which is more reliable? im thinking to go with the manual one because the thought of the elec one failing at early hours of the morning worries me…
or can i fit a stop tap to turn the pressure off at night to be on the safe side?
i have my electric valce since may 08 and today is july 09 and never had any problem with it 
… also with the electric valve you can connect it to honk with your car remote and with the manual valve don’t:(… and the manual valve is huge and the electric valve not:(… the electric valve cost 50-60 and the manual vale cost 150-160 
so is ur choice… but my advice is go with the electric one (1/2):D…
The electric valves you use for train horns are normally closed: this means if the electrical components fail, the valve will be trapped in the closed position.
The only time the valve opens is when it has current, so it really can’t go off by itself. If you’re worried though, you can install a kill-switch, and just flick it off when you’re done using the horn.
Electric valves can be installed closer to the horns; you can put them under your vehicle, in the bumper, or anywhere between your tank and the horns. With a manual valve, you’ll have to install it where you can reach. This usually means running air line through your cab, which is a lot more work.
On the flip side, manual valves give you control like nothing else. So if you really love your horns, they’re a great choice.
A stop tap would work too if you’re really that worried… I wouldn’t bother though.
thanks for the replie really appreciate your feedback…:):)
You are 1/2 correct… Yes you are right that the valve is always in the closed position , and you could run a shut off switch on it… BUT- if the diaphragm inside the solenoid fails it will let the back pressure back in and open it!
I had 2 diaphragms fail on me when i first hooked up my original siege horn kit… First one lasted a month or so . and one day after i got home from a long day of work, got in my house and next thing i know all hell is breaking loose! Horns going off, neighbors having heartattacks , attracting a ton of unwanted attn… lol I contacted siege they sent me out another free 1/2 smc valve. Installed it and next morning when on my way to work it blew out again when i was leaving my driveway…
After that they sent me out a bunch of brand new diaphragms , and i installed it myself… and havent had a prob in over 1-1/2 years… Now when i just moved the valve to a diff loc. on my truck and have it hooked up to the drain on tank now, i changed the diaphragm again and it did have wear… So i suggest to everyone to open theres up every year or so and check it / replace diaphragm…
also what i did fearing it would go off at night on its own, is put a shutoff valve on tank going to that airline… that way at night i turn off the air and dont have to worry bout it breaking at 3AM! :eek:
Ken, How does that Kahlenberg valve work? Is it a manual AND electric?
airlift all the way =)
It wasnt a cheap chrome type… it was a upgraded valve in there kit…
heres a pic of it when i had my original siege horns…
No idea why I didn’t read that SMC part. Must have missed that line. Very strange though… we’ve been selling those for years upon years and have never had to supply a customer with diaphragms to this day. Nor have we had a horror story quite like yours. Do you know what series the valve is? (First 2-3 letters of the model number)
I’ll admit if the diaphragm fails in a valve, it will drain your tank. If the electrical part fails nothing should happen though.
On the original point though, we recommend the pilot-operated SMC, Air Lift, E-Air, and Shocker valves we sell. They are all rated between 200 and 300 PSI and are of very strong construction and extremely reliable.
no prob, i know that they are great valves… i think i was sent 2 recons possibly that were never reconed… lol But since i changed out the diaphragm on my own it works great now… i do have a bunch of spares now since i had the prob… i will be checking it for wear every year or so now…
I cant dee the model # right now the way i have it mounted but next time i take it down i will post up the #.
That would make some sense. Who knows? At least you have it working fine now.
Thanks! And sorry for going OT guys
I have an Asco 1/2 high flow 12v 400 PSI rated valve, It works great, never had A problem.Anyone familiar with this?I know A few low rider guys and they recommended this and said they never had A problem so thats what I installed.
I used to have A 3/8 valve and an air line to small, It choked the system so bad my horns sounded like duuuuuuhhh,So after consulting th DOC he recommended I go big and now all works ,Thank You !.I didn’t know of this forum at that time. Lots of great info here and I am always reading up.
Thanks Guys…
Rex…
I know several guys who have Asco’s on their bagged vehicles and they never really had any problems with them going out. Only problem they had, which was very annoying, was them “barking” REALLY bad… annoyingly bad.