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Why does a spray bottle work?

alexanderellis.github.io

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Re: Why does a spray bottle work?

#111
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it was simply perforations, it wouldn't work when the bottle is upright because those perforations would let the air into the top of the straw. Rather, the straw is made of a membrane which lets water through while blocking gas.

I’m not sure you can make a membrane that does that? I get the sense there is a membrane that wicks the fluid around the surface of the tube so you always have to pull in liquid before the gas? Maybe that’s the same thing.

[deleted]

Re: Why does a spray bottle work?

#112

A few years ago, a British inventor appeared on a TV show called Dragon's Den (UK version of Shark Tank) and pitched his idea of an improved spray bottle called the Anyway Spray. Instead of a normal plastic tube inside a bottle with an opening at the end, he designed a tube with millions of tiny perforations along its length. This meant the spray bottle could operate at any angle (even upside down) and could empty al…

Considering the replies this has gathered, I'll add this (half-obvious) anecdata FWIW: you can, in I'd say 70-85% of cases, recover all of the product in a spray or pump if you don't mind (potentially repeatedly) fiddling with the hose.

Just pull the hose out and bend/twist it really hard in a specific direction. If it's not utterly stiff, winding it tightly around a pencil (or your finger, or just twisting the hose to that tight of a bend radius) is ideal. Hopefully this much flexing means that after naturally uncurling the curl will still "stick" to a useful degree for longer than a single usage.

One non-obvious extra detail: if the product is in a non-transparent spray bottle, before replacing the lid, rotate the spray pump so it faces the direction you've bent/curled the hose. Now a) you know which direction the hose is pointing and can eliminate "where is it in the bottle", and b) you just have to face it forward for it to work, which is intuitive.

Re: Why does a spray bottle work?

#113
post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why isn't this in everything? I'd easily pay an extra few cents to have this in spray bottles. It's such a frustrating problem.

Here's a cheaper and faster hack: soft tube + weighted end. The weighted end will tend to go towards where the liquids are. Imagine a bottle being held lengthwise. The weighted end will be in the same location as where the liquid is. Turn the bottle upside down... the weighted end drops to where the top of the bottle is, along with where the water is. Standard pressure thingies still work - you still get a spray. No…

Downside: it's harder (read more expensive) to prevent a soft tube from collapsing under the vacuum.

Re: Why does a spray bottle work?

#114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He had the option to reject the deal, no? It's a free market for venture capital, so if that deal is so bad and the opportunity is so good, he should have been able to find a better one. From my perspective, having a great idea is not enough. Even having a proof of concept is not enough. There's a lot more that goes into building a successful business. Investors have to price in the chances of all the things that can…

>Likewise, as a founder, you often need at least some investors that can help propel you forward in some way. Which is the infuriating part, when the "investors" contribute nothing to the project but a tiny slice of money they didn't work for to begin with, and get vastly disproportional returns for it.

Welcome to venture capital.

Re: Why does a spray bottle work?

#115

A few years ago, a British inventor appeared on a TV show called Dragon's Den (UK version of Shark Tank) and pitched his idea of an improved spray bottle called the Anyway Spray. Instead of a normal plastic tube inside a bottle with an opening at the end, he designed a tube with millions of tiny perforations along its length. This meant the spray bottle could operate at any angle (even upside down) and could empty al…

If it was simply perforations, it wouldn't work when the bottle is upright because those perforations would let the air into the top of the straw. Rather, the straw is made of a membrane which lets water through while blocking gas.

You can retrofit it into an existing spray bottle with some flexible tubing and something to weight down the end, like some stainless-steel nuts. That way, the end of the tube follows gravity along with the liquid and ensure it remains submerged.

Re: Why does a spray bottle work?

#116
post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a cheaper and faster hack: soft tube + weighted end. The weighted end will tend to go towards where the liquids are. Imagine a bottle being held lengthwise. The weighted end will be in the same location as where the liquid is. Turn the bottle upside down... the weighted end drops to where the top of the bottle is, along with where the water is. Standard pressure thingies still work - you still get a spray. No…

What cheap alternatives to small bits of metal could be used for the weight? Metal could interact with and damage a lot of different things.

the metal doesn’t need to be exposed to the contents in order to serve its purpose. It just needs to be on location.. could it not be enclosed by the same material of the straw?

Re: Why does a spray bottle work?

#118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Likewise, as a founder, you often need at least some investors that can help propel you forward in some way. Which is the infuriating part, when the "investors" contribute nothing to the project but a tiny slice of money they didn't work for to begin with, and get vastly disproportional returns for it.

Welcome to venture capital.

That it is common makes it neither more nor less just.

Re: Why does a spray bottle work?

#119
post #85

A few years ago, a British inventor appeared on a TV show called Dragon's Den (UK version of Shark Tank) and pitched his idea of an improved spray bottle called the Anyway Spray. Instead of a normal plastic tube inside a bottle with an opening at the end, he designed a tube with millions of tiny perforations along its length. This meant the spray bottle could operate at any angle (even upside down) and could empty al…

That episode of Dragons Den is infuriating. Here is a guy who has invented something with a widespread, common appeal. He invented a product that potentially fixes a real problem in 1,000,000,000 units per year and he has to give away 20% of his invention to get support.

Based off of a Daily Mail article about it [1], it looks like the deal fell through anyways, so (hopefully) he was able to retain full ownership in the deal with Tesco. I love the idea and wish Mr. Pritchard the best. Hopefully they can get it over to the US soon!

[1] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4335468/Briti...

Re: Why does a spray bottle work?

#120
post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s not “really misleading,” it’s “barely misleading” or perhaps “slightly misleading.”

I think most people would assume the marketing meant "can spray at any angle, even the hardest case of upside down". I knew I did when reading this thread until I saw this comment.

To be clear, there are two products: one labeled “anyway spray” which sprays in any direction and one labeled “sprays upside down” which sprays right side up or completely upside down. Seems fair to me.
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