke too much, I smoke outside and in winter it's too cold to stand or sit still in freezing temperatures.

Why is this happening?
Am I inhaling way, and way more smoke per inhale than usual and my lungs can't cope with that?

I did find a solution, however, it's not supposed to be like this for all times: Every two or three inhales, I blow all the smoke from the vase. This is silly, for I lose a lot of quality smoke like this.

What's going on? Anyone experiencing the same thing and have a solution?\
And no, I won't quit smoking ;)
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I'm packing the large vortexbowl with like 1/4 of the 50grams package.
Could it be, I wonder, that theres too much water bubbling up into the hose? I put the waterlevel like 0.5 inch up the unit, whatever you call it ;)
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You smoke outside in freezing temps, you said?

So far, if you're doing everything exactly like you always have, just using a different hookah, it's probably either you aren't packing the new bowl that came with the KM right, as Jay suggested, or you're not managing your heat properly (this could be why your bowl gets so harsh ~20 mins in). Any other things you may have changed?
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From experience, in freezing temperatures (smoked outside in -16c last week) it does become hard to breathe in smoke, but that is not what is causing your problem. To me it sounds like too much heat, as in you are burning the tobacco. If it was anything else it would be present right from the start, and not ~20 minutes in. Your water level is fine and no water will be getting into the hose.
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Okay, nice replies. Take in account that I only start coughing as soon as I breath out, not breath in. Ill try and put way more tobacco in the bowl. The heat management has been te same as I did on the small standard bowl.
Maybe, just maybe, I should be smoking more often!
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take a day or two off smoking, make sure youre not just getting a bit sick like Katie said, also for me some tobaccos just have a bit of a tickle on the exhale, no matter how I pack em, one if them is AF watermelon (which I LOVE), not cough inducing for me but maybe what youre smoking is kinda like that for you.
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Thanks for the tips. I don't have a lot of time and places to smoke in winter (I have to smoke outside and it's freezing, so you can imagine how discomfortable that is). I'll be experimenting lots tho!
Cheers
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  • 2 years later...

Hey everyone, hope you don't mind if I jump in. I have been using my hookah for over a week. I am still coughing my head off. Being a long time vaper, I KNOW nicotine has a throat hit. I have been told it's my packing, or heat management. I have watched countless YouTube videos on packing and heat management. I have tried tight packing and loose packing, one coal, two coals, three coals. Am I ever gonna stop coughing?

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Hey everyone, hope you don't mind if I jump in. I have been using my hookah for over a week. I am still coughing my head off. Being a long time vaper, I KNOW nicotine has a throat hit. I have been told it's my packing, or heat management. I have watched countless YouTube videos on packing and heat management. I have tried tight packing and loose packing, one coal, two coals, three coals. Am I ever gonna stop coughing?

It's probably still the packing or heat management. Try to keep part of your pack consistent and change one thing about it then try something else, if that doesn't fix it, change something else while keeping a constant. Pack the same every time and use different holes one time. Then Pack the same and use bigger holes, try again with smaller holes. Pack again and start with less heat on the bowl (hang the coal(s) off the edge of the bowl) and with the holes you had the best results with before (a comfortable draw and good airflow is most important) slowly add more heat until you're getting a good amount of smoke but no cough. (make sure the coals are heated red throughout as well, no more black at all) Remember, too, the bowl has to warm up so give it 10 minutes or so before you add more heat (pushing the coals closer to the center of the bowl).

What hookah, bowl, coals, and tobacco are you using?
Also, pictures would help (of your setup, the coals on the bowl and started, the foil after poking holes, and the tobacco in the bowl before you add the foil)

 

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Ok..I am on week 2. I have not had a single enjoyable hookah session. I have watched countless videos, listened to all the advice. It's not rocket science. There are no moving parts, or circuit boards. I am still coughing my effing head off. What can I be doing wrong??

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What tobacco are you smoking, what does it taste like when you inhale, if the smoke isn't going down smoothly something is wrong or  your throat might be very sensitive to smoke? May have something to do with a leak in the pipe if there is one, but since it's a new KM I highly doubt it, make sure you have a tight seal between the hose and the pipe, and if it has a purge valve make sure it's sealing when you're taking a puff.

Edited by Bawhee
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AF Jasmine. You may be right. There may be nothing I can do about it. Could be a sensitivity. I hope not. I really want to make this work. Now I am using two sheets of foil, and my coughing is reduced. It still may be heat management.

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Look, I use one layer of foil and I've packed some pretty shit bowls in my life (not lately but still). Coughing has only been a problem when either I horribly burned the pipe (as a total newbie) and certain tobaccos tickle my throat in a weird way that makes me wanna cough on the exhale for some reason that I don't understand.

 

So if it's not one of these two situations you might be having a bit of a problem with your throat, however that sounds unlikely, do you ever smoke anything other than hookah?

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Look, I use one layer of foil and I've packed some pretty shit bowls in my life (not lately but still). Coughing has only been a problem when either I horribly burned the pipe (as a total newbie) and certain tobaccos tickle my throat in a weird way that makes me wanna cough on the exhale for some reason that I don't understand.

 

So if it's not one of these two situations you might be having a bit of a problem with your throat, however that sounds unlikely, do you ever smoke anything other than hookah?

No I never have. I did smoke cigars for years but never inhaled them. Same thing with me. You would think that if my throat was sensitive to smoke, I would cough when I inhaled, not exhaled. I am heading down to my local head shop. Gonna try some Starbuzz and Famari. That is the last money I'm going to spend if these don'y work. I will keep you posted.

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I don't friggin believe it. All this time coughing my effing head off, and everybody was telling me heat management. They were right at first, but I was sure I had the technique down. Guess what...It was the Fantasia tobacco all this time. I went to my local head shop, and got some fumari. 30 minutes later, not a single cough. :D I guess my body didn't like Fantasia. 

The clouds are not where I would like them, but they are much much better.

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Your clouds will stabilize and get thicker volume as you get a grasp on the heat management. And it's as I said, some tobacco just tickles my throat wrong on the exhale, I stay away from those. Usually it's not gonna be an entire brand but rather a specific flavor though, at least for me.

 

Good to hear you ironed out your problem, now you can start the trial and error. Even with tutorials and help the best way you're gonna hit that sweet spot of packing and heat management is gonna be by trying it out! Do ask if you need some reference though haha! Also, do remember to keep hydrated and try to keep the space you're smoking in ventilated, don't want to pump your CO levels too high!

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