Problem that probably is pretty common.

Hi I'm new to this site, but ever since my sister got a lava lamp when she was 14 and I was like 10, I had always wanted one.

I bought one at Target, and it is a 14.5 Inch Lava Lamp (r) with blue fluid and purple wax. I did what the manual said to do which was run it at least 2-10 hours on the first startup, so I ran it for 6, and I didn't expect any sort of flow or for the wax to move because it was the first time I ran it, but its been a few days now and I've been running it for 3-6 hours everyday and the wax just sort of sits in a big bubble at the bottom of the globe, and occasionally a big blob will rise up and fall back down, but it isn't like up and down fast moving like a normal, working lamp. I don't really know what to do to fix this and get a better flow, because lets be honest, that's why I bought it. The coil is at the bottom and everything and the bulb works fine, but I really need help because I want my last option to be to return it. Thank you for any sort of advice or tips.

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Permalink Reply by Keith on March 31, 2018 at 1:53pm

On a new lamp my advice is generally to run it daily for a week or two, like you say you are doing. If the flow doesn't improve to your satisfaction return the lamp. There is no need for you to put up with sub-par performance in a new product.

That being said lava lamps need a room temperature of 70 to 74 degrees F for best performance. Also make sure the lamp isn't under any draft. Even a heater vent draft can keep a lamp too cool because of the airflow, or too hot because of the heat (go figure!).

Sad to say but the flow you describe is typical of modern, china made lava lamps. Especially this size and smaller. You will normally get better flow from a larger lamp but sometimes it's still just like this.

Don't give up though, there are still good used lava lamps out there. Or you may find a new one that you like the flow on. Look for the 17 inch or 16.3 inch new lamps. You can also look on ebay, craigslist, facebook marketplace, etc. If you can find a USA made lamp (from before 2003) that would be your best bet, although some of those could be overused and have ruined wax (the blobs).

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Permalink Reply by Charles on March 31, 2018 at 2:16pm

Thanks,

Does this mean I should avoid buying one on, for example, Amazon? I tend to get bad results with craigslist and ebay, so I try to avoid those. They were selling larger ones at Target, but maybe I should avoid those too...

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Permalink Reply by Keith on March 31, 2018 at 2:50pm

I generally avoid buying lava lamps online because you can't actually inspect them. For a particular lamp that I want to add to my collection I sometimes take the risk. I hate paying shipping too. Amazon may be okay because of their shipping and return policy but I have never bought a lava lamp from them.

So, my personal advice would be to take this lamp back to Target and get a larger one. It most likely won't flow as well as the older USA made lamps but most of the recent china lamps from about 2015 flow fairly well, some even quite good. If they will let you, try to open the lamp in the store to check for fluid clarity (get approval first!, also they get nervous if you use your own knife) and other flaws.