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pipedood

Lurker
Jun 6, 2014
9
0
I've had a pipe for a long time, but only recently started smoking it again and purchased a few more. I notice after smoking it for a while it gets filled with liquid and sounds like the last few sips of soda with a straw. Am I doing something wrong or is this normal? It only happens with the briar wood pipe. Not corn cobs.

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
The moisture accumulates from condensation of the relatively warm smoke stream reaching cooler sections of the pipe (the stem).

Briars are harder and less absorbent than corncobs, so they start to gurgle sooner. If the pipe you're smoking is delivering a cool,

flavorful smoke, then you're not doing anything incorrectly -- you're just the victim of physics.

OTOH, if your tobacco smokes seem thin, diluted and relatively tasteless, then you should do three things:
  1. Dry your tobacco more than you think is proper

    Pack it more loosely than you think it ought to be

    Smoke more slowly
Smoking in humid conditions exacerbates the problem. Also, many OTC aromatics are more difficult to smoke dryly.

Pipes with stingers, and bent pipes, will increase the likelihood of condensation. Filters will reduce gurgle.
Lotsa people have moisture issues, and it's a frequent topic in the forums.

 

monty55

Lifer
Apr 16, 2014
1,722
3,560
65
Bryan, Texas
^ +1
When you hear a gurgle run a pipe cleaner down the stem to the bowl. Do NOT take the stem off the bowl. This will take care of the problem. I do this with my pipes that gurgle, sometimes twice during a bowl.

 

faust

Might Stick Around
May 25, 2014
74
0
^+1 the problem probably is you are showering with your pipe xD

 

werebear

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 13, 2014
264
0
Also if you let your pipe rest properly between smokes it will help some.

 

faust

Might Stick Around
May 25, 2014
74
0
On the note of resting pipes how long is it necessary to rest them? Is it literally just until it cools back down to room temperature or should you leave it a few hours? I don't usually smoke from the same pipe more than once a day but it would be a handy thing to know :D

 
If you are scared the VooDoo pipe demons will strike you down if you remove a stem from your hot pipe, then put your finger over the bowl and sling the water out of the stem. The problem is turbulence in the pipe. The dryness of the tobacco is not relevant at all. I can make condensation with bone dry tobacco if I smoke it too fast in a bent pipe. Just slow down your cadence, very very slow, and this problem will resolve itself. Or run a pipecleaner down it, sling it, knock on wood, or find a four-leafed clover.
I don't recommend removing a stem unless you're always careful in twisting gently and pulling straight out.
Of course every time this question is asked (I want a nickle per, lol) you will get all of us posting the same things time after time. And, we are all pretty much right, even though we disagree. LOL. The beauty of forums. :wink:

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Most moisture is from condensation from the combustion of tobacco, but clenching (leaving the pipe

in your mouth/teeth) probably contributes some saliva and some moisture from exhaling into the stem

a little. Packing the pipe right helps; see the video on this at pipesmagazine home page. Tamping may

help a little, by keeping the burning ash a little tighter and drying out the moisture. The cobs have an

area under where the shank enters the bowl that traps a little moisture and keeps it from gurgling. Dryer

tobacco may help. Play around with these variables. Gurgling is really annoying and spoils the spell of

a good smoke, but in most cases it does no harm, doesn't put out the leaf nor deliver a mouth full of

moisture. The pipe cleaner trick is a good one. On resting pipes, I think a good 24 hours between bowls

is best. Some of the old timers, like my dad, chain smoked all day and into the night, and never smoked

but one pipe until it cracked. These guys laughed if you mentioned resting a pipe. They didn't rest, why

should the pipe? I'd have enough pipes to have one for every day of the week you smoke, or more if you

have multiple bowls a day. A bunch of cobs do great. Most of us accumulate enough briars over time.

 

fluffie666

Can't Leave
Apr 4, 2014
497
5
I have the same issue. I've been rectifying it with pipe cleaners. All my pipes are bent estate pipes I bought in the price range of 15 to 60 bucks. I do believe I am a victim of physics in my case. Are you smoking a bent pipe?

 

bphilli75

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 27, 2013
246
5
I have both straight and bent pipes that sometimes gurgle a bit. I keep a pipe cleaner handy, and it remedies the problem straight away. I tend to use the cleaner even on pipes that don't gurgle, just to keep the moisture level down in the stem and shank.

 
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