Foam Gun + Z7
- Thread starter D Tailor
- Start date
BTW, IMO, Z7 is WAAAAY too expensive to be using with a foamgun.
You'll be spending nearly $9 on each wash.
I KNOW what you're doing wrong, you're diluting your wash solution way too much. Somewhere between 60/40 and 80/20 shampoo:water ratio is where you want to be for optimum pickup by the straw. 2-3 capfuls of Z7 is not going to create any foam at all. REMEMBER: the foam gun is mixing what's in the chamber with a good amount of water.... The settings on the foam gun are mixing what's in the chamber with water, so on setting 1, 1 ounce of what's in the chamber mixes in with each gallon of water, so think of that as 4 capfuls of Z7 in a nearly-full 5gal bucket of water, which is the recommended dilution for Z7 by zaino themselves. If you dilute the chamber solution to 50/50, then that same bucket would only have 2 capfuls of solution.....
The point of the foamgun is not to conserve shampoo, therefore things like Z7 are prohibitively expensive in the foamgun. Beyond that, I see really no reason to use expensive shampoos like Z7.
You'll be spending nearly $9 on each wash.
I KNOW what you're doing wrong, you're diluting your wash solution way too much. Somewhere between 60/40 and 80/20 shampoo:water ratio is where you want to be for optimum pickup by the straw. 2-3 capfuls of Z7 is not going to create any foam at all. REMEMBER: the foam gun is mixing what's in the chamber with a good amount of water.... The settings on the foam gun are mixing what's in the chamber with water, so on setting 1, 1 ounce of what's in the chamber mixes in with each gallon of water, so think of that as 4 capfuls of Z7 in a nearly-full 5gal bucket of water, which is the recommended dilution for Z7 by zaino themselves. If you dilute the chamber solution to 50/50, then that same bucket would only have 2 capfuls of solution.....
The point of the foamgun is not to conserve shampoo, therefore things like Z7 are prohibitively expensive in the foamgun. Beyond that, I see really no reason to use expensive shampoos like Z7.
autobahn said:
Yeah, I started this thread b/c I had purchased a bottle of Z7 and was wanting to see how it was compared to TOL's BB which is my go-to soap. I blew through the Z7 bottle in about 10 washes and though it is fabulously slick, not much more than BB. WIth the right setting, BB is very slick and it is very cheap compared to z7. I have found it to stain a bit more if I don't rinse a panel within a few minutes of washing, but I've got my FG technique down to where i no longer get staining of marring. z7 was fun, but i won't be buying it again.
slvr-bullet
New member
autobahn said:
Thanks for the reply autobahn. So what would you recommend the ratio be in the bottle?
AdrianStewart
New member
sorry to 'thread jack' ... but I have a pressure washer with an attachment for soap/car wash solution. there is a low pressure connector that does stream out some soapy stuff ...
is this the same idea/concept? if it is, I already have 1/2 the equipment, just need to use a RINSE bucket more effectively.
thanks for the replies
is this the same idea/concept? if it is, I already have 1/2 the equipment, just need to use a RINSE bucket more effectively.
thanks for the replies
slvr-bullet
New member
MachB5 said:
Can someone explain what "TOL's BB" is?
Yah I'm still a noob :woohoo:
MachB5 said:
Thanks. I'll give that a try.
*edit* Just did some math and that works out to approximately a 1:4 soap:water ratio. Is that right? Here's my logic
Bottle = 1qrt = 32oz
32/5 = 6.4oz
6.4*4 = 25.6oz
6.4:25.6
1:4
Or would it be better with a 1:3 ratio?
slvr-bullet said:
At least 50/50.
I personally use somewhere between 70-80% shampoo in my gun. The 20-30% water is basically to make the shampoo more "liquid" so the foam gun sucks it through easier and not to actually dilute it. I then use the adjustments on the foamgun to set my dispensed concentration. 1-2oz/gal for the car itself and 3oz/gal for the wheels.
The other advantage I can see with using high shampoo concentration in the chamber is that you can then use the foamgun to claybar the car after an initial flood rinse. I get the feeling that while a lower concentration will still produce visible foam, there will not be enough shampoo in the liquid itself to provide enough lubricity for the claybar.
Again, I want to reiterate this point: I don't see any need to use expensive shampoos. From what I've seen, Gold Class is on par with the best shampoos in that it's gentle on your LSP yet still washes dirt off very well.
Accumulator
Well-known member
slvr-bullet- Four things come to mind Re your problem: 1) maybe it's not a problem, comparing your suds with other people's might be apples/oranges 2) maybe it's your water, especially if it's hard, I dunno from Zaino so I don't know if it's water-sensitive with regard to foaming 3) maybe it's your water pressure; my boosted pressure makes my foamgun act a little differently from some people's 4) maybe you don't *need* super-sudsy foam to provide the benefits of the foamgun anyhow; I don't think too much about that when I use mine.
