Kaloud Ayara Carbon Filters Guide
The Kaloud Ayara® Carbon Filter is an activated carbon filter that sits in the smoke path of a hookah. This guide covers which filter fits your system, how to care for it, and how activated carbon works.
Which Ayara filter fits your Krysalis?
- Generation 1.0 Krysalis® systems use the Large (Short) Ayara pods.
- Generation 2.0 Krysalis® systems use the Small (Tall) Ayara pods.
- The two sizes hold the same amount of activated carbon. The shape differs to fit each system.
- Standard stem-and-base hookahs need an Ayara Carbon Filter Adapter, sold separately. Krysalis systems have the filter housing built in and need only replacement pods.
How do you clean and replace Ayara pods?
- Rinse the pod with warm water between sessions. Do not use soap or detergent on the pod.
- Replace the pod after 21 sessions at most. A woody or smoky taste means the carbon is spent.
- Keep the bottom of the filter in the water. Fill the base so about 1 cm of the diffuser is submerged. Higher water raises draw resistance.
How does activated carbon work?
Activated carbon works by adsorption, which is different from absorption. Absorption takes a substance into another, the way a sponge takes in water. Adsorption happens on a surface. Molecules attach to the outside of the material.
Activated carbon has a large surface area because of its network of microscopic pores. One gram can have more than one thousand square meters of surface. As smoke passes through the pod, some compounds in the smoke attach to that surface and stay there. The same material is used in water and air filtration.
How do Ayara and the Lotus work together?
The two parts act at different points in the system. The Lotus® heat management device holds the charcoal above the bowl and spreads its heat across the shisha, and its lid keeps ash and larger particles out of the bowl. The Ayara filter sits lower in the smoke path, where the smoke passes through the carbon before it reaches the water.
What do Kaloud's measurements show?
In Kaloud's laboratory test, a setup using the Lotus and Ayara Carbon Filter measured reductions of up to 83.2% for carbonyl compounds, 90.5% for PAHs, 91.2% for VOCs and 60.8% for carbon monoxide compared with the study's reference setup. These are measurements of selected compounds under defined test conditions. They do not establish reduced exposure, reduced health risk or safe smoking, and a filter does not prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Read the full study page for the method and its limits.
Hookah use involves tobacco and carries inherent health risks regardless of filtration. Never burn charcoal indoors or in an enclosed space.