I feel sorry for you guys...

That soapjet is pretty neat. If it works as well as a few of you are making it sound / the video suggests, it seems awfully worth that $20...?
 
Christ, im house hunting trying to save cash so I stay home and read my forums to try to save a few bucks. Between my gun forums, computer forums and here I spent $200 bucks this weekend.



This looks like a great thing for winter where I would love to presoak my car on those days where it is warm enough for the hose.



You guys kill me
 
Hmm.. these shower foam guns look quite similar to the cheap hose attachment I have for spraying an area with fertilizer/pesticide/etc. I have never used the attachment I have, so I'll have to take a look at it tonight.. maybe it would work reasonably well.

I'm fairly certain that the attachment I have was only maybe $7 or $8 from the hardware store.

Any reason why it would not work as well?



Thanks!

Adrian
 
They may look the same but that's where the similarities end. Those fertilizers just spray a mix, they do not produce foam,do not offer the precise mix ratios, nor they do come with long lasting brass mechaincal parts, to the best of my knowledge. The only thing they may share is the cup.
 
Bill D said:
They may look the same but that's where the similarities end. Those fertilizers just spray a mix, they do not produce foam,do not offer the precise mix ratios, nor they do come with long lasting brass mechaincal parts, to the best of my knowledge. The only thing they may share is the cup.
Click to expand...



I also realized soon after posting that most likely someone had commented on this very thing before. A quick search shows I was correct:

From http://autopia.org/forum/showpost.php?p=441444&postcount=12:



Accumulator said:
In my experience, the lawn sprayers don't aerate the spray enough to make any real foamy suds. Probably better than nothing, but I tried it a few times and gave up, while I was instantly hooked on the foam gun.
Click to expand...



Thanks!

Adrian
 
Spilchy said:
Yes sir. It's a brass rod with little holes in it that you slide accross to the size hole you want.
Click to expand...



Ok, then I guess you don't have the one in the picture from your link. I was just wondering if that was the fixed ratio gun (in the picture) or if that had some sort of plastic wheel concentration adjustment unlike the brass rod that you and I have.
 
Curious that no one has brought up the obvious use of foamers for winter washing. Seems like the perfect tool to use to get the salt and crud off when the temp gets into the high 30's. Put on a pair of rubber gloves and spray away.
 
DavidB- Oh, if only it were that easy :( While it works OK for a presoak, it just doesn't get things all that clean. It's not like a pressure washer or anything, even when used with my boosted water pressure.



For the nasty winter stuff the best method I've come up with is to spray the foam through the bristles of a (high quality) BHB, it rinses/self-cleans better than a mitt and if you only let the tips of the bristles touch the finish, and only hard enough to dislodge the gritty dirt, it does it with little if any marring.
 
I mentioned the winter crud just a few post back..............





I took the plunge on the product david mentioned, if nothing else it can be useful on my siding, just in case it doesnt live up to my expectations on my paint
 
Found this one for only $14.95...heckofadeal LMAO!



explorestore_1853_1454754


The Foam-A-Lator Gun shoots a stream of foam. How cool is that? Fill the gun with water, add some tearless shampoo (a couple of small bottles are included to get you started) pressurize the gun with the pump handle and pull the trigger for a foaming sensation. Can also be used to squirt water only. Nothing else like it. For ages 6 and up.

http://explore4fun.com/folafogun.html
 
One more thought on cheap alternatives.. I'm currently just interested in a good foaming presoak.

I remembered this morning that I bought this silly engine cleaner from Harbor Freight awhile back.

You hook it up to air pressure, and it has a pickup tube that goes into whatever container of liquid you want to spray. I used it to spray a bit of simple green around my engine bay, but then decided it really wasn't any easier than just spraying simple green by hand :)



I never tried it with soap, but I bet it would froth significantly. It doesn't have an additional hookup for water, so I would need to pre-dilute the soap a bit before shooting it.



I can't find a link on their website, but it is probably similar to this in functionality:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3885



Unfortunately I have my air compressor loaned out at the moment, so I'll have to wait to give it a try.



-Adrian
 
ahains- See how it works when you get the compressor back. I have a similar thing called a Vacula that hooks up to my airgun. I tried it for this but it didn't work out that well for me, seemed better at the engine degreasing job. Just seemed like more hassle than it was worth.



But yours might work much better so I'd still give it a try.
 
When using the Gilmour Foam Gun, do you have to detach the gun, in order to rinse? Also, when buying, is it better to get the one with the adjustable mix feature, or is the fixed rate good enough?

Thanks, in advance.
 
My question is that of the soap drying on the car. So you spray the ewntire vehicle with foam to pre-soak and then wash normally. How do prevent the soap from drying on a warm, or sunny day?
 
cody said:
When using the Gilmour Foam Gun, do you have to detach the gun, in order to rinse? Also, when buying, is it better to get the one with the adjustable mix feature, or is the fixed rate good enough?
Click to expand...



Last Q first- I'd get the one with the sliding brass mixing valve. It's handy to be able to change the concentration that way and makes for plenty of leeway when you mix up the solution for the foamgun. I mix up a gallon of it to refill the gun with, and then adjust it at the gun for heavy/light cleaning.



So assuming you get the one with the sliding brass mixing valve, you can rinse by rotating said mixing valve 90 degrees, which shuts off the mix and gives clear water. But in practice it doesn't work all that well; I like a *lot* more rinse water than it gives you. So yeah, you have to switch back and forth between the foamgun and a regular nozzle. Sorta a hassle, even with quick disconnects, so I have one hose for the foamgun and a separate hose for the rinsing. That combo works great.



LightningSVT- When I presoak I just do it to a few panels, wash and rinse them, and then move on to the next set of panels. But then I work inside...
 
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