Tumbler- The way *I* use the foamgun wouldn't make any difference with regard to staining; I'm still just doing a panel at a time and rinsing off before there'd be any problems (not that I've washed outside for the last 30 years or so...).
Tumbler- The way *I* use the foamgun wouldn't make any difference with regard to staining; I'm still just doing a panel at a time and rinsing off before there'd be any problems (not that I've washed outside for the last 30 years or so...).
slvr-bullet
New member
I think it is the way I'm mixing it in the bottle. Although there is some suds/foam, it's not that much. As stated earlier, it seems I'm not mixing the right proportions (2-3 caps of Z7 to half bottle of h2o).
Wow, that's a lot. How many washes do you get out of that? Do you leave the mixture in the bottle if you have leftovers?
autobahn said:
Wow, that's a lot. How many washes do you get out of that? Do you leave the mixture in the bottle if you have leftovers?
slvr-bullet said:
1-2 washes depending on the size of the car. Definitely just 1 wash if you're also claybarring.
Yes, I leave it in the bottle.
While using the foamgun, you should not expect to use small amounts of shampoo. That's not what it's made for. Its purpose is to provide the most cleaning power possible while also being extremely safe for your finish.
Accumulator
Well-known member
autobahn- I think he means if you let the shampoo dry on the surface, not that I've let that happen recently enough to discuss it intelligently...
Heh heh, if not for acronyms I'd probably spend all my waking hours posting this stuff Yeah, TOL BB = Top of the Line's Bubble Bath shampoo.
I'll admit that I might be wasting a little $ using Griot's Car Wash with the foamgun, but I don't want to risk marring with a cheaper shampoo. Used *without* the foamgun, I learned the value of high-lubricity shampoos the hard way
and now I'm gunshy about taking chances. I sure wouldn't want to spend any more than the Griot's costs though.
slvr-bullet- Yeah, I leave my shampoo in the foamguns too, never causes any problems except if/when they get knocked over and it spills out
Heh heh, if not for acronyms I'd probably spend all my waking hours posting this stuff
Yeah, TOL BB = Top of the Line's Bubble Bath shampoo.I'll admit that I might be wasting a little $ using Griot's Car Wash with the foamgun, but I don't want to risk marring with a cheaper shampoo. Used *without* the foamgun, I learned the value of high-lubricity shampoos the hard way
and now I'm gunshy about taking chances. I sure wouldn't want to spend any more than the Griot's costs though.slvr-bullet- Yeah, I leave my shampoo in the foamguns too, never causes any problems except if/when they get knocked over and it spills out
is the staining a literal thing? because I've never had suds that have caused any damage or not washed off and I've done washes in the sun many times, granted I've never actually used the foamgun itself in the sun.
I'd assume if you left it outside baking in the sun for an hour it would be bad, but if you occasionally re-foam the parts of the car you've done already it probably would be fine.
I think a solution to the spilling problem might be to place a little strip of duct-tape over the vent hole for the chamber so if it tips, no solution will get out. I had an accident recently with the hatch/trunk of my car getting rather soapy from a tipped container... I was lucky though, I had the mats back there too and it just spilled on a mat so I've got easy cleanup
I'd assume if you left it outside baking in the sun for an hour it would be bad, but if you occasionally re-foam the parts of the car you've done already it probably would be fine.
I think a solution to the spilling problem might be to place a little strip of duct-tape over the vent hole for the chamber so if it tips, no solution will get out. I had an accident recently with the hatch/trunk of my car getting rather soapy from a tipped container... I was lucky though, I had the mats back there too and it just spilled on a mat so I've got easy cleanup
Accumulator
Well-known member
autobahn said:
That might be a good idea if you're transporting it. In my case, the solution is to set the foamguns off to the side and then be a little careful (and tell the younger dog to settle down when she's in the shop
).autobahn said:is the staining a literal thing? because I've never had suds that have caused any damage or not washed off and I've done washes in the sun many times, granted I've never actually used the foamgun itself in the sun.
I'd assume if you left it outside baking in the sun for an hour it would be bad, but if you occasionally re-foam the parts of the car you've done already it probably would be fine.
I think a solution to the spilling problem might be to place a little strip of duct-tape over the vent hole for the chamber so if it tips, no solution will get out. I had an accident recently with the hatch/trunk of my car getting rather soapy from a tipped container... I was lucky though, I had the mats back there too and it just spilled on a mat so I've got easy cleanup
I'm talking foamin on a 90 degree day with Sun just beating down on a black or dark coloured car. Its quite difficult to wash an entire car with panels drying almost as fast as
you're wiping it with a mitt.