air horn question

[goaliedad]

My son plays high school hockey and one of the dad's salvaged a set of air horns off an old semi. He tried it at last night's game with some luck. He ran it off a portable air tank with 120 psi. Had to recharge the tank often. Does anyone know what pressure these types of horns normally run at? Any ideas on how to run this without the hassle of recharging the tank? I was thinking a CO-2 tank with a regulator?
Any ideas are certainly welcome.

 

[kennyd]

90 to 100 lbs. is a good pressure to run them. The CO2 tank is a good idea.

 

[Shimon]

Some horns runs at up to 150psi. You can buy a 12v compressor and then lug around a small battery and maybe even a small tank but that's a lot of stuff to carry. Or try a small SCUBA tank with regulator. I use one for running air tools on boats without air.

 

[Highbeam]

A scuba tank runs at what- 3000 psi? a more compact option along the same lines is a paintball gun air reservoir. Same 3000 psi but a cheaper, smaller, and lighter tank. Somehow though you would need to reduce the pressure to the 100 or so psi.

I have a set of those 12 volt tankless air horns from JC whitney or HF on my pickup and while they aren't as loud as the big train horns they'll still leave you ears ringing.

 

[DieselPower]

Air horns off of any over the road truck are operated between 100-125 PSI which is the average operating range of the air systems on trucks. Most of the horns can be run at 150 PSI safely. The worst you would do with to much air preasure is blow out a gasket or rupture the diaphragm. If you want some really obnoxiously loud air horns pick up a set of old train horns (just don't forget to wear ear plugs ).

 

[bill177]

Co2 will run about 900 psi - depending upon ambient air temperature. Like scuba - it is not for the feint of heart. That said, a small bottle with a proper regulator might be the answer.

Not sure if I would put muct time or dollars into this. I'd bet it will quickly be banned. There are a load of decibles involved.

 

[goaliedad]

thanks for all of the replies- I will pass on the info to the dad in charge. As for it being banned- the rink management loaned him an air compressor for the test run! The horn is away from the crowd and used to welcome the team to the ice and to celebrate our goals. I think a CO2 tank and regulator is the way to go- there should be lots of noise in one tank!

 

[PineRidge]

There's a set of truck air horns mounted on the wall of my pole barn that work from a large compressor running at 110-120 psi. The front of my pole barn is pointed toward a new neighbor that just finished up a log house. They have young children that from time to time like to get a bit rowdy. When I hear a commotion I pull the rope and give a good blast from the horns and everything gets real quiet again.

I would think a small tank of carbon dioxide with appropriate regulator would make a fine air source.

 

[RobertN]

Or try a small SCUBA tank with regulator. I use one for running air tools on boats without air.

On the Fire Engine, we have air pads used to raise cars, etc off of victims. We use a bottle from our SCBA, with a regulator. Same concept. Might be expensive though. The SCBA we use does not have as much pressure as a 3000psi scuba tank; less than 2000psi...

If there is any electricity, try one of the pancake air compressors used for finish nailers and air nailers. I just used one; it made 120psi. It didn't have a lot of flow, but enough to make a couple blasts before recharging. One of these from a home store may be less expensive; scba/scuba regulators and tanks are expensive. And, you have to pay to refill them...

Otherwise, also try the local welding shop or welding supplier. If you tell them it is for a bunch of kids and a school, they might work you a deal?

 

[hazmat]

I'd stick w/ the portable compressor, but add an aux tank to it. If you can find room in the rink for a 60 gallon, it should reduce the amount of "refill" required during the game. Maybe you could scrounge one off a busted compressor.

The Scuba / CO2 / Welding cylinder options are great if you don't have electric available, but are likely more spendy than a regular air tank. Also you'll have some safety issues w/ a high pressure bottle need to be chained, inspected etc. especially in a school setting.

EDIT HERE

Lastly, the high pressure cylinder will have to be recharged at the local scuba / welding shop - an inconvenience (and possible expense) for someone to do between games...