CONDUCTOR'S SPECIAL - PREPARING FOR YOUR INSTALL

Getting Ready for the Install

You have been waiting patiently for your kit to come in the mail. Your boxes finally come in and you can’t wait to get your horns on and take them through the neighborhood for a test run. As bad as you want to get it on there and get out and honking, taking your time with the install and doing it by the book (literally) is hands down the best way to make sure that your kit outlasts the vehicle that it's installed on. Hopefully, before you even got your kit, you did a little planning on where your kit is going to fit on your vehicle.

Rushing your install and forcing your components to fit in places they don't is a sure-fire way to damage your kit or make it difficult to maintain or troubleshoot if needed. Take your time and make sure everything is in its proper place. The single best piece of advice that we can give you on how to best install your kit is to follow the instructions. Unlike other horn manufacturers that assume everyone is a certified mechanic, we ensure that that our instructions are detailed and easy to read, even if you aren't very mechanically inclined.

Now, we get it. No one likes to go by the instructions when you are putting something together and its almost as bad as having to ask for directions, but even if this isn’t your first horn kit install, you still want to go over the instructions to make sure you’re not installing your kit in a way that could potentially damage it and void your warranty. Just in case you still want to figure things out yourself, here are a few important points to note about installing your major components that will make sure that your kit is installed in the best way to ensure longevity for your system.

Air Tank

Your air tank can be positioned any way that will fit best, however you want to make sure that you install your drain cock on the bottom-most port to allow the tank to drain moisture properly. If you ordered one of our tanks or got a tank with one of our kits, you should have a port on the top, bottom, ends, and side of the tank, ensuring that you are able to properly drain your tank however you decide to orient it. This is a very important step. If you cannot drain the moisture out of your tank over time, it will find its way into your horns and other components and can lead to component failure.

Compressor

Your compressor is the heart of your system. In fact, installing your air compressor improperly is one of the fastest ways to ruin your system. Your compressor should be installed in a way that it is oriented upright. This allows the heat to dissipate quickly, keeping the compressor cooled and ensuring that it runs at full efficiency and continues to do so down the road. If the air compressor is susceptible to rain or dust, you will have to relocate your air filter. All of our weather resistant horn kits come with an air filter reloation kit (works a lot like a snorkel for vehicle would) and they are also available on our website should you need to move it somewhere high and dry. The next article in this series goes over the process for relocating the air filter for the compressor.

Air Valve

Your electric air valve controls when your horns sound off. Your valve is a simple mechanism, that is closed by default and opens when it receives power. While there is nothing complicated about installing it, there are a few things to note that will help your installation go smoothly. First off, the most common mistake that people make is putting the valve on backward. All of our in-line valves are directional valves, meaning that they are designed for the air to flow in one direction only. If installed backward, your valve will not be able to close all the way and will constantly let air through. If your horns are constantly humming, this is a good indication that your valve is on backward. On our brass inline valves, you will find an arrow etched into the valve itself. Make sure this arrow is pointing in the direction of the airflow (pointing towards your horns) and you will be good to go!

Our valves have dual-polarity, meaning that either wire can be positive or negative. Just hook one to power and ground the other and you are all set!

Horns

The heart and soul of our kits, the horns! These horns are individually mountable, and they can be separated from each other for the best fitment possible. We have seen these installed on big rigs, smart cars, and everything in between. You are provided with enough air line to run each bell up to 2.5 feet away from your solenoid valve and enough air line to run the valve 17 feet away from the tank. This detail is important as if you plan to spread the bells out further than 2.5', you will need additional air line. These horns are capable of up to 147.4 dB of output @ 150 PSI. These horns can be faced in any direction and make sure that each is mounted securely!