Soda Bottle Water Rocket Launcher Fabricated Parts Kit Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a nice little kit put together with off-the-shelf parts but not something I would have been able to guess how to create myself. I figured I'd save five dollars and put it together with my son but it turned out that the extra materials (PVC cement and duct tape) was another ten dollars so nothing was saved. However the fun and educational value of putting it together ourselves was well worth it. We may be building something larger out of PVC material later so it gave us some good experience with the primer and cement.
The trickiest part was the trigger mechanism. There were several hints about how to get it to work on the instructions (which are color with photos and very clear), but we still couldn't get it to "lock" in place. Instead what I wound up doing was adding a few layers of duct tape to the inside of the trigger tube (large piece of PVC shown in the photo with bright red string) so that it would "stick" in place until it was pulled down.
We also had trouble getting it pumped up beyond about 40psi, even though the instructions suggested a max of 130psi. The water would leak out of the sides and we'd have to pull the trigger before it all leaked out. Even at 40psi however the bottle shot up dramatically about 50+ft in the air. I tried adding some greasy suntan lotion to help with the seal and that seemed to help a bit. We will have to experiment with it some more to see if the leakage can be reduced.
In all a very educational experience for my son and I.

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Product Description:
One soda bottle water rocket launcher prefabricated parts kit with adjustable trigger mechanism, launch pad, and instructions for assembly and launching. Launcher ships completely unassembled with easy to follow instructions. Launcher will enable you to propel a 2 liter plastic (PET) soda pop bottle over 250 ft. into the sky using only water and compressed air from a bicycle pump, a foot pump for a car, or an air compressor for tools and painting. Fuel (water and air) is essentially free and readily available allowing countless launches without additional expense. Launcher supports air pressures as low as 20 PSI up to 130 PSI. You will be amazed how high only 40 PSI will propel a bottle with fins attached to it. After pumping up the bottle to the PSI of your choice, you control when the launch occurs by pulling on the brightly colored string to release the trigger from a safe distance and out of the splash zone. Launcher supports most .5L, 1L, 1.25L and 2 liter plastic (PET) bottles. Great item for people of all ages for fun, science projects, school classes, parties, etc. and may well draw a crowd where it is used. Trigger mechanism slides up or down by loosening the hose clamp to accommodate variations in bottle construction. Made in the USA from durable non-corrosive Schedule 40 PVC pipe. NO additional expensive materials are required such a wooden board for base, metal mounting brackets, or expensive pulley for string to operate the trigger. Materials and Tools Needed for Assembly: PVC cement, duct tape, scissors, ruler or yardstick, tape measure (optional), flat blade screwdriver (or 5/16 in. or 8 mm socket wrench). Materials and Tools Needed for Launch: Plastic (PET) soda pop bottle, water, air source (bicycle pump, foot pump, or air compressor), 2 tent pegs (wooden stakes, wire hanger, rock, or brick) to keep launcher from moving when the string is pulled.

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