Different Lava lamp flow and start times what's normal, and what's not?

[Clinton W Salvato]

Hey all, got a question that was sparked by a new 14.5 colorMax lamp I purchased.

First off, the lamp is clear and in perfect condition.  My question is, this lamp seems to have a slightly slower start time than the lamps it's beside. They are the same size and same model although different color arrangements.    The new lamp seems to start flowing somewhat slower than the older one, and it takes  slightly longer to work up to a steady flow.  I was just curious if it was normal, for even two of the same lamp to have completely different start times, and flow patterns, however when started they both maintain a constant and steady flow.  Was mainly asking because I was simply trying to determine if the lamp might have a batch of bad wax, and therefor return / exchange before the time frame runs out.  As I stated though, the lamp is crystal clear, the wax isn't discolored.  It simply takes a bit longer to work up to a constant flow, and the newer one once started makes considerable more long goo trails as well as the balls as the one it's next to, but they are pretty similar once both flowing.

I'm simply asking because I for many years have only had one Lava lamp.  Now I've added quite a few so i'm able  to notice differences between lamps more now.

Thanks.

[LukyDuck]

If one of the lamps is brand new, it will take about 6-10 run times before the wax will break in and run normally. It will take longer to get running. Give it some time to break in and see what it does after a week or two.

With that said, I have one lamp that is exactly like the others next to it, and it always runs a little slower than the others. It also takes a little longer to get moving. I have swapped bottles and bulbs and it still runs slower. So their is something slightly different about the base that it does not heat up to the same temperature range as its siblings. 

Good luck!

[Clinton W Salvato]

LukyDuck said:

If one of the lamps is brand new, it will take about 6-10 run times before the wax will break in and run normally. It will take longer to get running. Give it some time to break in and see what it does after a week or two.

With that said, I have one lamp that is exactly like the others next to it, and it always runs a little slower than the others. It also takes a little longer to get moving. I have swapped bottles and bulbs and it still runs slower. So their is something slightly different about the base that it does not heat up to the same temperature range as its siblings. 

Good luck!

Thank you, the lamp seems to just be different in it's operation.  It does take a bit longer but after about 3 hours of use it's got a good flow going, but it's a slightly different type of flow than most of my other lamps. instead of a  lot of balls this one tends to have a few balls and lots of trails that remind me of what a slug might look like if it was inside the lamp crawling up and down at a decent speed.

[Clinton W Salvato]

Jezza said:

Try swapping the bulb. I have a neo wall that runs slower than the other one even when i swap bottles. 

Will try that in a couple days.  I have 30 days to return the lamp, however it seems like the more that it runs the better it gets.  The lamp still has a different style of flow than others it's same size and style, however it doesn't seem as bad as it did the initial run.

Here are some observations I've made since buying more lamps recently and now having more than just my one 24 year old lamp.

1.  The 14.5 inch lamps seem to have more defective lamps of some kind over the the 16.x, or 17 inch lamps.

2. The 14.5 inch lamps seem to come with the wax upside down quite a bit, even if they are clear, I'll usually have to twirl the bottle to get the wax the right way with the coil on the bottom.  Usually the lamp works fine when it comes clear.

3. The 14.5 inch lamps are the ones who usually come cloudy when bought from a big box store vs a specialty store.

With this said, the lamp in question is a 14.5 inch Colormax rainbow lamp. When on it has a nice pastel look, a soft blend of colors, but also bright.  This lamp had the wax upside down, even though it was perfectly clear.  I twirled the bottle and made sure it was in the correct orientation before first use.  The wax looks normal, so that's why I didn't suspect a problem in the store before buying it.   It also takes the 25 watt bulb over the 40 watt bulb, but as a whole that doesn't seem to make a huge difference since the lamps are different sizes physically.

Thanks again for the suggestions, and I'll keep everyone posted.

P.S.  I would prefer to buy all 16,x or 17 inch lamps because they seem the most reliable and problem free purchases (for me) but I've gotten small ones that are working just fine as well.  The main problem is, the coloring and theme may not be available in a larger lamp, so I have to get the smaller one if I want that particular theme / color.

[Clinton W Salvato]

Hey guys, thanks for all the help and feedback.  I did exchange the lamp in question, and while the replacement is bright clear and clean looking, it just seems to have a slower flow pattern than the rest of my lamps.  The last month and the beginning of this one have really been frustrating.  I never realized buying lava lamps could lead to so many different quality issues, or even have so many defective, or at least cloudy lamps, etct.  I've spent so much time and money trying to get a nice setup based on how much I learned to enjoy the one I have had all these years.

Anyway, I'm finally done with what I wanted to do, even though it  became more frustrating and expensive than it needed to be.

In the end now, I have the main set of six in the living room, a set of 4 on one side of the bed, a single 52 oz on the nightstand on the other side of the bed, and a  set of two on a taller bookshelf.

The set of 2 contains the really old lamp, and a lightning lava lamp.  I grouped them together because they are the oldest and most unique, plus the old lava lamp can't run as long as the new ones can before the wax really starts separating too much.

At the end, I'm happy with the setup, although I had really just planned on three  However with frustrations I ran into, plus the fact there are still a lot of lamps to choose from, and the fact I had room in places I didn't think of at first.  I ended up here.

I think  I must have set a record though I have about 14 lamps now I forgot to mention the 2 on the computer desk.

With all things said though I do feel a bit strange having wanted to do something which I thought would be simple, and having it get out of hand so quick.  Again thanks for the help, and have a great day :)