Lava Lamps
- Thread starter Valveglow
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I'm fine, but thank you for making sure. 
Besides, I'm only using 2 out of 3 lamps (or rather, lamp bases) that I've got, so theoretically I could just hook up the 3rd one that's still brand new & inside the original box. So far I only used the bottles themselves & swapped them out between the two bases that I actually run on a daily basis, so I wouldn't be missing out on anything.
But seriously, I got the lamp up & running as we speak (it's been running for several hours now) and there was nothing obvious that would indicate arcing or loose contacts. Though I would normally agree on what you said & suggest others (who may or may not stumble upon these posts) not to follow my example & always play it safe unless they absolutely know what they're doing & have enough know-how to recognize a potential issue.
Besides, I'm only using 2 out of 3 lamps (or rather, lamp bases) that I've got, so theoretically I could just hook up the 3rd one that's still brand new & inside the original box. So far I only used the bottles themselves & swapped them out between the two bases that I actually run on a daily basis, so I wouldn't be missing out on anything.
But seriously, I got the lamp up & running as we speak (it's been running for several hours now) and there was nothing obvious that would indicate arcing or loose contacts. Though I would normally agree on what you said & suggest others (who may or may not stumble upon these posts) not to follow my example & always play it safe unless they absolutely know what they're doing & have enough know-how to recognize a potential issue.
Not exactly a sequel on the previous Lava Lamp topic, but a followup nevertheless...
It would seem that viewers are not amazed with Mat's new "Astro" Lava lamp, meaning that he's on a lookout for something more suitable. Personally, I vote for the cheap glitter lamp (and apparently so do most of his audience), but ultimately it's his shelf & therefore his decision...
PS, happy National Lava Lamp Day everyone!
It would seem that viewers are not amazed with Mat's new "Astro" Lava lamp, meaning that he's on a lookout for something more suitable. Personally, I vote for the cheap glitter lamp (and apparently so do most of his audience), but ultimately it's his shelf & therefore his decision...
PS, happy National Lava Lamp Day everyone!
5 months later, a follow-up to my original review from the post above.
Using all three lamps on a daily basis every day & usually have them running for (at least) 8-10, sometimes even 12hrs straight. Up until few days ago, I was running all original bulbs which came with the lamps, but one of them (green lamp, to be exact) blew up, literally exploded.
Don't know why (or what triggered it?) but apparently the explosion was so powerful that it launched the bottle from its base & tripped it over onto the table below. Most of the bulb disintegrated into dust & glitter, while the rest of it remained within the lamp base & bulb socket. Strange, it didn't even trip the circuit breaker so I had to switch it off, before I could clean the mess on the inside & replace the bulb for another one.
Apart from being coated in black soot, the lamp seems to be more or less okay though I immediately applied for warranty return policy & was given a replacement lamp. They even told me to keep the old one, didn't have to send it back meaning I now have spare components if (and when) I need any of them in the future. I was primarily worried for the bottle, because not only it received a nasty jolt from down below, but it also launched itself sideways into the table, so it might develop micro fractures over time, due to thermal expansion process. But for the moment at least, there are no visible cracks or breaks on the bottle.
2 of the other lamps (including the red one, previous used for testing that 25W appliance bulb which caused minor damage) are still going strong with original bulbs and have no issues, whatsoever. Overall, I'm still satisfied with my choice & would highly recommend these for the price that you pay. In fact, one could argue that the bulb explosion is not related to the lamp itself, but rather to the bulb & generic (read: nameless) company brand which manufactured default bulbs included with the lamp(s) straight out of the box. Still, keep in mind that it's been 5 months since I bought these and they /are/ running for 8, 10, 12hrs straight every day. For the sake of simplicity let's say 10hrs every day. So, you do the math ... 5 months time (151, 152 days) x 10hrs which equals around 1510, 1520 hours in total.
Also, keep in mind that most of these are rated for up to 1000 hrs of lifespan, thus ALL THREE actually exceeded their rated numbers with two other bulbs still going strong. Meaning that most of these are really not /that/ bad, but from time to time you WILL get a lemon here & there. Either that or they will go out with a bang ... like mine.
These are what you need: Grande Lava Lamps. They are 27 inches tall, and this is about the very best place to buy them in terms of price and reliability. Make sure to use the 10% off coupon when you order. Here's mine bubbling away spectacuarly in my photo studio, next to my estate-sale-pickup Pioneer Elite units. (The DV-09 is a DVD player, but it's got a very nice Burr-Brown DAC in it, and I use it to play CDs.)
