Oozing Goo - The Lava Lamp Syndicate

Hi everyone,

I have always wanted to have a lava lamp and today I got my first one. After purchasing it, I left it for a couple of hours to adjust to room temperature and it has now been plugged in for 2 hours. I know that it is supposed to run for around 5 hours the first time around but I'm just a bit concerned because there doesn't seem to be much activity. The wax seems to have slided to a side and seems to be stagnating there. Is this normal for a first run or is there something wrong? Is there anything I should be doing? Thanks in advance for the replies. Much appreciated. 

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That is normal.  You might start seeing the wax melting any time.  First run might take 5 to 8 hours or more to full flow so be patient.

You picked a beautiful lamp for a first lava lamp!  Hope it is a good one for you!!

Thanks Keith for the reply. I am really excited about it and I'm glad to hear that this is normal. Quick follow-up question: If I turn the lamp off after 8 hours (now, on the first run) without it having achieved full flow will it affect the functionality of it in the future? I'm asking because 8 hours would mean 2:00 AM where I'm at and I'll need to catch some shuteye. 

It won't hurt it, but it may take just a long to heat up again.  I don't like to leave a lamp like that for a long time (weeks or months) but I don't know of any problems that would arise.

One question and comment, what is the ambient room temperature?  A room temp of 68 to 74 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended.  If the room is colder than that, or in a draft (from a window, door, fan, or forced air heating/cooling), it can take longer to flow if it flows at all.  If the room is warmer than that it will heat up faster but also could be prone to overheating which would lead to shorter run times.  If the base has a dimmer  you can control the heat issue that way.

In the end it started it's flow after around 5-6 hours. It is beautiful! I was a bit concerned because my room is a bit colder but I'm not exactly sure of the temperature. In the end I think the flow is working quite well. My only two concerns at the moment are: that after it has cooled down there seems to be some wax which stayed at the top - Will this get sorted out in time by itself after a couple more uses?; Secondly I've noticed that there is a crack at the top, under the metal cap. That must have been there from the start as I have handled it with maximum care. I don't want to be too picky so if it's of no major concern for the future I'm fine with it as it is masked by the metallic top. If it is a concern though I will have to return it. What do you think? (Not sure if it is visible in the photo, if not I'll post another pic in the next comment). Thanks again. 

P.S. I do not have a dimmer on the lamp. 

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Bad news.  If you run that globe with that crack it has the potential for catastrophic failure.  Shattered glass, water, melted wax all over.  Return it if you can.

That wax at the top is normal.  Almost all of my lamps has wax remaining like that after running.  It is not a cause for concern. If you gentle swirl the top of the globe it should sink to the bottom, but that is not needed at all.

Gabriel said:

In the end it started it's flow after around 5-6 hours. It is beautiful! I was a bit concerned because my room is a bit colder but I'm not exactly sure of the temperature. In the end I think the flow is working quite well. My only two concerns at the moment are: that after it has cooled down there seems to be some wax which stayed at the top - Will this get sorted out in time by itself after a couple more uses?; Secondly I've noticed that there is a crack at the top, under the metal cap. That must have been there from the start as I have handled it with maximum care. I don't want to be too picky so if it's of no major concern for the future I'm fine with it as it is masked by the metallic top. If it is a concern though I will have to return it. What do you think? (Not sure if it is visible in the photo, if not I'll post another pic in the next comment). Thanks again. 

P.S. I do not have a dimmer on the lamp. 

Blog post by Critter, regarding his Colossus that exploded;

http://oozinggoo.ning.com/profiles/blogs/my-c

Thanks for the advice Keith and analoghaze. In the end I went back to the shop (Argos) and returned it. This model was out of stock in their shop so I went to a different branch. I checked the new lava lamp in store for cracks and it looked fine. Then I got home and after turning it on I noticed what looks like a scratch. After reading Critter's story I'm thinking I became a bit paranoid... I know the picture isn't very clear but it's basically like a hairline scratch. I can feel from the texture that it's a scratch. What do you guys think? Will a scratch be fine in the long term? Is it safe or should I return it? I can't express how disappointed I feel. 

P.S. The scratch appears in the picture right above the black line above the wax. Thanks again guys. :(

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I don't know if that is a problem or not, however if you could get a replacement I think you should.

If it were a globe that I just had to have and no replacement available I might risk it.  

Gabriel said:

Thanks for the advice Keith and analoghaze. In the end I went back to the shop (Argos) and returned it. This model was out of stock in their shop so I went to a different branch. I checked the new lava lamp in store for cracks and it looked fine. Then I got home and after turning it on I noticed what looks like a scratch. After reading Critter's story I'm thinking I became a bit paranoid... I know the picture isn't very clear but it's basically like a hairline scratch. I can feel from the texture that it's a scratch. What do you guys think? Will a scratch be fine in the long term? Is it safe or should I return it? I can't express how disappointed I feel. 

P.S. The scratch appears in the picture right above the black line above the wax. Thanks again guys. :(

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