Lava Lite's New Website & The NEW Heritage Collection

[Dr. WHAT?!]

http://www.lavalamp.com/

The new Heritage Collection will be available to buy 10/28

**Updated the Heritage Collection will be released today on LavaLite Website at 10am CST. Heres a sneak peak!

*** http://lavalamp.com/heritage-collection ***

[Rodrigo]

Well, my ver 2.0 grande just shoots pebbles when running into the night because it gets to about 68/69 in the house, even though it was on for about 12 hours... The globe seems to be hot enough by a good shot and the wax is all molten but it seems that the 2.0 has denser wax and needs more heat, even though the bulb is that much closer. The 2.0 doesn't freeze while flowing like the other one did but it still seems to suffer from a cold room which is odd since the bulbs are that much closer on the 2.0. I wonder if the formula was slightly altered by making the wax denser on the 2.0, it sure seems like it. I still haven't tried the 1.0 globe on the 2.0 base, either way relocating the socket closer to the globe is easier and all that's needed is that threaded piece of pipe that screws onto the bottom of the base and the socket screws onto it. They sell it at Home Depot by size or you can cut yourself, with that we can make the bulb on a 1.0 as close as the 2.0, or ask for a replacement base..

[Marley's Ghost]

Rodrigo, my bulbs are already up close to the globe now.  I used porcelian socket extenders that cost a bit over 2 bucks each on Amazon.  See above link I posted for Alfred.   That's what I was writing about above, the use of socket extenders on the version 1 model Grandes.  Mine's running fine.   I just don't think we should be buying extra things and wrapping in towels to make these lamps work.   I don't have a 2.0 version, and my 1.0 is working fine with the socket extension.  You  just need to screw it into the socket and then screw the bulb into it.   I really don't want a replacement 2.0 base or lamps, I'm afraid I'll run into an entirely new set of problems with them.  I know how to tweak the 1.0 version.  It's just been a very aggravating journey.  I'm sure you know what I mean.
 
Rodrigo said:

Well, my ver 2.0 grande just shoots pebbles when running into the night because it gets to about 68/69 in the house, even though it was on for about 12 hours... The globe seems to be hot enough by a good shot and the wax is all molten but it seems that the 2.0 has denser wax and needs more heat, even though the bulb is that much closer. The 2.0 doesn't freeze while flowing like the other one did but it still seems to suffer from a cold room which is odd since the bulbs are that much closer on the 2.0. I wonder if the formula was slightly altered by making the wax denser on the 2.0, it sure seems like it. I still haven't tried the 1.0 globe on the 2.0 base, either way relocating the socket closer to the globe is easier and all that's needed is that threaded piece of pipe that screws onto the bottom of the base and the socket screws onto it. They sell it at Home Depot by size or you can cut yourself, with that we can make the bulb on a 1.0 as close as the 2.0, or ask for a replacement base..

[Rodrigo]

I may look into the socket extender for my 1.0 but I don't think I need one since my room temps are warmer, my 1.0 runs beautifully for days on end. The 2.0 is what I'm having problems with, last night at 4am it had been on for 14 hours and was hot, fully molten but only shot up pebbles, all the wax was at the bottom and room temp was about 68-69 but during the day when it's more around 75 it flows fine! And the thing is I can't get this bulb ANY closer because on the 2.0 version it seems like it's already about to touch.. During the day it flows great, but at night when temps drop the 2.0 shoots pebbles while the 1.0 still flows! I'm so confused

[Marley's Ghost]

Don't even think about the extender for your 1.0 if it's running beautifully for days on end, you don't need it!  

As for the 2.0, that is weird and I'm confused too.  I know the 2.0 only has one coil and has the bulb closer to the globe than the 1.0.   But I fail to see why either of those things would make it behave the way you describe.  Hopefully one of our experts will jump in here and help.   I don't have a 2.0, so have not had to work with them.  It sounds like something else besides the bulb position and one less coil has been changed.   Like something in either the liquid or lava or both.    

[Egnix]

Rodrigo, my pink V2 has been shooting pebbles the last two times I've had it on. My green V2 (just a few feet away) has been working fine.
My pebble shooting after the first time it had a coil flip, and the lava behavior looks at lot like some of my 52oz Neons that had the lava detach from the coil. One or two of those 52ozers started flowing properly on their own, but I had to be returned.
The grande globe is too unwieldy for me to see if the lava is detached from the coil. I'm hoping it fixes itself.
Though your observation of different behavior in different temps is interesting. I might move mine to a warmer room to see if it starts flowing properly then.

[Ben]

I bet these are getting too much centralized heat in the center of the globe due to the higher bulb. My p/y colossus does this and so have some of my 52 oz china lamps (and to a lesser extent on my green V2 grande) after they get too hot. I think they'd run better with a lower bulb even though they take longer to heat up that way. For the record my p/y colossus has 2 coils and it always shoots bubbles & gets stuck after the wax in the center lifts away, and like lalalava said, my Colossus ran beautifully the first few runs before settling in to being bubbly. These V2 problems make me want to experiment with it by lowering the bulb to see if it fixes the spitting & getting stuck. If that is indeed the problem, it could be LL is fixing one problem (slow start-ups) by causing another. The temperature of the globe may be the same regardless of bulb height but too much heat in one spot is possibly causing it to spit. Another thing we shouldn't have to mess with!

lalalava said:

is anyone have problems with bubbles???...I finaly got my green grande V2 and it was beautiful right outta the box on the first 2 or 3 runs. now after several runs its sooooo bubbly! and it does that "pea shooter" thing after a few hours. if I turn it off for a while then back on it resumes normal flow but the bubbles remain. after what Ive been through trying to get this im really hesitant to ask for a replacement...but damn, I HATE bubbles!!!! *fingers crossed* it works itself out in the next week or im calling susaan.

[Marley's Ghost]

One other thought, Ben.   I think LL raised the socket on the V2 Grande predominately because the V1 was so very temp sensitive.  I've had my V1's spike "again" in mid flow after running great for several hours if the temp dropped in the house.  Hence the towels having to be wrapped around them to get them flowing again.    I can't comment on the V2's behavior since I don't have one, but it might be getting too hot now.   I have socket extenders on both my V1's and they are running great, no bubbles, but they do overheat and I have to use the dimmer now, which I never had to do before and do not like.  It's hard to hit the sweet spot on those dratted things, and they desperately need marks on the switches.   I am seriously considering taking the extenders out of my V1's and leaving my Grandes sitting till it gets warm again.   That's a sad commentary when one has to constantly be one's own engineer to make these lamps work.   I will say that when they work, they're beautiful though. 

[Jim]

I don't think the socket extender is causing issues.  The two Neon Grandes I made demanded socket extenders and I have not had a single issue with either lamp.

[Rodrigo]

Lala, I had bubble issues on my v1.0 grande and solved it. Which version do you have??

[Marley's Ghost]

The socket extenders on my V1's are not causing problems either.   The lamps seem to flow better without having to  adjust the dimmer switches, which have to be used with the extenders.   Mine V1's were both fine from the factory, just extremely temp sensitive.

[Brad]

here's what my 1.0 grande looks like after being on full power for 12+ hours along with a photo of how low the bulb sits in the base:

 

 

[Rodrigo]

Damn brad. How cold is in the room? My 1.0 flows better than my 2.0 even though it takes longer to warm up. I believe the 2.0 will change as it breaks in because the first one had the same behavior as the 2nd one, mostly one snakey pillar that wouldnt want to separate, then would release one big blob and just rain down to then form another snake, repeating. The first gen likes to flow in big blobs that stretch beautifully. Maybe just because its broken in more.