sprinkler valve

iisthemuffin · Fri May 23, 2008 3:36 pm

i currently have a ball valve on my cannon and am interested in putting an unmodded sprinkler valve on it...but i have some questions...first of all...how much will this improve performance? also will the pvc cement weld to the sprinkler valve? also what powers the sprinkler valve? and reguarding modded sprinklers what powers it? i read a blow gun but what is that?

iPaintball · Fri May 23, 2008 3:50 pm

Once you switch to a sprinkler valve, you will see a great increase in power and opening speed. Technically, a modded sprinkler valve is not "powered" but it is triggered. It all has to do with the pressure differential inside the valve itself. I would reccomend modding your valve. This will give you an even faster opening time and even more power.

iisthemuffin · Fri May 23, 2008 3:55 pm

well will you please explain to me how it is triggered?

willarddaniels · Fri May 23, 2008 4:04 pm

An un-modded sprinkler valve has a solenoid that needs to be accuated in order for the diaphram to open up and allow your propellant to travel from your chamber to your barrell.
To get the solenoid to activate, you supply it with some power... like X number of AA batteries hooked up to it via a push button or other switch. The amount of power depends on the solenoid- read the instructions that come with the valve or look at the solenoid itself, it may indicate what voltage it requires.

Simply, it is triggered with power: batteries.

Darkside 6ix · Fri May 23, 2008 4:09 pm

OK! lol. well a sprinkler valve is almost exactly like a piston.( a barrel sealing valve that has a piston to seal the gap). when you pump air into it, the valve seals and you have an air tight gap. the way that it is triggerd is different depending on weather it is modded or not.

Modded Triggering (RECOMENDED)

The blow gun, if positioned correctly, when triggered, will release the air in the top part of the valve, allowing the phragm to shoot straight upwards and releasing all of the air in the chamber into the barrel.

Normal Triggering

A solinoid basically acts like the blow gun ^^^ but is electric. In my opinion, I'd rather spend an extra 5$ for the blowgun and 3/4 nipple then worrying about batterys and electronics. The solinoid, when the electric current runs through it, will act like the blow gun when it is triggered.

To answer you PVC glue question. I personally wouldnt glue it because most sprinkler valves are threaded, and i just use teflon tape to get rid of leaks. But I honestly cant tell you whether or not the glue will stick to the valve. It should, but I cant tell you for sure.

Hope I helped

EDIT : somebody beat me to the solinoid =P

Hydra · Fri May 23, 2008 6:53 pm

You wont need PVC Cement to glue the SV (Sprinkler Valve)

Sprinkler valves are threaded with screws.

Maniac · Fri May 23, 2008 7:38 pm

Ugh please SEARCH before you ask questions like this just look in the pneumatic cannon section every other cannon has sprinkler valve on it there im sure you can find something out. Dont mean to be rude but this kind of question has been asked probably a thousand times.

TurboSuper · Fri May 23, 2008 7:52 pm

The basic idea behind a sprinkler valve is to somehow create a pressure differential on the diaphragm inside, such that the valve opens.

You can either do this with a solenoid, or a blowgun. I'm going to parrot everyone here and insist that you get the blowgun, it's a little $5 tool you can find in the air compressor section of your local hardware store, and it makes the cannon much simpler. Take this from a guy who usually goes out of his way to incorporate electronics into things.

The Wiki will answer all your questions, and probably some you haven't even though of yet. Use it

jimmy101 · Fri May 23, 2008 8:00 pm

The sprinkler valve is usually designed to work on a 24 volt DC power supply. A pair of 9V batteries works fine. Three would be better but you (and the solenoid) probably can't tell the difference between 18 and 27V.

pvcpsyco is correct that it is easy to mod a valve (assuming you don't screw it up and ruin the valve), and the additional cost is pretty minimal. But you really don't have to mod the valve to start with. It can be done at anytime, assuming you haven't glued the valve into the gun in such a way that you can't get to it anymore. You can build the gun and use a pair of 9V batteries to fire it. Then later mod it and be able to fire the gun either way.

Darkside 6ix · Fri May 23, 2008 8:28 pm

Yeah, like I said, you dont need to glue the valve. That is what the threads are for. Just add a little teflon tape and you have no leaks. Just to make you feel safe, the likelyhood of the threads breaking and the chamber shooting back at you are 1 in a billion. If ay some chance that does happen (which it wont) then you have grounds to sue the valve/pipe manufacturer

mark.f · Fri May 23, 2008 8:32 pm

Not quite. Being that all PVC manufacturers urge people to NEVER use PVC with compressed air, it'd be hard to get anything useful from such a suit. It's like blowing your arm off with a coke bottle filled with Triple Seven powder, and suing the coke company.

Darkside 6ix · Fri May 23, 2008 8:39 pm

Thats stupid. Why the hell is it pressure rated then?

TurboSuper · Fri May 23, 2008 10:05 pm

pvcpsyco wrote:Thats stupid. Why the hell is it pressure rated then?

Becasue it's meant to hold pressurized water, not gases.

Darkside 6ix · Fri May 23, 2008 10:07 pm

Lol, now that I think about it, nothing is ever used the way it is MEANT to

iisthemuffin · Fri May 23, 2008 10:47 pm

Maniac wrote:Ugh please SEARCH before you ask questions like this just look in the pneumatic cannon section every other cannon has sprinkler valve on it there im sure you can find something out. Dont mean to be rude but this kind of question has been asked probably a thousand times.

everyone was completely helpful but this ass...i just wonder...does it make you feel above me to talk down to me and procede to tell me to use the search button...i can easily search...which i did indeed do...but in the end that doesnt answer all of MY questions...if you arent going to be of any help dont waste my time or your time for that matter posting such bullshit

sprinkler valve

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