Sprinkler valve...

[pyr0]

Hi...
I'm new to pneumatic cannons so I was hoping a few people here could help me out. I was going to buy all of my items from spudtech.com, but unfortunately Joel is away and isn't running the order form. I was wondering if this sprinkler valve will work for pneumatic actuation. I bought this one because it most closely resembled the one Joel was selling. Any ideas? It is the "Orbit 1 In. FIP Electric Inline Valve With Flow Control" I know that some people say not to buy a valve becuase of a guide rod or something like that, but I have no idea what that is.

Thanks for the help!

*Edit* Thanks for all of the help, but now of course I have another problem at hand... I made myself a very small pressure chamber for my sprinkler valve so I could test certain things. I pumped up the chamber with a bike pump, what else, and there were no leaks on it itself. Unfortunately, it was leaking pretty bad from the output of the valve, and this is before I modded it, I simply put it back together and tested it. Any ideas why it might be leaking?

*Edit* Another one, sorry. I just modded my sprinkler valve, (looks great btw), but my valve is leaking very very badly. I don't think it has anything to do with the mod... I can't see how that would affect it. When you try to add pressure to the chamber, it goes up to like 30psi and then just blows out the other side of the valve. I cracked it open and realized that there is a spring which holds down the phram... in it's default position, the phram isn't far down enough to stop air. Holding it down by hand, I can make it not leak at like 80psi. How can I fix this problem?

[pyromaniac]

http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2497&
Welcome to spudfiles, Yes it will work and it does not have a guide rod, but in your future use the seach button.
a guide rod is a little rod. that keep the diaphram strait the little white thing under that spring is there to keep the phram strait instead of a guide rod.
heres how to mod one with a rod http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3821&
theres also a picture of the rod there.
remember if you take the solenoid out to fill it with epoxy.

[BC Pneumatics]

BCARMS.com sells Sprinkler Valves as well. A good alternative to the now closed Spudtech.

[ryno]

If its leaking from the barrel, theres a good chance that the chamber isnt being pressurized fast enough. I had that happen on a few larger guns when i used a bike pump. You may want to invest in an air compressor. If not, you could do this. Make another air tank (separted from the gun), closed on both ends, and run a hose out of it with a chuck or quick disconnect (what ever fits your spudgun chamber) then pump up that tank with your bike pump. You could then hook up your new air tank and dump that air into you pressure chamber, kinda of ghetto air compressor.

[c19o]

If its leaking from the barrel, theres a good chance that the chamber isnt being pressurized fast enough. I had that happen on a few larger guns when i used a bike pump. You may want to invest in an air compressor. If not, you could do this. Make another air tank (separted from the gun), closed on both ends, and run a hose out of it with a chuck or quick disconnect (what ever fits your spudgun chamber) then pump up that tank with your bike pump. You could then hook up your new air tank and dump that air into you pressure chamber, kinda of ghetto air compressor.

That's what I do when my dad takes the air compressor to a job.
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Maybe you should try pumping with the pump much faster and harder. I had a sprinkler valve that needed an air compressor at 40 psi to make a seal. Or you could always do what ryno said.

[homedepotpro]

mine leaked because i had let primer disolve the innards of my valve but i dont think you used primer/glue yet, but if that happens your pretty much screwed

[hi]

I hade a different valve, but the same problem. take it apart and you will see ( should see anyway) a small piece of plastic that is maybe 1/4'' tall and 1/4'' wide. It just sits in the diaphram, take it out and it should work. what it does is it plugs up the equilization port.

[pyr0]

I hade a different valve, but the same problem. take it apart and you will see ( should see anyway) a small piece of plastic that is maybe 1/4'' tall and 1/4'' wide. It just sits in the diaphram, take it out and it should work. what it does is it plugs up the equilization port.

Unfortunatly, the spring that holds down the phram sits on this pice of plastic, so yes it is there, but I don't think I can take it out and still have it work...

[jrrdw]

Are you useing this for your mainvalve? Or is it to pilot a piston valve?

[pyr0]

I'm using this for my main valve, and if I can get pneumatic actuation to work, then I'm going to buy another and hook up dual-firing.

[keep_it_real]

I had the same problem but I fixed it. When you take it apart there's a pipe that is in the center that the diaphragm sits on. K now on the diaphragm there is a plastic ring around the rubber that holds the rubber in place. So when the diaphragm was down, it was sitting on the ring of plastic instead of the rubber. This seems like the stupidest error ever for the quality control people who check them. It seems so stupid that maybe it was somehow my error but I fixed it...

all I had to do was file down the outside egde of the pipe inside and then it sealed against the rubber not the plastic.

btw. This was on a orbit watermaster 1" without a guide rod.

[jrrdw]

Are you sure you have the arrows pointing towards the barrel?

[pyr0]

Unfortunatly, I do have the arrows pointing in the right direction. Could anyone elaborate on how to fix it like keep_it_real explained? I just don't want to mess up something that cost me $22. Thanks...
*edit* and it is actually a one inch sprinkler valve from orbit, so hopefully it can be fixed how keep_it_real explained... (there is a couple pics of it on top)

[pyromaniac]

Mine was leaking for a while too what i did was put a ball valve infront of it so the pressure could equalize and it could seal, now it seals just fine without the ball valve.

[pyr0]

I don't think it is a problem with how fast it is filled... I wouldn't know very well, but I don't really see how it could be. The faster you let it in the faster it comes out. Also, where can you buy a ball valve, just in case?

Update! I tweaked a few things in the valve and now it isn't leaking out of the front! Now it is leaking out of a different hole, but that can easily be epoxied over... can't do it now, cuz it's late, and I won't be able to do it until maybe tommorow night or sat. but when it does work I'll update this page so incase anyone else has the same problem they won't be screwed...