Too much Shisha or vortex bowl constructed wrong?

[LoudClouds]

Hey guys, well I'm new to HF so I hope I didn't mess anything up with this thread (if so let me know plz.) Well I was at a smoke shop recently, I bought a new vortex bowl a few days ago and I haven't really had any problems with it apart from maybe the packing method and duration (both of which relate.) the way the vortex bowl is built, the stub (thing in middle, sorry don't know name) is about a few cm shorter than the bowl itself so I was wondering, do I pack the Shisha halfway (right below middle stub) and leave the other half empty so coal doesn't come close to touching or is the bowl just a dud, in which case I should go ahead and order an official name brand? The smoke is good, flavor is great, only thing is I expected a longer session than my Egyptian (1hr-1hr 30min) edit: I always use coco coals, rotate about every 30 min, maybe it's my heat management?

Edited November 24, 2015 by LoudClouds
Needed to include other factors

[Bawhee]

Moved to the right section.

As for your actual question, try getting pics of the bowl uploaded so we can see the problem, I've never used a vortex myself but I'm sure someone can take a look and see if it's broken!

[mushrat]

So, the Phunnel bowl in all its various ripped off versions are designed with the central tower to be slightly lower that the edge of the bowl to allow for heat distribution. So in this case, you should fill the bowl to the top of the bowl, while leaving the top of the tower exposed.

As for your heat. That depends on the tobacco, your smoking style, and other personal preferences.