How Often do you Really Need to Clean your Pipe?

[emac.917]

I smoke Peterson System pipes 95% of the time and besides cleaning the reservoir out with a pipe cleaner immediately after smoking I've never really needed to do much else. A cleaner through the stem every 5th smoke or so and that's it.

So, a pipe cleaner is enough to soak up the captured moisture. That’s promising.

I’m considering a Peterson System pipe for my next purchase, so I have been wondering about their maintenance.

Are there any other considerations for proper maintenance of a system pipe?

 

[Sigmund]

Aside from enjoying filtered pipes I have always avoided the system pipes. The whole idea sounds unappealing to me but maybe its worth it.

 

[Jon C.P.G.]

So, a pipe cleaner is enough to soak up the captured moisture. That’s promising.

I’m considering a Peterson System pipe for my next purchase, so I have been wondering about the maintenance of the system.

Are there any other considerations for proper maintenance of a system pipe?

Using the system pack to avoid charring the draft hole helps

166. Charles Peterson’s System Pipe-Packing Method

Here’s something old for Peterson lovers that for many of us—me, at any rate—is quite new: a System-pipe packing method that seems to have come down from Charles Peterson himself. It’s found in the…

petersonpipenotes.org

And just cleaning the reservoir with a pipe cleaner you can use paper towel but I find that always leaves small bits of paper in the reservoir. Besides that you just maintain like any other pipe. I myself leave the stem out after I smoke a system for 12 to 24 hours but it isn't necessary it's Just something I do to let the reservoir totally dry out. This design was made during a time folks only had one pipe and smoked the bejesus out of it, hence why it uses the military mount and not a regular tenon and mortise. Easy to take apart, clean out and re pack for a smoke.

If you have a deluxe system with the chimney removing the chimney and giving the stem a clean with an untapered pipe cleaner every few smokes helps, again just like any other pipe. I personally would recommend going for a deluxe system as the chimney makes a world of difference from a system standard.

I tend to smoke certain blends in certain pipes as most others do with their normal pipes. I do think a system will ghost more because of the reservoir over time than any standard bent pipe because of the collection of moisture. I have pipes that are for blends that contain latakia, for burley only and Virginia and VaPer only, I'm not big on aromatics myself I only really will smoke Bagpipers dream once in a blue moon and I have a pipe for that.

1792 Flake is my personal favorite blend that I smoke more than anything else so naturally I have pipes specifically for that which I don't care about ghosting.

I don't have the palate for blend nuances others do so to enjoy the blends the best for me I have systems that are for specific types of tobacco so my uncultured self can appreciate them, basically.

 

[Jon C.P.G.]

Aside from enjoying filtered pipes I have always avoided the system pipes. The whole idea sounds unappealing to me but maybe its worth it.

What idea? A cooler, drier smoke?

They also make system pipes that take 9mm filters

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[Sigmund]

The idea of nasty stuff I have to clean out in between smokes. A filter is easy...pull it out and chuck it.

I dont own any petes yet but sooner or later it will happen. I went from Italian pipes to Danish pipes and currently Im trying not to buy more. I will fail. Maybe the next pipe will be a Pete...who knows.

 

[crowbait]

I'm guilty of being on the less cleaning end of things for sure. For the most part after a smoke, I just knock out the dottle, give the bowl a quick swipe, and a stern blow through the stem (with the bowl facing down) to clear any ash from the draft hole.

Thank being said, if something starts tasting off, its the pipe cleaner and vodka routine for the stem, and folded pipec leaner in the bowl is my standard procedure.

 

[crowbait]

"Pipes are meant to be smoked, buying a pipe and not smoking it for future resale value is like not sleeping with your girlfriend so she's in better shape for the next guy." - Me

Just read your signature. What a great self-quote. Tip of the hat my good man.

 

[emac.917]

And just cleaning the reservoir with a pipe cleaner you can use paper towel but I find that always leaves small bits of paper in the reservoir. Besides that you just maintain like any other pipe. I myself leave the stem out after I smoke a system for 12 to 24 hours but it isn't necessary it's Just something I do to let the reservoir totally dry out. This design was made during a time folks only had one pipe and smoked the bejesus out of it, hence why it uses the military mount and not a regular tenon and mortise. Easy to take apart, clean out and re pack for a smoke.

Thanks for sharing this knowledge. I was worried about the complexity of the system being a headache to maintain, but this addresses my concerns. I suppose tech like this that’s survived for so long means something.

I personally would recommend going for a deluxe system as the chimney makes a world of difference from a system standard.

I’ll definitely look into the deluxe system then.

I do think a system will ghost more because of the reservoir over time than any standard bent pipe because of the collection of moisture.

Good to know.

 

[sablebrush52]

@jpmcwjr. So, after removing dottle or ash, I run very hot tap water into the bowl and out the stem. Then a paper towel in the chamber, pipe cleaner for the stem, Q-tip for mortise.


So I took your suggestion to flush with hot tap water. I flushed the hell out of two pipes. Took the finish right off. LOL. Good thing I was planning on polishing it.

View attachment 333973

When I water flush I set the flow such that it just fills the bowl without spilling over while the water pours out of the end of the shank. That’s kept the need to repolish to a minimum. When I need to renew the polish I just use some Halcyon or Paragon microcrystalline wax and it’s good as new.

 

[sablebrush52]

I'm surprised this thread has been so civil with "water flushing" already mentioned.

There are two different pipe smokers. One camp believes that water should never touch a pipe. The other feels it's just fine.

In all truth, I think it's perfectly fine to flush a pipe with water.

But the thing is, when I first starting smoking briar, I dropped a pipe in a mug of coffee. It took me forever to bring back the shine. Since then, I never let water touch my pipes. I'm pretty sure I'm paranoid. It seems people flushing their pipe has no problem.

I haven’t tried the hot coffee flush. Was it Chock Full Of Nuts? Yuban?
Decaf?

 

[bullet08]

I haven’t tried the hot coffee flush. Was it Chock Full Of Nuts? Yuban?
Decaf?

It was Starbucks French roast. Maybe that might have been the problem. I should have gone with Italian blend.

 

[Choatecav]

What idea? A cooler, drier smoke?

They also make system pipes that take 9mm filters

"Pipes are meant to be smoked, buying a pipe and not smoking it for future resale value is like not sleeping with your girlfriend so she's in better shape for the next guy." - Me

I agree with Crowbait that your quote is noteworthy.....

Didn't Socrates say something along that line....................?