Hookah base broken? How to find a base that fits

A hookah base is the most fragile part of your hookah. One knock against the table or a splash of hot water in cold glass, and there is a crack. The good news: the base can almost always be replaced on its own, and that costs a lot less than a new hookah.

Below you read what to do when your hookah base is broken, how to tell which replacement base fits and how to prevent it from happening again. All replacement bases are in the hookah bases, the seals in the grommets and seals.

Safety first: a cracked or broken base

If your hookah base is broken or you see a crack, even a small one, stop using the base. Pour out the water and carefully take the stem off. A crack can run further, and then the base breaks just when it is full of water with the stem on top.

Why you do not glue a crack

Glue may keep a crack closed for a while, but the glass underneath stays weak. A base carries the weight of the stem and is full of water, and the temperature changes every session. A glued base is therefore not a solution. A new replacement base is.

Cleaning up and throwing away the glass

Sweep up large pieces with a brush and dustpan, and wrap them in newspaper before they go in the bag. Broken base glass does not belong in the glass bin. According to the Dutch environmental advice center Milieu Centraal, vases belong in the general waste: they are made of a different type of glass than jars and bottles, which disrupts the recycling of packaging glass.

How a hookah base attaches: grommet, click or screw

Which replacement base fits depends on how the stem was attached to the base. There are three ways.

Grommet: the classic connection

On many classic and Egyptian hookahs, the stem sits in the neck of the base with a grommet. That grommet seals the opening. A universal base often fits here, as long as the neck is about the same size. The universal base grommet is 7.2 centimeters on the outside and 3.2 centimeters on the inside, and a silicone base grommet from Khalil Mamoon stays supple longer than regular rubber.

Click and screw: only the base of your model

With a click system the stem clicks into the neck, with a screw system you screw it on. That neck is made per model, so only the base that belongs to your model or series fits. Amy Deluxe has models with a click system and models with a screw system; how to assemble an Amy again is in assembling an Amy Deluxe.

Which replacement base fits my hookah?

Start with the brand and the model number. With Amy Deluxe it is in the name, such as 066.02, 069.01 or SS13, and each has its own base. With H2 the 038 base fits the whole 038 series, and DUM has a base for the Magnum 2.0 in mini, medium and large.

If you have a hookah with a grommet connection of about 70 centimeters, a universal base is an option. The Panoramix B from Khan Al Khalily has a universal connection and fits hookahs of about that height from different brands. The glass base from Khalil Mamoon fits all Khalil Mamoon models.

Measuring with a grommet connection

Measure the inside of the neck of your old base, or the grommet that was in it. Compare that with the size of the grommet for the new base. If the grommet fits tightly in the neck and the stem tightly in the grommet, the base seals airtight.

Choosing a bigger or smaller base

A replacement base is also a chance to choose something different, as long as the connection fits. A different base does change the look and how much water goes in. How the base determines the size of a hookah is explained in this guide to which hookah size suits you.

Not sure? Bring the stem

If you are not sure, bring the stem or the old grommet to the shop in Almere or Beverwijk. There you put it next to the bases we have. What you can judge in a shop but not online is in visiting a shisha shop.

What a replacement base costs

With us a replacement base costs between 20.95 and 104.99 euros. The cheapest are the classic bases from Khalil Mamoon and Panoramix. For Amy Deluxe you pay roughly 31 to 105 euros per model, such as 36.95 euros for the base of the 066.02 Alu S and 52.49 euros for the base of the 069.01.

So if your hookah base is broken, a replacement base is usually a lot cheaper than a new hookah. Only with a cheap entry hookah can a new set sometimes cost almost as much as a replacement base.

How to prevent your base from breaking again

Most bases break at the same moments: when putting them down, when cleaning and on the road.

A protective ring around the foot

A Khalil Mamoon base guard is a silicone ring you slide around the bottom of the base. The base protector is a rubber ring under the base. Both absorb a knock and give grip on a smooth table, for 5.29 euros.

No boiling water in a cold base

A big temperature difference can make glass crack. So rinse a cold base with warm water, not boiling water. Also do not use rice or salt to scrub: that scratches the glass. A base brush and warm water are enough.

On the road and when storing

Never store the hookah with water in it and transport the base separately from the stem. If you take it on a trip, wrap the base in clothes in the middle of your suitcase. How exactly is explained in this guide to taking a hookah on a plane.

Does the new base leak?

If it hisses at the neck or the stem sits loose, the connection does not seal well. With a grommet connection the grommet has often hardened or sits crooked. With a click or screw system the stem is not attached properly or the grommet in the neck does not lie flat. How to find the leak step by step is in hookah leaking. Then fill the new base until the downstem sits 1 to 2 centimeters under water; more water makes the draw heavy, as you read in hookah draws heavy.

Replacement hookah bases at Mizori Shisha

At Mizori Shisha you find more than 35 replacement hookah bases: for Amy Deluxe by model number, for the H2 038 series, the DUM Magnum 2.0 and Oduman, and universal bases from Khalil Mamoon and Panoramix. Plus base grommets and seals and protective rings for the foot.

Ordered before 18:00, delivered the next working day (NL), and from 99.99 euros we ship for free (NL). Not sure which base fits? Visit our shops in Almere and Beverwijk.