***** MAILBOX TRAUMA *****

Material list:

• 1 Mailbox, standard T1 size.
• Toro 12 inch 570 series pop-up sprinkler body.
• Toro 1/2 inch male elbow (for funny pipe).
• Toro 570 fixed spray nozzle, any kind will do.
• Garden Hose washer.
• 1 1/4 Pipe flange base.
• 3 foot piece of 1 1/4 PVC.
• 1 1/4 male to PVC adapter.
• Dish Washing machine solenoid valve and line cord.
• Washing machine hose to connect to valve and screen door closure and sprinkler.
• "L" shaped bracket.
• Screen door closure and hardware.
• Rubber hand or whatever you want to use for the effect, maybe a rat, use your imagination.
• Assorted nuts and bolts and pipe clamps.
• Piece of 2x4 for mounting the sprinkler.
• Dryer spring.
• Horn.
• Doorbell.
• Compressed air to run the effect (compressor or refillable air tank.)

Directions:

• Preparing the door opening cylinder: This step is necessary to allow the door to open first. You will be attaching a weak spring externally to allow the door to close automatically. First remove the bleeder screw from the base of the screen door cylinder. This will take any compressed pressure off the cylinder. Next, you must remove the return spring from the inside of the cylinder. This will be fairly easy to do. At the top of the cylinder you will see the ram coming through what looks like a washer. This is really an inverted cup which is there to retain the spring and guts of the mechanism. Use a pair of needle nose pliers, diagonal cutters or regular pliers (I found that the diagonal cutters worked best for me.) By slightly depressing one side of the cup you will be able to get at the crimped end of the cylinder. Carefully work your way around the cylinder, open the crimped end, and you will be able to remove the cup, and then remove the spring. While doing this step, remember that this system is under pressure from the spring - don't let the piston and rod fly out and damage something - or someone!
  On some closures, there may be a small spring inside the larger spring. (Carl discovered that setup in the version he used, and he advises that you leave the small spring in, if you encounter one.) Put the cup back in and pull the ram out to approximately the location of the cup before you opened the cylinder. Drill 2 small holes through the cylinder and cup, and secure the cup in its original position with 2 sheet metal screws. This entire operation only takes about 15 minutes. You will notice now that the ram can easily be moved in and out. Replace the bleeder screw but do not tighten it all the way. This step is necessary to allow the door to open first. You will be attaching a weak spring externally to allow the door to automatically close. This cylinder must operate with hardly any restriction.
• Installing the flange: Install the flange in the bottom of the mailbox by drilling and bolting, install the PVC to pipe adapter, then cut a hole in the center of the flange to run the air hose and electric wire.
• Preparing the Toro sprinkler: The Toro pop-up sprinkler body has 2 holes for attaching the water supply. We will be using the one on the side so install the 1/2 inch male elbow there, and plug the other hole. Unscrew the spray nozzle and put the garden hose washer between it and the riser, this will cushion the riser when it returns.
• Install the "L" bracket: This bracket will hold the effect. Remove the adjusting screw from the sprinkler nozzle. Using a sheet metal screw, mount the "L" bracket so that the "L" is on top and facing backwards. Attach your effect to the "L" bracket. Using 2 pipe clamps, screw them into the 2x4 and attach the sprinkler to the 2x4 until until the rear of the sprinkler is even with the end of the 2x4. Attach the air hose to the sprinkler and a tee to the horn if you are going to use one. Use another tee to branch off to the air supply and the screen door opener. This completes the preparation of the sprinkler body.
• Attaching the screen door cylinder: Attach the screen door hardware that normally attaches to your door jam to the inside front of the mailbox door. Mount it as close to one side of the door as you can so it won't interfere with the effect. Attach the other end to the side of the mailbox by drilling a hole in the mailbox and bolting the stationary hardware to the inside. Note that it becomes very tight working inside the mailbox, but if you take the back panel off the mailbox it will be much easier. Slide the 2x4 into the mailbox until it is in the right position that the effect will be just inside the closed door to the mailbox. Then drill through the bottom of the mailbox and secure the 2x4 with screws.
• Install the return spring: Drill a small hole in the side of the mailbox near the rear of the screen door cylinder. From the inside of the mailbox insert one end of the return spring into the hole. The other end will be looped over the screen door mounting hardware. This will pull back the mailbox door when the air is released.
• Complete the electric and air circuits: Connect the air line to the Washing machine solenoid. Try routing the air as follows: Output of the washing machine solenoid to the screen door cylinder then to horn and finally to the Toro sprinkler. Connect the input side of the washing machine solenoid to your air supply. Connect the electric supply cord, routing one side through a dummy doorbell and then to the washing machine solenoid. I would not use a real doorbell for this, go to your electrical supply house or ask an electrician what you could use and still be safe. If you don't want to use a doorbell, you could use a remote switch to activate it.
• Final preparations: We poured 4 to 5 inches of concrete into a 5 gallon bucket and centered the 3 foot piece of 1 1/4 PVC vertically in it. When it set up, we removed the bucket and drilled a hole large enough to run the air supply and electric up and into the mailbox. We put this hole just above the top of the concrete. Glue the PVC to the PVC adapter and paint the pipe and base to your liking.