Smoking in Super Hot Weather

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musicman

Lifer
Nov 12, 2019
1,119
6,052
Cincinnati, OH
No. Tobacco burns at a much higher temperature than that.

The temperatures don't add together.
I tend to disagree, although not because the tobacco is burning at a hotter temperature than the outside air. I've noticed that when it's really hot out, the stummel of the pipe gets warmer much faster. And given that one job of a briar pipe is to disperse the heat of the tobacco so it smokes "cooler", it would make logical sense that anything that accelerates the stummel heating up is going to affect the temp at which the tobacco burns as well.
 

chopper

Lifer
Aug 24, 2019
1,480
3,317
Sitting outside in the shade smoking my pipe with coffee. Could be 116 today and tomorrow in AZ. It kinda sucks, but 9 out of 12 with 6 months of fantastic weather, i’ll deal with it.

Don’t sweat it, bad pun intended, your pipe will be just fine in the summer.
The weather here in Oz is great for 9 months of the year but in the middle of Summer it feels like the heat will never end - we hit 49*C/120*F last year. Brutal.
At least it's usually dry heat for 2 months before the humidity descends.

I can take the dry heat but high humidity blows chunks. Why I could not live in the tropics.
 

jttnk

Lifer
Dec 22, 2017
1,654
10,267
Phoenix, AZ
The weather here in Oz is great for 9 months of the year but in the middle of Summer it feels like the heat will never end - we hit 49*C/120*F last year. Brutal.
At least it's usually dry heat for 2 months before the humidity descends.

I can take the dry heat but high humidity blows chunks. Why I could not live in the tropics.
Same as they say here, “it’s a dry heat”, which is more bearable. I dislike humidity. Even going to California, I’m always hot.
 
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GlassMan

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 13, 2020
105
245
Tempe
Just smoked a bowl in our wonderful Arizona sunshine. 105 on the patio, on the way to a high of 109. The one thing I do notice is that if I'm not careful, the tobacco will smoke warmer than usual. I attribute this to the stummel not being able to disperse heat as efficiently as in cooler weather. But no, it won't ruin a pipe.
Hey what’s up man of music, I’m in Phoenix. Heat advisory all week. 117 degrees. As I type this at 12:40am it’s still 100 degrees out.
My two cents of smoking outside in the heat: it’s rough. I do it every night when I walk the dog, but it’s rough. Totally accurate about the briar not being able to dissipate heat. Reminds me of a story I heard about how they measure the efficiency of electric motors. Operating temperature is in direct correlation to ambient temperature. Has to be within a certain range. Seems obscurely relevant. Cheers
 

musicman

Lifer
Nov 12, 2019
1,119
6,052
Cincinnati, OH
Hey what’s up man of music, I’m in Phoenix. Heat advisory all week. 117 degrees. As I type this at 12:40am it’s still 100 degrees out.
My two cents of smoking outside in the heat: it’s rough. I do it every night when I walk the dog, but it’s rough. Totally accurate about the briar not being able to dissipate heat. Reminds me of a story I heard about how they measure the efficiency of electric motors. Operating temperature is in direct correlation to ambient temperature. Has to be within a certain range. Seems obscurely relevant. Cheers
Hey man of glass! Howdy from just down the 10 in Tucson. I also smoke nightly, but usually later than the dog walk (the wife makes faces when I grab a pipe for the dog walk). 92 down here at 1:00 AM, and I'm enjoying a bowl out on the patio. One good thing about living in Tucson as opposed to The Valley is that at 2000 ft it usually cools down a little more at night when it's hot, but it's still tough, as you say, to enjoy a pipe when everything around you seems like it's on fire as well (Hell, for the past month the mountain has actually been on fire too, and I could watch the flames as I enjoyed my nighttime bowl)

Your story about motors reminds me of about two years ago when I needed to replace the pool pump. I ordered what I was told was a great replacement from a place in Florida, only to find out it was rated for 40 C, so about 105. It died when June hit, and was fortunately within the warranty period. It was replaced with a pump that was rated for 50 C. Still going strong a couple of years later! Whomever advised me to order the first one in Florida had no idea how hot it gets here.

Still, I love it. I especially love it in December when we're enjoying perfect pipe weather and the rest of the country is freezing their fingers off trying to have a smoke.
 

TinCup

Can't Leave
Nov 14, 2019
341
969
Indian Ocean
One of my briar pipes is a relatively inexpensive bent apple with a paint finish rather than a stain and its clear the paint is being gradually destroyed by hot/humid weather. So not the wood but the finish is certainly being damaged

(I think it’ll eventually end up as an unfinished pipe that I might then stain myself)
 
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GlassMan

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 13, 2020
105
245
Tempe
I smoked my first pipe when it was 125 - 130 in Afghanistan. It may be the reason I didn't really dive into pipe smoking until 7 years after I got back. lol
That sounds horrible. If I’m feeling frisky I’ll smoke a pipe or cigar in the pool sometimes, when the sun is not directly overhead.
 
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jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,570
27,077
Carmel Valley, CA
One hot weather no-no that I learned early on is to NEVER leave a pipe with a Ebonite stem in the car on a hot day, unless you want instant oxidation. I did this once with a Peterson and the stem still smells slightly of sulphur.
Yes, that should do it! The heat, UV rays, and possible sweating of the stem should really speed up the process!

BTW, did you scour or sand the stem and then finish with mineral oil? That should eliminate or reduce the odor.
 

btp79

Can't Leave
Jan 27, 2018
436
711
Sugar Land, TX
I'm on the Texas gulf coast, I love my pipes, but when it's consistently 90 degrees and 70% humidity, I switch back to cigars for the most part. Smoke what you like when you like it. The real question is "is it too hot for me to enjoy" if that's the case, don't force it.
 
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Spavilla

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 6, 2020
156
316
Gulf Coast of Florida
I'm on the Texas gulf coast, I love my pipes, but when it's consistently 90 degrees and 70% humidity, I switch back to cigars for the most part. Smoke what you like when you like it. The real question is "is it too hot for me to enjoy" if that's the case, don't force it.
Summer across the Gulf over here in Pinellas, FLA is pretty much the same; consistent 90º heat and high humidity from roughly Mid-June through Mid-October then things start cooling down as humidity & temps drop nicely. During the summer months here the heat is by itself not enough to damage a pipe (though sun can), but the humidity will definitely affect your weed burn. Initial loose pack works best for me, with light tamping along the way. I'll only smoke outside in the morning with coffee after the pups are taken care of, maybe an hour, or after dinner with rum or bourbon and coke on ice, maybe 2 hours as I am better fortified against the temps. We all have our environments to deal with. I picked my poison carefully and never complain.
 
Jul 19, 2020
25
27
Massachusetts
Briar's melting point is 92°F, I wouldn't risk it.

IMG_12032020_165126_1080_x_800_pixel-324x240.jpg
Haha! I imagine you having that pipe for five years and just waiting for someone to ask about outdoor temperatures so you could whip that picture out. :-P
 

Swampdragon69

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 16, 2019
129
128
I do not smoke outside in this heat not for the heat but from all the sinus problems. Hay fever, allergies, and the damn bugs. those suckers just cover me in bites .
 
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