Should lava lamps be turned off at night?

ringo747 · 25 Dec 2007 at 21:34

hey guys,

new lava lamp appeared in our house today as one of the wee presents - nothing is mentioned on the instructions about turning it off at nights/periodically. Anyone know if you can leave them on 24/7 or should we switch it off when not in the house? It takes around 3 hours to warm up so switching it off doesn't seem that good idea really. Nothing on the instructions about it other than basic setup/safety/cleaning instructions

Cheers and happy xmas!

trojan698 · 25 Dec 2007 at 21:35

I struggle with simple tasks. Life is hard sometimes.

collisster · 25 Dec 2007 at 21:35

take the bottle thing out and wack a massive wattage bulb in

it'll heat up faster then

Ladforce · 25 Dec 2007 at 21:35

Yea you shouldnt have it on more than 8 hours at a time - or it was this for my lava grande. Its due to the wax getting too hot over time and burning/ changing colour.

ringo747 · 25 Dec 2007 at 21:37

trojan698 said:
I struggle with simple tasks. Life is hard sometimes.

Huh??

Ladforce said:
Yea you shouldnt have it on more than 8 hours at a time - or it was this for my lava grande. Its due to the wax getting too hot over time and burning/ changing colour.

Thanks for that

aardvark · 25 Dec 2007 at 21:38

they have a limited lifespan and shouldn't be left on over night.

knip · 25 Dec 2007 at 21:38

Think of it in the same way you would a normal light, if you're not in the room/house then you dont need it on and it can be turned off.

ringo747 · 25 Dec 2007 at 21:39

knip said:
Think of it in the same way you would a normal light, if you're not in the room/house then you dont need it on and it can be turned off.

yeah but once you come into the room you don't want to sit for 3 hours before it starts to work!

Ladforce · 25 Dec 2007 at 21:39

Just checked mine, it uses a 100W bulb so maybe this is why mine says 8 hours max. If your using a lower wattage bulb its prob fine for 24/7 use as it wont get too hot

knip · 25 Dec 2007 at 21:40

jonnyc747 said:
yeah but once you come into the room you don't want to sit for 3 hours before it starts to work!

Ok but trust me, once youve seen it do its bubbly thing a few times, it doesnt actually do anything different, however groovy it looks.

Ladforce · 25 Dec 2007 at 21:40

knip said:
Ok but trust me, once youve seen it do its bubbly thing a few times, it doesnt actually do anything different, however groovy it looks.

They add nice soft lighting to the room though

Fuzz · 25 Dec 2007 at 22:13

correct, no more than 8 hrs at at time or the wax starts to stick to the glass, from then on it just gets worse.

Ghosteh · 25 Dec 2007 at 22:18

Really? I've had mine for about 3 or 4 years now, was stuck in the loft for 2 of them years mind you

. But I'm sure I've had it on for more than 8 hours at a time on more than 1 occasion, probably for many days when I 1st got it. One thing I did notice it seemed to get lots of little bubbles trapped in the wax, but I think that was more due to the fact I shook it up to see what happened, took bloody ages to get back together properly lol.

Felix Da Housecat · 25 Dec 2007 at 22:23

Our lava lamp instructions say it should be turned off after about 4 hours but i guess you can add an extra couple of hours. But I wouldn't leave them on for more than 6 hours.

ringo747 · 25 Dec 2007 at 22:26

knip said:
Ok but trust me, once youve seen it do its bubbly thing a few times, it doesnt actually do anything different, however groovy it looks.

Yeah i dont think the issue was anything to do with getting over the initial excitement of the bubbly thing - as someone said its more for the soft lighting. Its a 30W bulb so it probably would be ok to leave on a bit longer.

Ben M · 25 Dec 2007 at 22:31

they get very hot so be careful where you place it.

neil3k · 25 Dec 2007 at 22:42

Save the planet turn lights off when your not using them

EagleOC · 25 Dec 2007 at 22:44

Lava lamps are like any other machine - they're either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit it's not my problem.

Anim · 25 Dec 2007 at 22:47

At uni i had mine placed by my window, heated up the fresh air to get the perfect temperature for my fresh room

looked good from outside too

Hamster · 25 Dec 2007 at 22:50

From my experience with lava lamps, they start to break into smaller 'lumps' if they are left on too long (over about 8 hours). Don't worry about having to wait whilst they are warming up - that's the best bit, especially with the ladies commenting on the fallic resemblance and the glee when the first piece breaks off!!

Enjoy your lava lamp!!