Propane Fire Pits

[SadRobot]

For anyone interested in the LavaBox saga I talked to the company and they are going to send me their latest upgraded LavaBox to try and I'll return this one so they can troubleshoot it.

I'm hoping that replacing the box will fix the issue.

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[dragoneggs]

For anyone interested in the LavaBox saga I talked to the company and they are going to send me their latest upgraded LavaBox to try and I'll return this one so they can troubleshoot it.

I'm hoping that replacing the box will fix the issue.

Did you ask them if anyone else is having issues?

 

[SadRobot]

They said they have had issues in the past but once they swap out the regulator the issue has gone away for others.

 

[SadRobot]

Well here are the results of the brand new Lavabox they sent me. Same issue as the first box. I set the level and after 10 minutes there's barely a flame. Looks like both of these boxes are getting returned. Such a bummer.

 

[rdfact]

In all your tests, have you used the same propane tank? Could there be an issue with the tank?

 

[SadRobot]

In all your tests, have you used the same propane tank? Could there be an issue with the tank?

I've tried 2 different tanks (one was the smaller Ignik Growler and the other one is the larger tank I use for my grill at home) and same problem each time. I also just bought a regulator off Amazon to try a different one and same result. It's not the propane and it's not the regulators. Something has to be going on with the box.

I'm curious if anyone else here owns this LavaBox and has had no issues at all.....

 

[OminousSkitter]

I've tried 2 different tanks (one was the smaller Ignik Growler and the other one is the larger tank I use for my grill at home) and same problem each time. I also just bought a regulator off Amazon to try a different one and same result. It's not the propane and it's not the regulators. Something has to be going on with the box.

I'm curious if anyone else here owns this LavaBox and has had no issues at all.....

Dumb question, but how far down is the burner from the top? Does it have a good intake below the burner? Could it be starved for O2? It starts off strong, burns all the spare O2 in the box, can’t pull in enough, and ends up as small flame with unspent fuel?

I’m just thinking about the key components to fire: fuel, ignition source, air. If the regulator/tank is good, that’s the first two checked.

 

[SadRobot]

Dumb question, but how far down is the burner from the top? Does it have a good intake below the burner? Could it be starved for O2? It starts off strong, burns all the spare O2 in the box, can’t pull in enough, and ends up as small flame with unspent fuel?

I’m just thinking about the key components to fire: fuel, ignition source, air. If the regulator/tank is good, that’s the first two checked.

Here are some pics:

There are holes on all sides below the burner. Science wise it makes sense. The flame is getting starved out. I just don't know how to make that not happen.

 

[OminousSkitter]

Here are some pics:

There are holes on all sides below the burner. Science wise it makes sense. The flame is getting starved out. I just don't know how to make that not happen.

That should be more than enough air intake… maybe it’s not making a good chimney to start sucking in air. Just guessing here. Thermo-fluid dynamics are not my speciality. Any way to take the burner out if the box and see if the same thing happens (just sitting on your grill or something)? I also understand if you’re just done with trying to get it to work.

 

[Buddy Lee]

I've tried 2 different tanks (one was the smaller Ignik Growler and the other one is the larger tank I use for my grill at home) and same problem each time. I also just bought a regulator off Amazon to try a different one and same result. It's not the propane and it's not the regulators. Something has to be going on with the box.

I'm curious if anyone else here owns this LavaBox and has had no issues at all.....

I have the Lava box and mine does the same thing. It starts off with a great flame and after 10 -15 minutes it starts dying down. I have just got into the habit of sitting next to the bottle and turning it back up. I was under the assumption that the regulator spring isn’t strong enough to keep the dial in the settings we choose. I am still working through what I am going to do about it. When it works properly I love the heat it puts off though.

 

[SadRobot]

That should be more than enough air intake… maybe it’s not making a good chimney to start sucking in air. Just guessing here. Thermo-fluid dynamics are not my speciality. Any way to take the burner out if the box and see if the same thing happens (just sitting on your grill or something)? I also understand if you’re just done with trying to get it to work.

Yeah I don't think I want to start taking it apart. At this point I now have 2 boxes I have to find time to return. Beyond frustrating. I really wanted to like this thing but I don't want something I have to turn back up every 8-10 minutes.

 

[SadRobot]

I have the Lava box and mine does the same thing. It starts off with a great flame and after 10 -15 minutes it starts dying down. I have just got into the habit of sitting next to the bottle and turning it back up. I was under the assumption that the regulator spring isn’t strong enough to keep the dial in the settings we choose. I am still working through what I am going to do about it. When it works properly I love the heat it puts off though.

Interesting. Well at least I know I'm not crazy. Lavabox is saying it's not their box and with a working regulator it should maintain the flame level. It is nice for those 10 minutes. But it starts to fall around 5 minutes and then at 10 it's barely going.

Edit: Anyone have a Tacticool? I saw that one last year at the Pomona Offroad Expo and the flame just kept going.....

 

[SadRobot]

Well I gave it one last ditch effort. The owner of Lavabox was willing to jump onto a video call to see if there was something I was doing wrong in the process of lighting the box. I ended up just making videos to send to him and we corresponded via email. I did 3 tests. The first 2 were with my Ignik propane tank and using different regulators each time.

That showed it was not the regulator so he asked me to try a different propane tank thinking it had to be the tank that was faulty. I then hooked up my larger BBQ grill tank and got same results. Flame dead after 10 minutes.

So not regulator, not tank, has to be air flow of the box to me. He said he has never seen this before on their boxes and was very apologetic. They will be sending me a return label and giving me a refund.

 

[roaniecowpony]

we have been using a propane fire pit for years. cheap one I got on sale at sportsman's warehouse. I even use it when there are no fire restrictions.

I think I have the same one. We use it in the front yard and in our culdesac greenspace for evening parties.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Interesting. Well at least I know I'm not crazy. Lavabox is saying it's not their box and with a working regulator it should maintain the flame level. It is nice for those 10 minutes. But it starts to fall around 5 minutes and then at 10 it's barely going.

Edit: Anyone have a Tacticool? I saw that one last year at the Pomona Offroad Expo and the flame just kept going.....

I run my fire pit on a 5 gal bottle and it can start to get cold and the flame dwindles down. In cool weather it's worse. Sometimes you can tip the bottle on it's side and it helps. I think its a pressure issue when it gets cold.

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