Have solenoid valve close gently

Put the solenoid at the tap end rather than the nozzle end?

Tim

I spent some time many years ago trying to make a solenoid valve operate slowly using PWM. Complete failure - once you get past a certain point, wham.

I'd look at a small pressure vessel, eg eBay 324596667784, just the first one I came across.

Would an inline one way valve work? With the valve held to the hose with jubilee clips.

something similar to

fit a surge arrester, e.g.

Prolly easier to just fit a water hammer shock arrester in the pipe to soak up the percussive effect.

Normally solenoids work that way, to try to make them close and open slowly you are in effect looking for a tap. I remember a tape deck whose solenoids were noisy, but try to put a ramp waveform in too make them slower and sometimes they got stuck or varied in their delays, which was hardly a good thing when editing. I don't think I've ever heard of a soft solenoid, as I say, you need some kind of rotating valve system. Brian

Is it 12v DC? If so, a large capacitor across it will slow it down.

No, that will delay it, but it will still snap shut. I have the T-Shirt.

Yes, it's 12volt DC

Cats and foxes would hear the water filling the hose, and be long gone.

What size did you have in mind? Last one I saw was 300mA current. 1s at say 6v drop and 300mA would be 50,000uF

I think a 3ft vertical pipe full of air nearby would be a better bed. Some solenoid valves are designed to snap shut, so any slowing down of solenoid operation might have minimal effect.

And that is a bad outcome?

Chris

How would that be classed as "not working"?

It would not have the desired effect for long - quickly they would learn that the noise meant a spray of water soon, so move out the way and carry on. An instant spray, would be too late to avoid.

Wouldn't the hose stay full of water?

Over the years I have tried various cat deterrents - none work.

Things that cat don't like to smell -they just mask it with cat s*it.

PIR triggered water sprayer - they get used to it and just side step the jet.

Ultrasonic sounders - it frightens them the first time but then they just ignore it.

The only thing that works is cat food in antifreeze.

What you need is a canister of air to damp the hydraulic shock aka 'pressure vessel' when i'ts a part of central heating

Surely it must be possible to make it impossible to sidestep or make the spray random so it can't be sidestepped.

But that sees Adam execute you, very unpleasantly.

Put a big capacitor across the solenoid?