Homemade Pressure soaker (PIC)

sneakycookie · Post by **sneakycookie** » Sat May 10, 2008 3:46 pm

Well after my resent well fail with my last homemade, I started to think about a new soaker. I came up with many different plans but I liked this one the best.

1. 1 1/2 feet of black tube about 4 inches diameter.

2. hose fitting

3. air valve (tire valve)

4. pressure washer valve

Now my mind pondered on this all night long in my sleep, and I decided to go with this plan once i can buy some more parts. Heres a rough scetch of what i had in mind.

Sorry, its not the best in the world. I used paint to make it, please tell me what you think.
For the people that cant understand this here is what happens. The tank is filled up half way threw the hose fitting just so the bodem of the tank has water. Then the top is pumped with 100psi pushing the water down and throw the hose that is conected to the hose fitting. I will connect the hose to a pressure washer valve (basicaly the a gun for a pressure washer) and it will force water out it shooting a distence.

Again please tell me what you think, Give me all the constructive critisim you guys got.

Its basicaly the same as my last one, sept its going to be alot more sturdy and doesent have a ball valve.

SSCBen · Post by **SSCBen** » Sat May 10, 2008 4:41 pm

Looks good. One of my original ideas for a water cannon was very similar actually! I have a few suggestions though.

Use some reducers like I did on Supercannon II to attach an air valve. What you have seems to be a schrader valve screwed into tapped holes in an endcap, which can be hard to do and problematic when done. I would suggest using reducers to a 1/2 inch brass bushing with a 1/4 inch female end to screw in a schrader valve from there. You can also modify this to have a pressure gauge, which you might find useful because there can be a small difference between the pressure from your air compressor and what is in your water gun.

Unlike Supercannon II though you will not need the air exhaust because there is no piston.

My second suggestion would be to not use a pressure washer gun. The valves are low flow, you have limited choices for nozzles, and the gun is expensive compared against your other options. If you want something with a trigger it would work I suppose, but if you want performance, a simple ball valve would work best and save money.

Other than those two suggestions I can't think of anything else.

Drenchenator · Post by **Drenchenator** » Sat May 10, 2008 4:43 pm

Why did you decide to not use a ball valve? A ball valve is actually the best valve for performance in a water gun. A pressure washing valve just won't perform well as a water gun firing valve.

I'd recommend a separate filling valve for the water. Filling up the gun through the hose barb will not only be slow but also difficult--air will have to be replaced as the water gets in, so it would really be difficult to see how much water goes into the gun if you don't measure it out beforehand. I would replace the top tire valve with a small tee with the tire valve on one side and a ball valve for filling on the other. This will let you fill the gun, close the fill valve, and pressurize it without taking off the hose to the firing valve at all. Much easier.

SSCBen · Post by **SSCBen** » Sat May 10, 2008 4:49 pm

If he replaced the pressure washer valve and hose with a ball valve, he wouldn't need a separate filling valve. That's another reason to use a ball valve--the simplicity allows it to shoot and fill from there.

Though, he might want to use this as a backpack, and after thinking about his last water gun, that's probably what he wants to do. Adding a filling ball valve on the top valve assembly would be a good idea if this was a backpack.

sneakycookie · Post by **sneakycookie** » Sat May 10, 2008 4:57 pm

I will use both the pressure washer and the ball valve. I will have to purchase a new ball valve though. I dont want to put the tee in, But i will put a water valve on the top so I dont have to take the hose off. Thanks for your adivce.

Well if i have the water vavle I wont need to fill it throw the ball valve.

Edit: Update at 4:08

I have currently Moded my ball valve and im going to use it instead of the pressure washer. I made the nozzle half the size then it was before. I did abunch of other mods to it to. I think instead of making a pressure tank out of PVC im going to use a propain tank because you cant blow it up because it has a pop off vavle thatt makes it so now mader what you do you cant blow it up.

I figure that i can put atleast 110 PSI in it, The propain bottel i currently have is a normal sized one. It can fit in my backpack so it will make a good backpack soaker.

Drenchenator · Post by **Drenchenator** » Sat May 10, 2008 9:54 pm

Exactly how large in the propane bottle you have? However large it is, I'm sure that it will be able to take the pressure--110 psig isn't much to it. Nevertheless, make sure that you use teflon tape on all of the threaded fittings so that the gun doesn't leak.

From what I've read (link), the relief valve on barbecue propane tanks opens at 375 psi. I'm assuming that's well above what you could put into it and well below the breaking point of the tank itself.

Similar guns have been built if you want to see what someone has done. The UberSoaker was made with a a regular portable compressed air tank, but should be similar enough if you would like to see what someone else has done. Good luck.

sneakycookie · Post by **sneakycookie** » Sun May 11, 2008 2:24 am

Well i got barbecue tank and i can just put it in my pack, I dont know how much it would way thow the top i could proble carry on my back is 60 pounds, 40 with comfert. I can carry 70 pounds because i go hunting alot and i have to carry 60-70 pounds 2-3 miles. But i want it under 40 pounds so i can run around. Do you know how much it would way?

Drenchenator · Post by **Drenchenator** » Sun May 11, 2008 2:56 am

Well, considering that a standard BBQ tank has a volume of 4.73 gallons, a full tank with no air would weigh 39.5 pounds. Since the tank itself weights about 5 pounds empty and you said it'll be half full of water, I estimate that that just the tank and water will weigh 25 pounds. Good enough for you?

Edit: Wrong subject to a verb.

sneakycookie · Post by **sneakycookie** » Sun May 11, 2008 5:10 am

I can carry 25 pounds with my pinky and walk 3 miles before I even twitch. Well no, not realy but I could handle it. Realy I have worked hard to be able to lug around hevey stuff. My dad made me do it because I have to carry the moose meat on my back when we go hunting.

Drenchenator · Post by **Drenchenator** » Sun May 11, 2008 1:05 pm

I've gone backpacking several times and they always tell you never to carry much more than one third your body weigh your pack as a rule of thumb. So as long as you weigh over 75 pounds--which I'm assuming you do--you're safe. The weight of this gun isn't a consequence of the propane tank; it's just a consequence of the fact that water is heavy--and there's nothing you can do to change it. If you want a high capacity gun like this one, it's gonna weigh a lot.

aEx155 · Post by **aEx155** » Sun May 11, 2008 3:36 pm

So, are you planning to make this like the UberSoaker, or are you going with your own design?

sneakycookie · Post by **sneakycookie** » Sun May 11, 2008 4:26 pm

I think ill do thw whole urban soaker thing because i dont want to blow myself up again.

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