There's nothing more frustrating than having a tobacco pipe break. Some pipes may be at your side for years before breaking, making it even more heart wrenching.

But there are ways to prevent your pipes from breaking. One of the most famous methods to protect your pipe is to build up a cake. But there's more to it than that!

So why do pipes break? And how can you prevent it from happening?

Why Do Tobacco Pipes Break?

There are plenty of reasons why a Meerschaum pipe or Briar pipe might break. Let's go over the more common mishaps.

The Mouthpiece Gets Worn Down

Sometimes the mouthpiece gets worn out from repeated biting. This tends to happen towards the edge of the mouthpiece. This is because lots of pipe smokers hold their pipes in their mouth by biting down on them. This especially happens to people who smoke while they work and constantly use their teeth to hold the pipe in place.

Doing this makes the lip of the Briar pipe, which is made out of hard rubber, to break off or become defective. This almost never happens if your mouthpiece is made out of acrylic because it's a more durable material.

However, if you tend to bite down on the end of your pipe, acrylic may be uncomfortable because it's so hard.

The best way to prevent wearing down your mouthpiece is by not biting down on it. But if it's a habit you can't kick, you can wear a mouthpiece. Soft material also makes gripping it more comfortable.

Broken Tenon

Something going wrong in the mouthpiece is the most common problem in broken pipes.

Sometimes, a tenon breaks off. The part of the tenon that's meant to be in the mouthpiece gets stuck in the wooden mortise. This usually happens when a pipe has a 9mm filter.

Sometimes you can still use the pipe if the tenon is still in decent shape, even if the tenon is still stuck in the wood side of your pipe. It will have to be fixed if the tenon is blocking the airflow of the pipe.

Dropping

Dropping your tobacco pipe can seriously damage the wooden part of it. You may also bang your pipe on a hard surface to get the ashes out. Instead, hold onto your pipe and lightly knock it. If you still can't get the ashes out, use a reamer or pipe pick.

Don't hold the stem if you're knocking your pipe onto a hard surface because this can break the stem. A wine cork or cork knocker is a good way to clean your pipe of leftover particles.

To do this, the cork gets glued to the middle of your ashtray. Bang your pipe against the cork when you're done smoking and the ashes will come out. There are also special pipe ashtrays for this purpose.

Burnout

Burnouts in the pipe bowl are pretty severe if you can easily see a hole. But a warning sign is if you start to notice that your pipe is getting hotter than is typical. Another sign is if your bowl keeps getting deeper.

Burnout happens slowly and is caused by overheating the inside of your bowl. The bowl gets a hot spot that starts to burn from the inside out.

Burnouts can happen if you pack your pipe incorrectly or if you aggressively smoke in a way that makes your pipe hot and strains it.

Another reason for burnout is if the pipe cleaner is put into the pipe too hard or too far. This can wear away at the bowl slowly. Without a quick fix, you'll end up with a literal hole in the bowl of your pipe!

But you can prevent burnout. If you feel your Meerschaum pipe getting too hot to hold onto, especially if only on one spot, stop smoking and look to see if the tobacco is only burning in one place.

In addition, learn how to smoke and pack your pipe correctly. Don't clean the cake too much or that will make your pipe vulnerable to burnout.

Blockage

The main reason that pipes get clogged up and the airflow gets blocked is if you don't clean your pipe enough. When you smoke for long enough, you may get lazy about cleaning your pipe. It's easy to get careless!

But unless you clean regularly and diligently, your pipe will end up clogged with nicotine, tar, and tobacco. Over time the airflow will get blocked and your pipe won't be pleasant to smoke.

To prevent this from happening, you need to regularly clean your stem with a pipe pick. If it's recently started to clog, use a shank brush to get rid of all the extra dottle. You can also use a thin, long wire.

Take care not to hurt your pipe while cleaning it! One of the biggest mistakes people make while cleaning their pipe is accidentally damaging it.

Final Thoughts

It's a huge bummer when a pipe breaks, especially if it's one that's been along for the ride with you.

Sometimes it's your fault that your pipe breaks. Carelessness, lack of knowledge, and poorly built pipes are the three main reasons that pipes break.

But there are lots of things you can do to prevent a pipe from breaking, and hopefully now you have a better grasp on how to take good care of your pipe.