Lamps were invented in the 1960s to produce light. However, the olden designs of these lamps have been modified over time due to technological advancements. Improvements have been made to make the lamps light brighter and also improve their appearances.
The new lamps feature decorative elements hence enhancing their appearances. Among the latest innovations of the light bulbs are the lava lamps.
What is a lava lamp?
A lava lamp is basically a liquid motion light lamp resulting from oil and water mixture. Heat is applied below the two mixtures, and a bulb is attached to the bulb to produce heat. Oil and water do not mix at any time due to differences in their densities.
The heavier liquid at the bottom, which is mostly water, it expands eventually, becomes less dense and rises high above the other liquid.
The process recurs in slow motion as both liquids get to absorb more heat. A lava lamp is an effective option when you need to keep your bedroom lit with a decorative lamp. However, the lava lamp may not function effectively if it is shaken.
What happens if you shake a lava lamp?
You could accidentally shake the lamp or turn it upside down hence affecting its functionality. The water in the lamp becomes cloudy, and it may not be clear anymore since the oil spreads throughout the lamp.
You will, therefore, need to find effective means to restore the clarity of the water inside the lava lamp.
What to do after shaken lava lamp? How to fix a lava lamp after shaking it?
Below are some of the tips you could employ to fix a shaken lava lamp after shaking it.
1. Turn of the lava lamp on and off repeatedly
The first thing you would attempt is switching the lamp off after shaking. You need to leave it to rest for about two hours to give some time for the mixture to settle and as well as aid in making the water a bit clear.
Turn it on and off immediately once the liquid mixture in the lamp gets cloudy. You could try repeating the procedures after some time to fix the problem.
2. Turn the lamp on for 9 to 10 hours
If the turning on and off procedures do not work out, you can run the shaken lava lamp continuously for about 9 to 10 hours.
This is likely to produce more heat that will fix the problem making the liquid mixture clear. If the procedure doe not works out yet, then you can as well proceed to the next step.
3. Unplug the lava lamp from the switch and cool it
If the problem is not still fixed after running the 10 hours, then you should unplug it from the switch and allow it to cool for about two hours.
After the two hours, the wax lava will cool and solidify, and you can now pour out the remaining liquid in the lava lamp. Simply unscrew the lid and pour out the liquid. You can now replace the liquid into the lava lamp.
It is no complicated process only you need to do is merely following the instructions laid herein. Simply pour some cold and freshwater in the shaken lava lamp.
However, you need to avoid hitting the fragile wax directly. Pour out the water to clean any liquid remains of the previous mixture. Repeat the procedure for about 3 to 4 times.
After that, you can now fill the bottle with fresh and clean water as you leave a gap of about 2 inches for air regulation at the top of the bottle. The gap allows room for the wax expansion, making it tough to produce more light.
You can now turn on the lamp. However, the cap should remain off as you run the lamp for about an hour to heat up.
Within the 1 hour duration, as you wait for the lamp to heat up, you could make a saline solution by simply putting a glass of distilled water in the microwave for about 10 to 20 seconds.
Add some salts into the glass. You, however, need to be careful not to add iodized table salt since the water is likely to cloud again. Consider Epson or pickling salts instead.
Store the saline solution until you attain a uniform mixture. If you cannot identify any salt particles in the solution, then you can transfer the solution to the lava lamp in about 10 minutes. However, you need to remember not to stir or shake the wax.
You may dip about an inch of a drinking straw into the saline solution as you begin transferring the solution into the lamp bottle.
Add the solution in drops repeatedly after every 10 minutes until the wax can float on top of the lava lamp bottle.
You could as well add a drop of liquid dishwashing soap in the solution to quickly separate the wax liquid from the rising orbs in the lamp. You also need to add a few drops of food coloring to get a perfect match for the color of your wax.
When you have finished all the steps, screw the cap on the lamp, and your lava lamp will be ready to light effectively.
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Tips to avoid shaking the lamp:
•Place the lava lamp away from you or in a strategic place where you can easily view it to avoid knocking it down in your house movements.
•Avoid subjecting the lamp to direct sunlight, as this would make the wax color to fade.
•Did not tear off the cap while accessing the bulb you should instead access it through the bulb hutch.
•Did not replace the bulb, not unless the light is not circulating.
How do you fix a lava lamp?
Firstly, a lava lamp is a source of light that has silicone oil or paraffin wax in it. We already know that oil and water do not mix because of their different densities.
A liquid motion is produced when the heat is applied at the base of the water and oil or wax mixture. Usually, the heat is produced by a light bulb.
When a lava lamp is turned upside down or shaken, the clarity of the water is diminished. This common problem is caused by the oil that starts spreading through the water.
Even though this is the most occurred problem, there are still some methods to fix a lava lamp at home. You don’t have to buy a new lava lamp, and you don’t have to go to a service center to fix it. The methods presented below will most likely solve your problem.
How to fix a lava lamp wax?
Make sure your lava lamp is unplugged and cooled down. The first thing you need to do is to take the lid off and take the liquid out of the lamp. Keep in mind that the wax is now in a solid-state so it won’t be spilled out.
After you took the liquid out, you have to replace it. To do this, you need some cold distilled water. Pour the distilled water into the lamp, but make sure to avoid pouring it directly on the wax because it’s fragile.
You don’t have to stir or shake it. The wax needs space to become more solid, and you have to add a new mixture of salt and distilled water, so make sure to leave a two-inch gap after you poured the water into the lamp.
As for the saline solution, you need some pickling salts (table salt is not recommended because it will make the water unclear). Dissolve the pickling salts in a glass of heated distilled water.
For the next step, you need to take a normal drinking straw and dip it about one inch into the salt and distilled water mixture.
Now, put your finger on top of the straw hole and transfer the liquid inside it into the lamp. Do not stir the water inside the lamp! Wait 10 minutes and do this again. You have to repeat this process until you see the wax orbs floating on top inside the lava lamp.
Now you can add a small drop of liquid soap to separate the wax orbs and a bit of food coloring to match the wax’s color.
A simpler approach to fix a lava lamp:
It is possible that you don’t have to go through the method presented earlier to fix a lava lamp. Turning your lava lamp on and off might do the trick. Turn the lamp off and let it cool for two hours.
After two hours turn it on and leave it like this and, as soon as you see the liquid becoming unclear, turn it off again. Repeat this process a few times. If this method didn’t fix your lava lamp, you may have to use a different approach.
Leave it on for 10 hours straight:
Another simple way to fix a lava lamp is to leave the lamp on for a long time hoping that the heat generated by the light bulb will simply fix the problem. If this didn’t work for you, consider different approaches to fix a lava lamp.
How to avoid damage to your lava lamp:
•If you want to replace the light bulb, do it through the bulb hatch which can be found at the bottom of the lamp.
•Avoid overheating by turning your lamp off after 10 hours of using it.
•Replace the light bulb only if it burns out and makes sure to verify its compatibility with the lamp you use.
•Sunlight can damage your lava lamp and can cause the colors to fade, so make sure to place your lamp somewhere away from sunlight.
•If the lava lamp is placed in a spot where it can cause you discomfort, you will probably move it and shake it. Place the lamp in a zone where it doesn’t bother you so you don’t have to move it a lot.
Lava lamps are simple to operate, and you do not need to worry if you have accidentally shaken the lamp. You will not need to hire a technician to fix the problem as you only need to follow a few procedures to fix the problem and as well bring it back to its initial state.
Use the steps stated in this guideline to get your lava lamp into its original state after shaking it.
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