Peterson System Gurgling

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ashdigger

Lifer
Jul 30, 2016
11,378
70,056
60
Vegas Baby!!!
That’s it. I own a shit ton of Pete’s. They’ve never failed me. From an 1898 to a 2021. But because one gurgled and a current non smoker hates them…. I’ll add them to the horrible boating accident that cost me my guns and cannon.

Dry your tobacco and you’ll be fine.

I won’t name drop but Castello’s and Savinelli’s are inferior to Peterson’s in all shapes and forms.

I don’t care if you disagree. I own zero Castello and Savinelli pipes. So I’m what you call an authority.
 

sasquatch

Lifer
Jul 16, 2012
1,683
2,862
So is this a regular issue with system pipes? Is the moisture trap supposed to prevent gurgle?
In theory, the system is knocking moisture out of the smoke, causing turbulence and condensation. Kind of a great idea, except that if it doesn't work perfectly, all you've done is build a terrible pipe. The system sort of fixes a problem, but since it causes the problem in the first place, a guy has to determine for himself the efficacy of the fix.
 

burleybreath

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 29, 2019
955
3,327
Finger Lakes area, New York, USA
A Sherlock Rathbone I have can be counted on to gurgle every time I smoke it. It's the only one out of six dozen of various brands including "no names" that does this. But I like Petes in general. Not sure why, other than looks and history. In my experience, they smoke OK. Just OK. Can't say a Castello or Dunhill is overwhelmingly better.

Now cobs, cobs are another matter. :col:
 

burleybreath

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 29, 2019
955
3,327
Finger Lakes area, New York, USA
In theory, the system is knocking moisture out of the smoke, causing turbulence and condensation. Kind of a great idea, except that if it doesn't work perfectly, all you've done is build a terrible pipe. The system sort of fixes a problem, but since it causes the problem in the first place, a guy has to determine for himself the efficacy of the fix.
Totally agree with every word of this. But I smoke 'em anyhow. You know, Mark Twain and stuff?
 
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irishearl

Lifer
Aug 2, 2016
2,146
3,762
Kansas
I have 60+ Petersons. Of those that I have smoked, which is probably over 50% of them, none gurgle.

That is unless the tobacco is too wet, I packed the bowl poorly, I'm smoking too fast, or the ambient humidity is off the charts. Even then, I can set it down for a few minutes, and then go back to it and it's fine.
I have somewhere over 20 Petes which range in date of manufacture from the early part of the 20th century to this year. Only 2 of them will get a little wet 30 minutes into a smoke but that's what they make pipe cleaners for.
 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
I'm considering making a career out of lame-ass remarks by someone without the wit to make them.
 

romaso

Lifer
Dec 29, 2010
1,702
6,446
Pacific NW
I also like Peterson's. I find gurgling is much more correlated to the tobacco than the pipe.

I also especially like the Peterson System pipes, because you can dry them out quickly and thus smoke the heck out of them, great for traveling if you don't want to carry alot of pipes.

I've also been very impressed with the smoking qualities of their briar, which I believe is from Spain (Corisca for high-ends). Almost all of my Petes were sweet smokers from the start.
 

Kal

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 1, 2021
235
1,853
63
Misplaced Texan, in Ohio
Lol. Peterson natural silver spigot is my dream pipe. If it's gurgling, I'd just smile and dry my tobacco more and stop exhaling while clinching it.
Peterson makes so many pipes I'm sure a few may slip through the cracks on quality. But not many.
I'm figuring that by how popular they are. My unqualified 2 cents.
 

ofafeather

Lifer
Apr 26, 2020
2,769
9,044
50
Where NY, CT & MA meet
I have over 20 Pete’s, about 8 are systems. I have one that gurgles, but the truth is I can make almost any pipe gurgle! I don’t let it bother me. I flick it out or run a cleaner through. The Pete’s are great because you can remove the stem easily mid smoke to deal with it.

Systems don’t cause the moisture problem but trap the majority of it from the smoke. The ones with the chimneys actual work the best as the chimney is below the airway in the stummel and drops the moisture into the well more efficiently.
 
May 2, 2020
4,664
23,771
Louisiana
I have two Peterson system pipes and both gurgle. Since they are army mounts, I just remove the stem and blow out the moisture when it happens.
I clench and I guess that's the problem, unless it rarely happens with my other pipes. So, I dunno. I smoke them anyway. I'm not looking for zen here, it's a smoke.
You bring up a good point. I rarely have much moisture in the sump, but that is the allure of the army mount on a system. You can destem and dump moisture without concern for the mortise/tenon fit.
 

romaso

Lifer
Dec 29, 2010
1,702
6,446
Pacific NW

craig61a

Lifer
Apr 29, 2017
5,765
47,541
Minnesota USA
Chamfering does help to small degree, but if your tobacco is too wet, then your going have problems in any case.

The whole design theory behind the Peterson System, or so I've read, is that the space in the well creates a larger area, reducing air pressure and allowing the moisture to condense out of the smoke.

If you suck on it like a Hoover, and there is a small amount of moisture that has settled into the bottom of the draft hole, then it might gurgle a bit. But that would be just about any pipe.