My Lava Lamp is cloudy- and where do I get the correct bulb for it?

[steve]

Just bought a new 27" Lava Lamp. It is blue and green. I bought a red and purple one last year, and while it was not cloudy I had a similar problem finding a bulb to fit it.

I cannot find the medium base R20 100 watt bulb with a clear face.

For both units, I had to disassemble it and cut off the bulb stem 1.5 inches so I could put a normal sized bulb in it.

So I have tried different bulbs in it- some are too hot, others are ok but do not kick out enough light. I even put a dimmer on the cord and put in a 150 clear incandescent bulb. I adjusted to a nice level of action, but then the light was not as bright as it could be.

Someone help me out!

[Ian]

The 100W R20 bulb originally for the 27" (Grande) lamp is a frosted bulb. I have never seen a clear 100W R20 bulb, every Grande lamp I have seen has had the frosted bulb. That being said, you can purchase them directly from lava lite's website, or from Spencers online. I like to order bulk; last time I ordered 7 bulbs so that I do not have to order more for a very long time, as they sometimes are difficult to find. It also qualified for free shipping! Anyways, hope this helps!

[Claude J]

Agreed!

here is the link: http://lavalamp.com/replacement-bulbs/

There is also a Ebay option here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/391343035892?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&a...

These are reflector style bulbs for a reason.

DO NOT modify the socket distance at all costs. (unless you have a starlight base, which has heat dissipation issues)

The distance to the globe is critical for proper operations

[steve]

The frosted bulb that came with it SAT too high and it crapped out on me after its first use. Plus the light was not bright enough. I tried to contact the LL company but they haven't gotten back to me yet. The red one, my original purchase, does have a clear bulb that is 100 watt. It works very well though it does sit on the lower stem which I had to cut down. The extra depth and recess doesn't seem to make that much of a difference. But what I want are the clear r20 bulbs that are rated 100 watt. I can't find them anywhere, & I even went to a specialty bulb site and conferred with their salesmen for a while.

The commercial bulbs they have now are all LED or low heat output bulbs. This is good for the earth but the lava lamp needs that heat in order to operate. I cannot even find a simple 100 watt clear bulb on a medium base- one of those those normal bulbs would fit in mine newly trimmed bulb stem.

I hope I don't get sent to lava lamp jail for trimming the bulb stem.

[Claude J]

Funny...lava jail.

I had a grande that did not put out hardly any light BECAUSE the lava was dense and abundant when cold.

It was also vintage UGLY yellow with Blue fluid

Once the lava flowed and was no longer blocking the light, so it allowed some light to pass through.

Could be a similar issue?

I eventually converted it to Kirk's glitter (large holographic square in blue fluid)

Some colors of lava are nearly opaque, which might be the problem?

I don't think the Frosted v.s.Clear bulbs will change much of the light output

[steve]

Right now I have a 75 watt halogen bulb of the reflector type fitted into my bulb socket, the stem of which I cut down one and a half inches so this type of bulb will fit.

The light is ok and it gives an interesting pattern to the ooz. Three or four fingers of ooz will rise up together and float around in my lava lamp, like an undersea coral.

Not blobby, but a different effect and not unappealing in its own way. Still, I would like the proper bulb, & I am tempted to put back in my 150 watt clear bulb and use my dimmer switch to adjust it.

By the way, I have a smaller red lava lamp that is almost completely shot. Is there a way that I can resurrect this?

[Claude J]

I repair them all the time

I either take the lava and fluid I collected from glitter conversions and swap them out.

For cloudy, I change the fluid,

Or,.. I start new with a Magma Tower goo kit

Check the forums out, there are plenty of topics on repairing them

What is the issue?
Does the lava not flow or is it just cloudy?

Here is example of a goo kit conversion in pic below.

[steve]

The fluid in the small red one that doesn't function is clear, and the goo collects at the top and mainly on the bottom and just sits there. I bought this unit used a couple months ago. I will check the forums.

I might look for a 100 watt halogen bulb to use in my blue green Grande unit. That might be a fun experiment.

[Claude J]

goo need replacement

It sounds like it has separated

[Bran Sparcs]

Interestingly I have found that the grande r20 frosted bulbs these days can be found in pool spa supply places they are the correct bulb and apparently are used in spas a lot  hope this helps for those who don't want to order online.