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I saw a huge one at the thrift s few years ago.....more stuff, they had over $20 on it.
xeno xeno alien lamp is the one that pisses me off. Manager brings it out and I was unsure what it was, hands it to me but did not tape it together. I dropped the damn thing. I had no idea what he was showing me until I dropped it. Here man hold on it's in two pieces, no......
xeno xeno alien lamp is the one that pisses me off. Manager brings it out and I was unsure what it was, hands it to me but did not tape it together. I dropped the damn thing. I had no idea what he was showing me until I dropped it. Here man hold on it's in two pieces, no......
I woldn't be too happy with an exploding vessel indoors after 5 months in use and I wouldnt trust the other two.
It didn't trip the breaker,maybe it didn't trip an earth fault so I suspect a flaw in the glass,pressurised flying glass is a bomb which a passerby could lose an eye.
And still you recommend the product,the use is over the recommended hours.Even so I would have expected the filling to have broken down first.The 25w bulb supplied either generated enough heat to expose a flaw in the vessel or cause an expansion and pressure rise in the bottles fluid to burst the vessel.The bottles spec is a worry.
Two dodgy examples,the is a third,from vapes to industrial equipment and food.Too many of these suppliers are supplying items containing banned substances.
Was the replacement bottle supplied with a data sheet.You have already cleaned up spilt fluid do you know what it contained?
As I posted earlier Mathmos are expensive and now you know why.
It didn't trip the breaker,maybe it didn't trip an earth fault so I suspect a flaw in the glass,pressurised flying glass is a bomb which a passerby could lose an eye.
And still you recommend the product,the use is over the recommended hours.Even so I would have expected the filling to have broken down first.The 25w bulb supplied either generated enough heat to expose a flaw in the vessel or cause an expansion and pressure rise in the bottles fluid to burst the vessel.The bottles spec is a worry.
Two dodgy examples,the is a third,from vapes to industrial equipment and food.Too many of these suppliers are supplying items containing banned substances.
Was the replacement bottle supplied with a data sheet.You have already cleaned up spilt fluid do you know what it contained?
As I posted earlier Mathmos are expensive and now you know why.
Umm, would you please carefully re-read what I actually said in my previous post? I never said that the bottle exploded, but I DID express concern for longevity of the bottle since it sustained a severe blow from below, only to be ejected from its base & receive yet another kick sideways, once it landed on top of my table.
No, it was the R39 bulb which exploded ... and since the bulb compartment is somewhat confined to say at least, the forces of explosion (including the actual bulb) launched right into the bottle & threw it out of its base. Whenever or not this caused micro fractures to develop is open for debate (your guess is as good as mine), but so far the actual bottle had been factory sealed & waterproof (doesn't leak), which I obviously double-checked.
By the way, none of the lava lamps (or any other desk lamps, for that matter) are earthed. Not around here at least, though I'm familiar with British wiring & safety regulation, which requires a fused 3-prong plug to be used on anything. Clearly superior to German schuko and Europlug used on my lamp but that is a whole other debate.
You should have realized by now that considering the price tag of mere 20€, there is no "replacement bottle" available - they actually sent me the whole thing. A whole new lamp, consisting of a new base, new set of bulbs, new bottle & new cap.
All of these cheap(er) lamps are sold & distributed widely across the Europe & EU. Therefore, they must comply with EU standards, which (among other things) relate to toxic materials & fire safety. I remember reading a similar discussion on other forum where it's been said (and confirmed) that none of the "modern" lava lamps contain toxic chemicals or dangerous metals.
In fact, the instruction manual clearly listed the ingredients as "aluminium, glass, deionised water & wax", though it most probably also contains stainless spring, salt for the water & glycerol (or glycerin, if you prefer).
So you did ... and you keep on repeating yourself over & over like a broken record.
I hope you realize, but this bulb exploding scenario could happen to anyone else, even on a more expensive Mathmos lamp. The only difference is that you would have to buy a whole new bottle (or a base) from Mathmos, for the price of 60 or 70€ just for the base or bottle alone. But hey - if that's your thing (and you got money to spend) go for it - for as long as you're happy.
Do Mathmos lamps explode after 5 months?My domestic light bulbs don't.
As for repeating myself,there is no reason for insults.If you wish to buy cheap and a possible dangerous product thats your choice.Just don't promote them.
Crack on,just make sure you have a functional fire alarm and fire fighting products at hand.
Here's my plane jane lava lamps on a sabbatical in the cubby hole downstairs. The two closest ones are basically brand new while the other two were freebies and need fresh solution, once I figure out how to get the tops off without breaking them.
Hmmmm, can't attach any photos. Will try again in a day or two.
Hmmmm, can't attach any photos. Will try again in a day or two.
