Author Topic: pressure washer and snow foam  (Read 8110 times)

Offline Booth11

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Re: pressure washer and snow foam
« Reply #10 on: 16 July 2018, 07:55 »
The lance and shampoo have arrived and they very much do what they say on the box, although to get that pro level foaminess you need to work with higher ratios than the 1:20 advertised, more like 1:8 as you say, and I don't think there's anything wrong with the lance, it seems a sturdy, quality piece of kit, my buddy got a video of it.

So now that I got them, how should I be maintaining them in order to last long? Do I remove the metal adapter with the suction hose and rinse it off lightly with water after each use? Then store separately from the bottle? Do I just leave them assembled with the remaining shampoo mixture in the bottle?

At the end of every use, with the lance attached to your pressure washer (bottle empty or detached), run clear water through the mechanism, to remove any remaining soap residue which can clog the mechanism if left to dry.   It doesn’t really matter which way you store as long as the bottle is kept upright if still containing shampoo and still attached to the lance. Every now and then I soak the lance part (brass and plastic head) in a few inches of petrol which clears any built up soap residue.  If you have hard water and are not using a water filter, them soak in descaler every now and then. 
Black Beauty: MK7 R 5dr DSG, DBP, 19" Pretoria, DCC, Vienna leather, Keyless, Dynaudio, DNS Pro, Rear camera, HBA
2012 MK6 GTI DSG
2008 MK5 GTI DSG
2005 MK5 GTI Manual

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Offline scanesare

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Re: pressure washer and snow foam
« Reply #11 on: 16 July 2018, 08:17 »
At the end of every use, with the lance attached to your pressure washer (bottle empty or detached), run clear water through the mechanism, to remove any remaining soap residue which can clog the mechanism if left to dry.   It doesn’t really matter which way you store as long as the bottle is kept upright if still containing shampoo and still attached to the lance. Every now and then I soak the lance part (brass and plastic head) in a few inches of petrol which clears any built up soap residue.  If you have hard water and are not using a water filter, them soak in descaler every now and then.

Fair enough! Thanks

Offline Mike J

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Re: pressure washer and snow foam
« Reply #12 on: 16 July 2018, 11:10 »
I will probably end up with a pressure washer and foam gun, even a DI system if SWMBO has her way.

Can you please post a pic of your foaming system in action?
I woul dlike to see the width of the foam spray as it touches the car and the distance you keep the nozzle from the surface.

Many thanks.

Offline scanesare

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Re: pressure washer and snow foam
« Reply #13 on: 16 July 2018, 14:29 »
I will probably end up with a pressure washer and foam gun, even a DI system if SWMBO has her way.

Can you please post a pic of your foaming system in action?
I woul dlike to see the width of the foam spray as it touches the car and the distance you keep the nozzle from the surface.

Many thanks.

Sure, let me find (ask for) that video though first. The spray pattern is adjustable so it opens up and closes down as you like. I have set it so that the width of the spray is around 50cm I'd say and I am spraying from probably 1m away. It's also got to do with the mix ratio in the bottle. I went with 1:7-8 and it created quite a thick snow foam, maybe thicker than you need but it was satisfying to watch, especially for a beginner like me  :grin:  next time I will run it a bit leaner I think like 1:10.

Offline scanesare

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Re: pressure washer and snow foam
« Reply #14 on: 17 July 2018, 15:07 »
Instead of waiting for my friend to send me the vid, you can check out this one from Auto Finesse:

https://vimeo.com/246234642

My results were exactly like in that video, thick, sticky foam that stays on the car for several minutes. It also makes sense to have a look at that product (AutoFinesse's or other UK based) as I think my foam lance (Dr.Dirt G1) is only sold in shops in Sweden.

Looking at the two lances closer (mine and the AF one from online images) I would say they are exactly the same (probably a copied design) so it's no surprise I got the same results.


Dr. Dirt G1



AutoFinesse


Offline Mike J

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Re: pressure washer and snow foam
« Reply #15 on: 31 July 2018, 10:41 »
Many thanks for the info.
I was offered a 'lesson' in using my new pressure washer by my Pro detailer.
He also supplied me with a foam gun which is the same design as he uses and it is ideal.

Being an engineer and looking closely at the brass body of the many of the foam guns its clear they are all from a similar scource, probably China, and would account for there no manufacturers stamp.
The nozzle and top seem to be of a nylon/graphite material and in regular use seem very serviceable.
The nozzle has a plastic vane which can be adjusted (and because the material is soft) it could be modified to suit the owners specific requirements, further inside will be a mixing chamber which will prove interesting to inspect.
The bottle thread is universal and accepts a huge range of commonly available plastic bottles (try some from the kitchen and see for yourself.
The pressure inlet has a basic thread and this is where the differences occur when a convertor is required to suit various machines (shades of phone chargers here).
Although my foam gun provides a lovely thick layer of foam I will certainly be dismantling the nozzle to see if it can be improved, if nothing else it will satisfy my urge to judge the quality of the moulding and machining and remove any flashes that may detach themselves and cause damage at sometime in the future.


Obviously foam is a blend of air, water and a chemical but Im inclined to think of the foam gun as a fancy cocktail shaker and as in mixing cocktails the slightest change in any one component can produce a complete disaster or a absolute triumph.

