In the long history of hookahs, using rubber or lightweight plastic gaskets to seal off air is a very new phenomena. So if you have problems with air leaks, they can be fixed quite easily. All you have to do is return to the traditional way of assembling the hookah.
- To seal a leak between the shaft and the base when the rubber gasket is missing, wrap electrical tape around the shaft at the portion that sits in the neck. Use as much as you need for the shaft to sit snugly in the base. Although this method works like a charm, the electrical tape doesn't last long because it gets wet and loses its stickiness in a relatively short time.
- The traditional way to seal the shaft at the base is to use strips of cotton fabric. Cut the strips about 1" wide and wrap them around the portion of the shaft that sits in the neck of the base. Again, use as much as you need so that the shaft sits snugly in the base.
- If you have lost the grommet that holds your hose securely in the shaft, replace it with electrical tape, masking tape, or a piece of fabric wound around the non-smoking end of the hose. Whenever possible, use the fabric as your first option.
Many people in the Middle East still use these traditional methods of assembling a hookah, and many of the coffee shops there have continued this practice.
