Buell Horn

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My boat had set of puny electric horns and I have lusted after a real air horn for quite some time. I decided to get a Buell 18 inch air horn backed by 150 psi of air pressure. Let me say it does the job, its really loud and sounds like it belongs on the boat. Anyone looking for a new horn I would recommend the Buell. I am using a 120 volt air compressor for the horn so I can also have a real air compressor on the boat.

Please tell us a bit about how your system is set up. What type of compressor and size, location, how connected to the horn, and what other things you will do with it.
I would like to have a compressor on board but haven't planned anything out except to load up a Sears or other pancake style maybe have a hooka rig with it too.
thanks,
Steve W.
Monk 36, Gumbo
Thibodaux, Louisiana

Someday I'll have an oiless air compressor on board for the air horn, and for work in the engine room. You just don't know how nice it is to plug in an air wrench for even the small jobs. Maybe pulling the shaft bolts to check engine alignment. Or a bigger job like replacing a flex plate. Imagine the light weight of an air driven buffer, sanding with air, blowing off the dust with an air gun. Ah, the joys of air tools........ someday.

Ken

In doing these conversions , the use of a discarded propane tank works well as an accumulator.

Buell sells 12v compressors , but there far to tiny to run an air tool.

The Sears compressor with an inverter would be fine , but not for air sanding which is a real air user.

Kahlenburger is first choice , but really* pri$Y!!!

FF

-- Edited by FF on Friday 3rd of July 2009 04:29:24 AM

Steve wrote:

Please tell us a bit about how your system is set up. What type of compressor and size, location, how connected to the horn, and what other things you will do with it.
I would like to have a compressor on board but haven't planned anything out except to load up a Sears or other pancake style maybe have a hooka rig with it too.
thanks,
Steve W.
Monk 36, Gumbo
Thibodaux, Louisiana

Click to expand...

Steve you can kill yourself trying to dive with air from a shop compressor. You'll be breating oil vapors that come through those. If you want to dive, please get a real hookah rig and get SCUBA certified.


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-- Edited by Keith on Friday 3rd of July 2009 06:17:42 AM

Its an oiless six gallon Porter Cable pancake compressor, $179 at Home Depot. I have a 2000 watt inverter so AC power is always on away from the dock.Buell has compression fittings and hose that they sell and all I did was connect the compression fitting to a male quick connect for air tools. The Buell 12 volt compressors are way too expensive.
I have it under the fly bridge helm for now but I am thinking about moving it to the engine room. You can safely dive with a hooka rig on an oiless compressor, local dive shops sell the regulator for hooka rigs. Being able to use different air tools will be a plus also.
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The easiest and cheapest source for a 12V air compressor is found at the local auto scrap yard.

Many GM and others use an air leveling system , and these are EZ to find.

Some 4X and RV have air lift or air bag leveling , also a compressor source.

Plastic brake line from any truck place is a reasonable source for tubing , although my preference as always is for flair tubing copper.Use a large diameter tubing, horns use air at a good rate.

Either will take the 100psi or so that most air horns will operate at.

With a tight system simply drilling the right sized hole in a propane tank, now accumulator , and pushing (yes pushing it in is backwards from normal installation with some Joy as a lube )an auto tire fill valve will let you try everything out , and serve as a backup with a bike pump , should the power go down.

FF

-- Edited by FF on Saturday 4th of July 2009 05:16:54 AM