Question on using a Foamgun

G

Geese1

New member
While I love the foamgun I got from AutoGeek, I seem to go through a TON of car wash soap each time I use it.



Since my car is just a weekend toy, and it never really gets dirty, I've been using the TOL Bubble Bath to help preserve the LSP. Now this soap is also supposed to be excellent for use in a foamgun, and it is, but yesterday when I was using it I went through 2 1/2 of the gun's pint-sized container of soap!



I think the ratio is set too high, but it seems like I need to set it at the highest setting to get any actual foaming - if I don't the solution seems to be mostly water - and since I like to be extra cautious and use a lot of solution in combination with the BHB to avoid marring, I seem to go through soap like it's going out of style.



So is it safe/effective to use at a lower ratio setting, or do I just have to suck it up and keep using it the way I'm doing? I don't mind going through this much soap if that's what it takes, but if there's a more "wallet-friendly" solution, I'm certainly open to that as well. ;)
 
themightytimmah said:
I use the bottom ratio setting with 3:1 soap:water. The key is to shake it up a bit before spraying, and that should help foaming.
Click to expand...



Do you mean you mix up a soap and water mixture before putting it in the container, and then set the ratio at it's lowest setting?
 
If you just pour in the soap, the dilution will be too high and will waste product. I always use between a 3:1 or 5:1 soap/water mix in the canister. I can usaully foam my entire car several times with just a few ounces of soap. I also use the second from lowest setting on the faom gun. If the car is really dirty, I'll bump it up to the middle or higher.
 
I recently took a gallon jug and filled it with approx 6 ounces of wash soap and water. I will use this from now on to fill my foam gun. I just got my foam gun as well and noticed that I was going through alot of soap. I am going to also try a lower setting. So far I have been using the middle one.
 
I always try to proportion out the cup mixture and the adjustment bar setting to equal what the soap mfr. recommends for a dilution. I still find myself using about twice as much shampoo as with a bucket, but I consider this the tradeoff. Some people seem to use much higher dilutions, while some use much lower :nixweiss



PS If you are using a really thin soap (like the TWUG that some of us got at Big Lots), you can pour that in the cup straight and use the smallest orifice (1 oz/gal, although I actuallly find that a little thin with TWUG). More viscous soaps need to be diluted before being put in the cup otherwise they won't draw properly.
 
I am using much higher dilutions and getting good suds and foam:



Soap-Poorboys Supe Slick Suds

Amount-I put about 1-2 oz. into the quart size jar and fill with plain water.



Setting-Ablout the middle of the brass metering bar.



I get (2) good car washes out of the qt. jar with plenty of suds, and using only 1-2 oz. of product.
 
I use a capful of Black Magic's soap (smells really good), and fill the rest with water and shake. I use the highest foam setting and get really great foamy results. :)
 
Thanks for all the help, guys! :xyxthumbs



I'll play around with diluting the mixture before putting it into the container to see what ratio will work best for me.
 
My mix: ~5-6 ounces of shampoo in a gallon jug, filled the rest of the way with water. I use the lowest strength setting on the gun except for very dirty areas. I'd been using an even weaker mix in the jug but decided to add a little more shampoo.



As for the cost/etc. of shampoo, you might consider that shampoo is a renewable resource, unlike paint and time (spent polishing). I'd rather go through the shampoo...
 
Accumulator said:
My mix: ~5-6 ounces of shampoo in a gallon jug, filled the rest of the way with water. I use the lowest strength setting on the gun except for very dirty areas. I'd been using an even weaker mix in the jug but decided to add a little more shampoo.
Click to expand...



Since I can't help but do the math...and since I know you use Griot's which dilutes at half an ounce per gallon, the nominal Griot's dilution is about 0.4%, and what you are getting above is 0.35%...so now I feel better about trying to keep things at the right ratio. :)
 
I'll leave the math to people like you who can't resist :D I don't remember what the various dilution ratios on the foamgun are anyhow...
 
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