Blue/White Flow Issue

[Mike]

Hey there im new to the community and I know this is a good place to get good advice! Anyway here is my question:

I have a new Blue/White Lava Lamp (original lava brand), it has a original bulb in it and I have had it 2 weeks. I have used it ~10-18 times. When it runs it starts off normal streamer going up and going hard and then melting the issue is when it gets to running temp where I would assume it should be "flowing" it just goes into a ball and sits there spinning, not touching the bottom not flowing up, just 1 blob.

I had it work once, the first time I had it thats it, I have never shaken it or anything like that this is my second lava lamp and I know how long it takes to get up to temp and run and how to maintain it.

I was also reading that if this happens you should do the following:

""NO FLOW/LOW FLOW Lava Brand Globes
(aka the lava is not moving or the lava is sitting at the bottom of the globe)

If the lamp has warmed up completely (the lava is melted and the lamp has been on for at least four hours) and the lava either settles to the bottom and stops flowing or the lava never flows at all, follow the instructions below.

1) Remove the globe from the base and set it on a flat even surface. (like Fig. 1)

Be very careful as the lamp is hot. Use pot holders if necessary. Do NOT shake the globe or turn it end over end as this will permanently ruin the lamp and void your warranty.

2) Leave the flat bottom of the globe on the table. Grip the cap and gently turn the globe for about a half minute so the lava rotates around the metal coil inside the very bottom of the globe.(see Fig. 1)

2) Put the globe back on the base. The flow usually picks back up again within an hour or so. Sometimes you will need to repeat the process several times (or during the next time you run the lamp).""

I did it 5 times and still the same result, one time the blob separated into 2 but it still re-merged and did nothing.


Anthing you can do would help, the lava lamp was a valentines day gift I got her one and she got me one, I really dont want to have to find a new one, but I will if I cant fix this. Thanks!

Im mike and I live in canada and this is my second lava lamp! And I love Counter-Strike.

[Mike]

I am still having an issue with this can anyone help?

[Mike]

I bought the original brand lava lamp. Anyway I took the blue/white back. I got another original lava lamp and it was red/orange. It did the same thing, the inital use worked normal but then on no go. So I got mad and picked it up and sat it down again (I diddnt shake it I wanted to see if the slow momentum would cause a upward draft to get it to work.) when I sat it down I sat it down on a book, and then like 20 mins later it was worming amazing!

So, I moved it to my desk now happy it was working and to keep it out of the sunlight, on my desk same issue. Then I realised it has to be a surface issue. My desk (from ikea) and the tv stand are made of that cheap wood, the kind of wood thats pulped or what not and then put back into shape, so its not 100% solid or dense at all. I put the lava lamp on a wooden cutting board on the desk and again it worked perfect. So I have determined the LAVA lamps dont like to work on low density or thin surfaces. Basically anything from ikea or a TV stand, all 'manufactured' woods dont work.

Thats my theory because I have 3 lava lamps and none of them work on any of those surfaces.

[Jaynie In Georgia]

When I first read this, it seemed illogical, but then I had a thought. The new blue and white one I got last Christmas (which has never worked too well) is on a desk made of the same MDF-type stuff. So I moved it to (and yes, I know you are not supposed to do this per the instructions) a glass-insert table top. Voila! About an hour later, I have an absolutely beautiful lava lite! Alas, this will not work for my just-purchased 8 ounce model. It arrived in a cloudy state, and must be sent back.

[Jaynie In Georgia]

This sounds fishy, but I did it and now mine works.

I read somewhere else on this board that Lava's don't like MDF furniture - made from manufactured wood (i.e. pressboard). I had a blue/white 14 inch on my desk that just never did work well - it had what I call "ball-out" - it would get hot and start to work but the goo would just hover in a big blob at the bottom of the bottle.

After I read that posting, I moved the lava light to a solid wood table. Much to my surprise, it worked! It's still a bit more lethargic than my last one, but it's working,

[Brian]

interesting....
i recently got a new (china) blue/white one that didn't work. well, actually i got two (bought one, didn't work, took it back and got another, that hasn't been working either).
wonder if this'll make it work....

[Mike]

Yeah isnt it amasing the difference it makes, I am sure it is the MDF material it was on, funny eh. Glad you and I got it solved tho!

[Mike]

Give it a try let me know how it works out!

[Brian]

actually, i've been buying so many older ones off ebay lately i took the china one back....

[Diana Gillam]

Thank you for the comment about the MDF, my eight year old was so disappointed we couldn't get her lava lamp going in her new room all made of MDF furniture. I will try to put a wooden pad under it tomorrow. I will try to find this post again to let you know if that works.

[matt01165]

they need more heat try a 60 watt bulb temporarily in place of the 40 watt bulb

[Mike]

Dosnt it say NOT to do that? Also the lava is meting completely and its hot enuf to fry an egg. So I think its just not holding the heat, not the heat itself is the issue.

[Mike]

I hope this works! Its so good the first time it works! I use a wooden cutting block (made of bamboo actually) but its fairly thick at least an inch. Dont try any glass surface.