I had a ceiling lamp explode upon lighting it up, several times even (different lamps though) What can I say, apparently I have a natural talent for blowing things up. Being inside the paper globe, the glass fragments easily cut through paper & flew across the room. Fortunately, no one was injured at the time. I also blew up a 50W GU10 halogen spotlight, which immediately shorted & tripped the fuse.
No insults, though I do feel called out for using the "cheap toxic lamp", only to repeat the same thing over and over in a slightly different fashion.
Anyhow, let's drop this. Though I stand by of what I said yesterday, if you prefer Mathmos & consider it to be a safe investment then by all means, go for it. It's not an insult, just a fact.
You could try with different hosting service (PostImage for example)
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I have bought lamps with supplied bulbs one of which was not cheap,within a month all six had failed,not blown but just dead.
Talking to the retailer the bulbs supplied are "for demonstration purposes only",replaced them with quality bulbs and they have lasted for years so not all bulbs are the same.
British Electrical Regulations are rather strict as the domestic voltage is 240v,the industrial regulations even more strict.Still far too many people are killed by electricity.
I was at a major blue chip owned factory in Serbia some years ago and 7 electricians had been killed a few months earlier due to a carbon flash over in the switch room.
Another guy I worked with saw a welder in Indian plug a portable 415v welding set into a socket and promptly died as the socket wasn't earthed.
Extreme cases.
As I am not familiar with your laws I cannot comment but I'm sure they match,exceed or are not too far behind the British standard so its a puzzle why you experience exploding light bulbs is it a common thing shared by friends and neighbours?
I have had electric toasters and kettles fail and the consumer unit instantly trips,it will not reinstate until the failed unit is unplugged.Does yours not do that?
In the industry I work in I have seen the aftermath of too many serious electrical and hydraulic failiures,(4 bar of escaped compressed water can blow a steel door off its hinges,seen it).Because of this I am very safety aware,possibly over the top.
The fact Mathmos v your purchase is irreverent,we can agree to disagree,what is of more concern to me is safety and if things were blowing up in my house I would try to address it.
Now a long shot.
Are you certain the bottle is fully sealed?As the fluid warms it will expand.
The very slightest of weeping could cause moisture to run down it into the bulb socket.
Talking to the retailer the bulbs supplied are "for demonstration purposes only",replaced them with quality bulbs and they have lasted for years so not all bulbs are the same.
British Electrical Regulations are rather strict as the domestic voltage is 240v,the industrial regulations even more strict.Still far too many people are killed by electricity.
I was at a major blue chip owned factory in Serbia some years ago and 7 electricians had been killed a few months earlier due to a carbon flash over in the switch room.
Another guy I worked with saw a welder in Indian plug a portable 415v welding set into a socket and promptly died as the socket wasn't earthed.
Extreme cases.
As I am not familiar with your laws I cannot comment but I'm sure they match,exceed or are not too far behind the British standard so its a puzzle why you experience exploding light bulbs is it a common thing shared by friends and neighbours?
I have had electric toasters and kettles fail and the consumer unit instantly trips,it will not reinstate until the failed unit is unplugged.Does yours not do that?
In the industry I work in I have seen the aftermath of too many serious electrical and hydraulic failiures,(4 bar of escaped compressed water can blow a steel door off its hinges,seen it).Because of this I am very safety aware,possibly over the top.
The fact Mathmos v your purchase is irreverent,we can agree to disagree,what is of more concern to me is safety and if things were blowing up in my house I would try to address it.
Now a long shot.
Are you certain the bottle is fully sealed?As the fluid warms it will expand.
The very slightest of weeping could cause moisture to run down it into the bulb socket.
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This. Incandescent light bulbs blow up in the movies, not in real life any more than they clunk and go off sequentially down ominous corridors. Thermal shock from the liquid is much more likely. Case in point.
30 years ago we used to heat boiling water in the microwave in a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup. One time out of hundreds my wife takes it out and while under the overhead light fixture the water literally launched straight up exploding the candelabra bulbs. Without something in the cup to help form bubbles and dissipate energy it can build using MW radiation.
Bottle caps occasionally leak. According to millennialhomeowners.com, apparently a trusted source for all things retro appropriated by the snowflake generations, 8-10 hours is the maximum duration to enjoy one’s lava lamp.
The breaker in question did not trip because there wasn’t overcurrent. Without a ground wire a GFI has nothing to detect. Take a breath, have a gummy, watch the pretty colors, put on some Strawberry Alarm Clock.
PS: Any day now opaque projectors and bubble gels will make their big comeback too. By the way “display” is a lighting type classification as opposed to task, egress, or general lighting. Bulb types vary by service environment - appliance for temperature, ceiling fan for vibration, rough for drop lights and so on. However the upgrade bulb retailer knows how to sell. Hope you didn’t get nicked too badly.
