Getting Started & Setup · 7 min
What do I need to smoke hookah? Accessories checklist
Hookah, bowl, foil or HMD, natural charcoal with charcoal lighter, tobacco, hose and mouthpiece: the basic equipment for your first session.
Shisha Getting Started & Setup
How much water goes in a hookah? Setting the water level correctly
Fill the glass base with enough water that the dip tube is immersed about two centimetres, roughly a thumb's width. With a diffuser, all the holes are under water. Do a test draw without a bowl and change the water after every session.
In this article9 chapters
- How deep should the dip tube sit in the water?
- Too much or too little water: how can you tell?
- What does a diffuser change about the water level?
- Setting the water level in five steps
- How often do you need to change the water?
- Ice, milk or juice: what belongs in the glass base?
- Dip tube, diffuser and glass base in pictures
- Why does water get into the hose?
- Frequently asked questions
How deep should the dip tube sit in the water?
| Your setup | Starting value | Reference point |
|---|---|---|
| Dip tube without diffuser | About 2 cm under water, margin 1 to 3 cm | Lower end of the dip tube |
| Dip tube with diffuser | Water just above the topmost holes | Topmost diffuser opening |
| Small glass base or push-fit glass base | Same depth, just less water | Lower end or diffuser |
| Adjustable dip tube | First set the length to suit the glass base, then fill | End at the chosen setting |
There is no litre figure for all hookahs. How much water you need depends on the volume of your glass base and the length of the dip tube. What counts is therefore the depth at the dip tube, not a line on the glass. The starting value of about 2 cm is a starting point. Whether you take a little more or less later is decided by your draw.
Too much or too little water: how can you tell?
You feel too much water immediately in the draw. The hookah draws heavily, the bubbles rise to the rim, and water can get into the hose. When you blow out hard, you even push it through the stem and into the bowl.
Too little water, on the other hand, draws easily and airily. It hardly bubbles, and the smoke gets warmer and harsher because it only passes through the water briefly. When the level is right, you hear an even bubbling without having to pull hard.
What does a diffuser change about the water level?
A diffuser splits the smoke into many small bubbles at the end of the dip tube. The bubbling becomes quieter and finer. But it only works if all the holes are under water. If the upper ones are exposed, the hookah draws air there, and the noise gets loud again.
Because the diffuser extends the dip tube downwards, you often need less water than without one. A push-on diffuser like the AO silicone diffuser must match the diameter of your dip tube. Check that before buying.
Setting the water level in five steps
Set the water level before the tobacco and charcoal go on. That way you can take the stem off and readjust in peace.
Fill the glass base with cold water
Use cold or room-temperature tap water. Fill in slightly less than you estimate at first; topping up is easier than pouring out. Hot water does not belong in a glass base.
Insert the stem and look at the depth
Seat the stem fully on the glass base. Then look from the side at eye level to see how deep the dip tube or the topmost diffuser holes sit in the water. The product view of the Aladin MVP Rocket shows how far the dip tube reaches into the clear glass base.
Top up or pour out
If the end sits too shallow or too deep, take the stem off again. Add or pour off water until the dip tube is immersed about 2 cm. Do not top up water through the hose adapter.
Test draw without a bowl
Attach the hose, but leave the bowl off for now. Draw calmly: the hookah should bubble evenly without you having to pull hard. Then blow out briefly. If no water rises into the stem, the level is right. The photo shows the stem and connections of an Aladin 2GO.
Note the level for the next session
Mark the height on the outside of the glass base, for example with a small label or a water-soluble pen. At the next setup you fill straight up to that mark. How to note down your whole setup is described under Noting down your hookah setup.
How often do you need to change the water?
Change the water after every session. Tobacco residue and molasses collect in the used water, and it takes on the smell of the last flavour. If it stays, the next bowl tastes of it, and a deposit forms faster at the waterline.
If you smoke another bowl the same evening, use fresh water, at the latest when you change flavour. Pour out the old water, rinse the glass base briefly and refill to your mark. How to remove deposits and limescale is explained in Cleaning a hookah glass base. You will find the stem, hose and bowl under Cleaning a hookah.
Ice, milk or juice: what belongs in the glass base?
| What | What happens | Our recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Cold tap water | Neutral in taste, easy to change | Standard for every session |
| Ice cubes | Barely noticeably cooler, displace water when added | Add the ice first, then top up to the level |
| Hot water | Can make a glass base crack | Not in the glass base |
| Milk | Foams, turns sour and smells; denser clouds are a myth | Leave it out |
| Still juice (without carbonation) | Changes hardly anything, but sticks to the glass and stem | At most diluted, then clean thoroughly |
| Beer, soft drinks, alcohol | Foam, smell or make the draw harsh | Leave it out |
| Baking flavourings or oily additives | Stick and hardly come out again | Leave it out |
If you want to smoke cooler, ice in the glass base achieves little. An ice mouthpiece on the hose is more noticeable. Also, do not tip a large amount of ice into a room-warm, thin-walled glass base. Hot water, though, is the bigger risk for glass.
Perforated dip tube
On the Aladin 2GO the openings sit directly at the end of the dip tube. The same rule applies here as with the diffuser: all holes belong under water.
Push-on silicone diffuser
The AO silicone diffuser is pulled over the end of the dip tube. It extends the tube, which is why the amount of water needed usually drops.
Screw-on diffuser
The Steamulation Cooling Diffusor screws onto the dip tube. Check beforehand whether the thread and length fit your stem.
Molasses catcher
A glass molasses catcher sits between the bowl and stem and catches molasses before it drips into the water. It changes nothing about the water level. If the hookah draws heavily, take it off once as a test.
Faceted glass base
Through the faceted glass of the Caesar Crystal Trunk Rock you can see the dip tube less well. Check the depth from above before you put the stem on, and mark the level on the outside.
Why does water get into the hose?
Usually the water is too high, or you draw very hard. Then the bubbles carry droplets all the way to the hose adapter. A hose that is not completely dry after cleaning also releases water. Pour off some water, dry the hose and draw more gently.
If the hookah draws heavily despite the right water level, it is rarely down to the water. Then check the bowl, hose, seals, the molasses catcher and whether the valve ball in the purge valve sits cleanly. You recognise a bowl packed too densely with the guide Building a hookah bowl the right way. What else a hookah needs, you will find under What do I need to smoke hookah?
Frequently asked questions
How much water goes in the hookah in litres?
That depends on your glass base and the length of the dip tube. A small push-fit glass base needs only a fraction of what a large glass base holds. So fill by depth rather than by litres: the dip tube sits about 2 cm in the water.
Can I leave the water in for the next bowl?
On the same evening with the same flavour that is possible, but fresh water tastes cleaner. If you change flavour, refill. No water stays in the glass base overnight.
Can ice cubes make the glass base crack?
A few ice cubes in cold water are normal for an intact glass base. Tipping lots of ice into room-warm, thin glass, on the other hand, is an unnecessary risk. Hot water is more dangerous.
Does the water level rise when the ice melts?
No. Floating ice displaces as much water when you put it in as it yields later when melting. So the level rises when you add it. Therefore put the ice in first and then top up to your level.
Do I need mineral water or filtered water?
No, cold tap water is enough. With very hard water, a pale rim forms faster at the waterline. You remove that when cleaning the glass base.
About the author
Julian
Hookah expert
For this article
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