My Colossus broke!!

[Phishy Lava]

I've been dealing with the overheating / stuck / non-existent flow issue ever since I got my Colossus in March, but Sunday night, it completely died!  :(

I was unscrewing a burned out bulb (my Colossus's first) and I felt a SNAP.....

Pulled out the bulb, and the metal part from the ceramic socket came with it!

I found out this part is called the Screw Shell.

Emailed Susan yesterday.....still waiting to hear back from her. 

This is VERY depressing. My Colossus (Blue/Yellow) has been nothing but trouble since the day I got it.......and now THIS. 

I love the way it looks in my house.......I am completely uninterested in a refund or anything like that.......I just want the damn thing to WORK the way everybody else's seem to work!!! I know there were some problems with the purple/yellow......but for the most part, it seems like everyone has been really happy with their Colossus. I want to be happy, too!   :'(

[Phishy Lava]

Don't think so.........the cord goes to the dimmer assembly, and from there, you get about 6 inches of wire leading to the socket and that's it.

But thank you for trying to help, anyway. 

VERY FRUSTRATING!!!!

[Jim]

Couldn't you just replace the wire coming from the dimmer as well as the socket?  Difficult part would be connecting the new wire to the dimmer.  If you used like a 5 foot length though, you could then attach it to the socket outside the base and then re-install the socket in the base.  Just coil up the excess dimmer to socket wire and tuck it into the base.

Yes - a pain in the ass no doubt, but desperate times means desperate measures.

Phishy Lava said:

Don't think so.........the cord goes to the dimmer assembly, and from there, you get about 6 inches of wire leading to the socket and that's it.

But thank you for trying to help, anyway. 

VERY FRUSTRATING!!!!

[Tom S]

Just throwing my two cents in....  

Looks like the socket assembly bracket is removable with four screws from the bottom side.  That would allow the entire mounting bracket to be pulled out for access and repair.  Then just put it all back in.

[Autumn]

It seems so difficult because you are looking at it the wrong way. If I can totally disassemble smaller bases you can disassemble a colossal base. You need to free the dimmer switch and remove the plastic grommet from where the wire goes into the base. Once you do this you can pull the socket and the cord out of the base to fix it. Trying to fix it inside the base is going to be difficult to impossible.

[Keith]

If you get a hold of Lavalite see if they will cover the cost of an electrician to repair it.  Their materials and work, they should repair or replace.

[Brad]

i understand you are frustrated, but your tone is rather condescending.  the collective knowledge of lava lamps on this board far exceeds that of any other place i'm aware of.  we're only here to help, and trust me - we know what we're talking about. :)  it is completely possible to make this repair with a philips head screwdriver and a new ceramic socket.  i've done this with an astro base and a giant base with less room and larger hands.  also, the comment regarding the chinese is really inappropriate...

Phishy Lava said:

I appreciate everyone's input, but I don't think any of you really realized what a nearly impossible task this is.

First of all, there is absolutely ZERO slack on the wire, so forget about pulling it out of the base to do the replacement.

So.......go ahead and try fitting both your hands inside the Colossus base's hole. I dare you. Comfy? Got lots of room in there? Feel confident about working with tools now that your wrists are forced together? No.

Even if I COULD do the work with my wrists smooshed together, it's pretty dark in there since my arms are blocking 95% of any available light.

I don't see any possible way to fix the base myself. I would need the same tiny, 4 year old Chinese hands that built this thing in the first place.

[Phishy Lava]

Sorry if my tone was condescending........it probably was.......I was in a lousy mood a few hours ago.

My apologies.......I REALLY DO appreciate everyone's input. Gonna try Autumn's suggestion in a bit...

Brad said:

i understand you are frustrated, but your tone is rather condescending.  the collective knowledge of lava lamps on this board far exceeds that of any other place i'm aware of.  we're only here to help, and trust me - we know what we're talking about. :)  it is completely possible to make this repair with a philips head screwdriver and a new ceramic socket.  i've done this with an astro base and a giant base with less room and larger hands.  also, the comment regarding the chinese is really inappropriate...

Phishy Lava said:

I appreciate everyone's input, but I don't think any of you really realized what a nearly impossible task this is.

First of all, there is absolutely ZERO slack on the wire, so forget about pulling it out of the base to do the replacement.

So.......go ahead and try fitting both your hands inside the Colossus base's hole. I dare you. Comfy? Got lots of room in there? Feel confident about working with tools now that your wrists are forced together? No.

Even if I COULD do the work with my wrists smooshed together, it's pretty dark in there since my arms are blocking 95% of any available light.

I don't see any possible way to fix the base myself. I would need the same tiny, 4 year old Chinese hands that built this thing in the first place.

[Brad]

cool - good luck!

[Phishy Lava]

Thinking outside the base now! :)

I was able to free the dimmer switch......easy enough.......but the last piece of the puzzle has got me stumped!

I cannot figure out how to remove the plastic grommet!!! How the heck???

Autumn said:

It seems so difficult because you are looking at it the wrong way. If I can totally disassemble smaller bases you can disassemble a colossal base. You need to free the dimmer switch and remove the plastic grommet from where the wire goes into the base. Once you do this you can pull the socket and the cord out of the base to fix it. Trying to fix it inside the base is going to be difficult to impossible.

[Samantha Gregory]

Well once its out bring the socket to home depot or lowes and they should help you find the right socket for you colossus

[Bridget T]

I would try compressing it from the inside with some small pliers and wiggling while pushing out.  They are compression based items, so they don't just pop out (unfortunately).  Try not to damage it, but I do believe someone posted a website awhile back where you can get replacements if it comes to that.

Phishy Lava said:

Thinking outside the base now! :)

I was able to free the dimmer switch......easy enough.......but the last piece of the puzzle has got me stumped!

I cannot figure out how to remove the plastic grommet!!! How the heck???

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Those grommets are a heck of a mess to get out! I've not done it without damage. How do you do it, Autumn?