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*sigh*
Okay, let's get this over with...
You'd think that company brands like Osram or General Electric would keep these for special purposes but nope! Meanwhile, the States is considering to lift the ban on incandescent bulbs & make them widely available for anyone who wishes (or needs) to buy one ... I saw an article on this subject the other day.
I'm not going to disclose my location for obvious reasons, but I /do/ live in EU & we use 220-240V AC. None of the plugs are polarized - as mentioned before, we are using German "schuko" for earthed connections & "Europlug" for non-earthed, double insulated devices which is the case with my lava lamp ... and all other tabletop lamps, for that matter.
While it's not a "common thing", blowing up the bulbs does seem to run in the family as my mom used to have the same "problem" ... even way back in the 80s and 90s, when the incandescent lighting was still a standard. Not sure why, but I DO know that we can rule out the bad wiring, fuse box, loose connections & other elements, since it happened on several different locations, several different apartments & houses. In fact, the most recent one (lava lamp) was the first encounter of explosive kind in this apartment, as I only just moved in last year.
By the way, that exploding PSU failed for no apparent reason ... other than old age, maybe. It was earthed, it didn't get wet, overloaded nor shorted. Just simply gave up one day.
The two of you seem to be under the wrong impression, as the lamp did /not/ explode out of the blue, during the operation while the bottle (and bulb itself) were hot. No, it actually happened as the WiFi turned it on. Thus, the bottle (including its content) was cold, around 23, 24C at most. This is how I usually blow up my lamps, simply by toggling the switch.
Okay, let's get this over with...
Surprisingly though, I do agree on this one. Branded bulbs are generally speaking more reliable ... unfortunately, finding incandescent (non-halogen) 25W R39 turned out to be more challenging than I expected, because they are literally banned throughout EU. The guy at the store gave me a funny look when I asked him about R39s and asked me "why don't I just use the LED bulb, instead?" The closest I could get to the original was 30W R39 from Bellight (with frosted lens) which technically speaking does seem to work, except it's A - overpowered & B - ever so slightly taller than 25W counterpart, meaning that it's touching the bottle.
You'd think that company brands like Osram or General Electric would keep these for special purposes but nope! Meanwhile, the States is considering to lift the ban on incandescent bulbs & make them widely available for anyone who wishes (or needs) to buy one ... I saw an article on this subject the other day.
I know, British electrical regulations are one of the most strict ones out there.
I'm not going to disclose my location for obvious reasons, but I /do/ live in EU & we use 220-240V AC. None of the plugs are polarized - as mentioned before, we are using German "schuko" for earthed connections & "Europlug" for non-earthed, double insulated devices which is the case with my lava lamp ... and all other tabletop lamps, for that matter.
While it's not a "common thing", blowing up the bulbs does seem to run in the family as my mom used to have the same "problem" ... even way back in the 80s and 90s, when the incandescent lighting was still a standard. Not sure why, but I DO know that we can rule out the bad wiring, fuse box, loose connections & other elements, since it happened on several different locations, several different apartments & houses. In fact, the most recent one (lava lamp) was the first encounter of explosive kind in this apartment, as I only just moved in last year.
Look, it doesn't happen all the time - obviously. Once or twice per year ... at most. It used to happen more often in the 90s when we had incandescent bulbs, but then I started blowing up other things in life (such as the power supply in my desktop PC & sensitive electronics) Guess you could say I moved on
By the way, that exploding PSU failed for no apparent reason ... other than old age, maybe. It was earthed, it didn't get wet, overloaded nor shorted. Just simply gave up one day.
Yes, I'm absolutely sure. I performed a paper towel (tissue) test ... not to mention that I placed it back on top of the new bulb & is working fine. If it had been weeping, it would leave traces, if not blow up the replacement bulb.
For the most (normal) people, maybe...
The two of you seem to be under the wrong impression, as the lamp did /not/ explode out of the blue, during the operation while the bottle (and bulb itself) were hot. No, it actually happened as the WiFi turned it on. Thus, the bottle (including its content) was cold, around 23, 24C at most. This is how I usually blow up my lamps, simply by toggling the switch.
According to the instruction manual, it says to use the lamp for 8-10 hours straight, but no more than 12hrs straight. Which is exactly what I did ... not that it makes much (or any, for that matter) difference, but once again the bottle does /not/ leak.
That is true.The breaker in question did not trip because there wasn’t overcurrent. Without a ground wire a GFI has nothing to detect. Take a breath, have a gummy, watch the pretty colors, put on some Strawberry Alarm Clock.