Happy cleaning  :grin:
« Last Edit: 31 July 2018, 10:46 by Mike J »

Offline Booth11

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Re: pressure washer and snow foam
« Reply #16 on: 31 July 2018, 17:25 »

Obviously foam is a blend of air, water and a chemical but Im inclined to think of the foam gun as a fancy cocktail shaker and as in mixing cocktails the slightest change in any one component can produce a complete disaster or a absolute triumph.

Happy cleaning  :grin:

To an extent this is the case, but there is somewhere between complete success and abject failure.  :grin:

Aside from your investigations, the best thing you can do to retain the best functionality of the lance, is to keep the lance mechanism as clear of soap residue as possible to Running clear water through after every use is paramount, occasionally soaking the brass mechanism in petrol works brilliantly to clear dried soap residue.  Descaling regularly if in hard water area, and every now and then dismantling and replacing the filter guaze and reselling with PTFE thread tape.  Loads of YouTube vids showing how to service the lance and all these things should keep it in good working order for years and years.

https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/foam-lance-metal-filter-gauze-pkg-1
Black Beauty: MK7 R 5dr DSG, DBP, 19" Pretoria, DCC, Vienna leather, Keyless, Dynaudio, DNS Pro, Rear camera, HBA
2012 MK6 GTI DSG
2008 MK5 GTI DSG
2005 MK5 GTI Manual

https://www.flickr.com/photos/booth11

Offline Mike J

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Re: pressure washer and snow foam
« Reply #17 on: 01 August 2018, 09:06 »

Obviously foam is a blend of air, water and a chemical but Im inclined to think of the foam gun as a fancy cocktail shaker and as in mixing cocktails the slightest change in any one component can produce a complete disaster or a absolute triumph.

Happy cleaning  :grin:

To an extent this is the case, but there is somewhere between complete success and abject failure.  :grin:

Aside from your investigations, the best thing you can do to retain the best functionality of the lance, is to keep the lance mechanism as clear of soap residue as possible to Running clear water through after every use is paramount, occasionally soaking the brass mechanism in petrol works brilliantly to clear dried soap residue.  Descaling regularly if in hard water area, and every now and then dismantling and replacing the filter guaze and reselling with PTFE thread tape.  Loads of YouTube vids showing how to service the lance and all these things should keep it in good working order for years and years.

https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/foam-lance-metal-filter-gauze-pkg-1




Thanks for all that Rebecca.
Having watched my detailer clean my car over the past 20months and having the entire process thoroughly explained I now understand the post foaming flush through and filter cleaning proceedures.
And more importantly why.

A couple of question;
Snow foam - will it harm grass? (That is if my brown lawn ever grows again  :wink:)

My neighbour suggested I cleaned my car on the road - would this be legal? (the residue would be going into the storm drain of a Public Right of Way) :sad:




Offline Booth11

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Re: pressure washer and snow foam
« Reply #18 on: 01 August 2018, 17:16 »

Obviously foam is a blend of air, water and a chemical but Im inclined to think of the foam gun as a fancy cocktail shaker and as in mixing cocktails the slightest change in any one component can produce a complete disaster or a absolute triumph.

Happy cleaning  :grin:

To an extent this is the case, but there is somewhere between complete success and abject failure.  :grin:

Aside from your investigations, the best thing you can do to retain the best functionality of the lance, is to keep the lance mechanism as clear of soap residue as possible to Running clear water through after every use is paramount, occasionally soaking the brass mechanism in petrol works brilliantly to clear dried soap residue.  Descaling regularly if in hard water area, and every now and then dismantling and replacing the filter guaze and reselling with PTFE thread tape.  Loads of YouTube vids showing how to service the lance and all these things should keep it in good working order for years and years.

https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/foam-lance-metal-filter-gauze-pkg-1




Thanks for all that Rebecca.
Having watched my detailer clean my car over the past 20months and having the entire process thoroughly explained I now understand the post foaming flush through and filter cleaning proceedures.
And more importantly why.

A couple of question;
Snow foam - will it harm grass? (That is if my brown lawn ever grows again  :wink:)

My neighbour suggested I cleaned my car on the road - would this be legal? (the residue would be going into the storm drain of a Public Right of Way) :sad:



Hi Mike,

Snow foam has never harmed my lawn and it’s had plenty on it. Especially on a windy day!  :grin:

I don’t know about cleaning on the road as never had to do it.  You might want to check with the Environment Agency,  I think there are regulations around car wash businesses discharging waste water in waste system but not domestic.  The concentration of shampoo/snow foam solution would be minimal and not very frequent from domestic car washing.
Black Beauty: MK7 R 5dr DSG, DBP, 19" Pretoria, DCC, Vienna leather, Keyless, Dynaudio, DNS Pro, Rear camera, HBA
2012 MK6 GTI DSG
2008 MK5 GTI DSG
2005 MK5 GTI Manual

https://www.flickr.com/photos/booth11

Offline Mike J

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Re: pressure washer and snow foam
« Reply #19 on: 02 August 2018, 12:34 »
Thank you.
Thats what I wanted to hear  :grin: