Have you tried having your set up with the wick pointed to the ground. It will promote the flow of juice down the wick. I'm not sure about the lavagen, but if it has a fill hole with a fill screw, leave it out.
Wick pointed to the ground?
There is no fill screw.
@stevo- no I got an early generation zen. But I don't think I've ever had issues with the wick grounding on the channel or the coil.
Brian on the other hand can't get a genie to not ground out on the wick!
We are both stumped. It just seems to be a big PITA