# Pneumatic Ankle Tickers - Please Help!



## kenny-hauntedweb (Sep 3, 2008)

I am having some problems with air pressure on my ankle ticklers. I am not getting enough air pressure to run the four whips together (only the middle two have any movement.) They are all connected in a series and I using an 8-gallon compressor. If I disconnect the last two whips, the first two whip around fine. What am I doing wrong?


----------



## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

What size line and how close is your compressor to the effect?


----------



## kenny-hauntedweb (Sep 3, 2008)

I have 3/8" OD vinyl hose running from the compressor to the valve and 1/4" OD vinyl from the valve to to the whips. There is about 10 ft of hose from the compressor to the valve.


----------



## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

From what it looks like you don't have enough air storage.
Though, what's you pressure you are running at right now?


----------



## kenny-hauntedweb (Sep 3, 2008)

The compressor fills to about 100-110 psi. I have a bigger compressor at my haunt but that is 3 hrs away. I am using this one for testing purposes.


----------



## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

From what I remember from doing this myself a few years ago, you need more air supply at the event (your ticklers). 
So maybe having a storage unit close to the event will fix it.
Along with increasing your tubing, that also will increase the amount of air before the event.


----------



## kenny-hauntedweb (Sep 3, 2008)

We have an 80-gallon at the haunt which runs all of the pneumatics. I am planning to have a 5-gallon storage tank on the ticklers. I am building 2 assemblies which have 4 whips each. Do you think I will need a storage tank for each assembly?


----------



## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

Since the ticklers free flow when on, all the air you can store at the event is bonus for the amount of ticklers you want to have.
Mostly a trial and error of how many you can have with what you have to work with.


----------



## kenny-hauntedweb (Sep 3, 2008)

Cool. Thanks for the help!


----------



## gadget-evilusions (Jan 26, 2007)

This also happens when the valve you are using dosen't have enough flow to provide enough air to power all the whips. I can do 6 whips on a 6' run with a 3/8" solenoid valve.


----------



## kenny-hauntedweb (Sep 3, 2008)

This is a 1/4" valve


----------



## gadget-evilusions (Jan 26, 2007)

The cv rating of the valve I use for ankle ticklers is 1.67. The cv rating of the standard 1/4" 2 way valve I sell is .23, that's a huge difference in how much air you can pass.


----------



## kenny-hauntedweb (Sep 3, 2008)

Do you think the valve will solve my problem or should I try to add air storage first?


----------



## gadget-evilusions (Jan 26, 2007)

If it's free for you to try air storage, go for it. 

Is your compressor running the entire time you have the valve open? An 8 gallon compressor should allow you to easily fire your ticklers for a few seconds at full strength. If they never operate fully, then it's what I said, and your just not getting enough air thru the valve into the tickler line.


----------



## kenny-hauntedweb (Sep 3, 2008)

The compressor does not run the entire time. The ticklers never operate fully.


----------



## gadget-evilusions (Jan 26, 2007)

Then it is as I said, you are not getting enough air thru the valve.


----------



## Desertrat17 (Oct 18, 2010)

*Same problem*

I'm having almost exactly the same problem... I'm new to pneumatics, but have everything wired and plumbed to operate a 5-foot run with 4 whips. I'm using aquarium tubing for the whips (which at the moment don't do much). I don't have the time or money to go back and get a larger valve or more storage. My question is this... wouldn't smaller diameter tubing for the whips solve the problem? If so, anyone have a good idea for what tubing to use?


----------



## gadget-evilusions (Jan 26, 2007)

Smaller diameter tubing can help. If you use to large of tubing with not enough flow then all the air your getting will come out only one or two whips. I use a 6' 3/8" polyurethane feed line with 6 1/8" diameter whips. Using a 3/8" valve, like I discussed before (man this thread is old), I can actually run a 12' length of 3/8" with 12 1/8" whips.


----------



## SkeletalRemains (Dec 13, 2006)

Like what was said before, use a reserve air tank and a 1/2" dump valve to get the airflow you need. It's basically a large air cannon, with the output of the air cannon going into the feeder for the surgical tubing whips.


----------

