Electric Pressure Washer/Foam Cannon HELP!!!

MikeyC

MikeyC

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Hey everybody!! It's been many, many, MANY years since I've posted on here and I'm hoping you all can help me out.

When foam cannons first hit the detailing scene many years ago, I purchased one on a pressure washer parts website and I've pretty much been using it ever since. I always got thick, luxurious, shaving cream-like foam out of it and I used it with a couple of different electric pressure washers. I don't remember what the first one was but more recently I was using it with a Craftsman electric pressure washer that my FIL gave me a while back.

Anyway, after many years of use and zero up keep my foam cannon wasn't performing as well. So, I decided to get a new PW and FC. I bought a Sun Joe SPX3001 about a year ago and have tried various different foam cannons in combination with it but I can't seem to get that super thick foam I used to get. Now I just get a very thin foam that doesn't stick to the paint at all and slides right off. I'm still using the same soaps I've always used. I even tried to bring back my old foam cannon to see if that would help but no luck. So, I'm wondering if it might be the Sun Joe that's the issue.

Any suggestions on a pressure washer that will help me get back to thick luxurious foam again? If it made a difference I'd spend whatever it took, but I'd love to know if there are options available for less than $500 that would get the job done.
 
I used to have this exact pressure washer. The only way I was able to get decent foam was using a crap ton of soap along with a foam canon that had a tiny orifice in it. 1.1mm was the size, I believe. I have really hard water, so maybe that was an additional reason for using a lot of soap. The model that also worked was the MTM PF22 canon. I had a cheapo foam canon from Amazon too, but it was inconsistent in output.
 
Hey! Had the same issue switching pressure washers with my foam cannon. Change the orifice to a 1.1mm and you should be set. The one that came with my cannon was good with a higher pressure gas washer but on a lower psi electric, no bueno. Mine works perfect now!


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I have a SunJoe SPX3000 and it works great....so I'm doubtful that's the issue. As others have stated.....buying a quality foam cannon, like the MTM PF22.2, Griots Brilliant Shine, or MJJC Pro 2.0 will help with foam consistency. There will be many others who say that the foam cannon does not matter, that they use a 20.00 Amazon cheapie and get great results, but in my experience, the foam cannon itself did matter. Other factors include the orifice size (use the 1.1), your water quality/hardness, and the soap itself. Some soaps simply foam better than others. That does not mean they clean better than others, they just foam better.

I've tried a ton of soaps. Soaps that foam well include Jay Lenos Vehicle wash, MTM Perfoamance Shampoo, Chemical Guys Honeydew and Mastersons Snow foam. Of those, Jay Lenos soap actually performed the best overall. That being said, I found myself going back to the soap that I believe is still the best value out there...Meguiars Hyperwash.
 
I also have the SunJoe SPX3000. That combined with the MTM PF22.2 and a variety of soaps gives me thick, clingy foam. I really like Chemical Guys Honeydew and DP Detailers Foaming Soap. What really helps is Blackfire Foam Booster. That combined with ANY soap will give you great foam. Usually 1/2 oz of foam booster and 3 oz of soap does the trick.
 
Could be your older PW had higher GPM’s, that would affect thickness most. Agree with others if you don’t have a quality FC with a 1.1 orifice, get one.

Don’t think that is your main problem tho as your old one worked on old PW but not new. I would double check flow setting and make sure it is set pretty high (mixing solution in cannister with flow water).


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There are a few things that effect or influence foaming.

a) Pressure and/or flow rate from your pressure washer.
I would get great foam from a lowly Karcher K2, so a lack of pressure from the machine shouldn't be the issue.

b) The foam cannon dial.
Make sure it's fully open.

c) Foam cannon orifice size. A lot of the cheaper cannons won't offer the ability to change this.
You will need to research what orifice size you will need for your model of pressure washer. A quick look at the OG pressure washer spreadsheet suggests a 1.1 is best suited to the SPX3001.

d) Foam cannon filter/agitator. This part is what creates the foam itself and are generally a maintenance item.
A new foam cannon should rule this factor out though.

e) Water.
As mentioned, water hardness can affect the quality of foam.

f) Soap.
Most soaps on the market today foam very well, however there are some that don't. Koch Chemie AS and P&S Perl for example.

g) Soap dilution age.
There is some suggestion that soap left mixed up in the foam cannon container for a few days or more can reduce its foaming ability. This would probably relate back to water hardness.

I would work through that list until you find the culprit.
 
So just to add a little more info . . .

I did order some 1.1 orifices off of Amazon already and when I went to install one on my foam gun I found it already had one in it. So, my sense is that the orifice size is not the issue.

Someone suggested the soap might be the issue . . . I'm using the same 3 car wash soaps I've been using for YEARS and previously got acceptable results with all of them.

As for the foam gun being the issue . . . I've tried three different ones now and one of those was the foam gun I was using before. None of them have returned the results I'm looking for. The two newer ones were inexpensive (less than $40). I could try a more expensive foam cannon but I'm not convinced that's the issue. I may order another cannon that's more expensive just to eliminate that possibility.

Someone asked about water quality . . . I'm on town water. The town sources its water from local wells and treats it locally at a municipal facility. The water here is considered "moderately" hard. I've always used water from this town with acceptable results though. I suppose the water quality could have changed but I added an RV drinking water filter to my hose to prevent spotting so that should improve the water quite a bit and it didn't make a difference in the foam quality (although spotting has been pretty much non-existent).

I think someone also mentioned the mixing dial . . . guys! I haven't posted on here in years but I've been using a foam cannon since some of the posters on here were in diapers. I was posting on other detailing forums before Autogeek Online even existed and was an early member of this forum. I know how to use a foam gun. I don't have time to polish my car to perfection anymore but I do still enjoy washing my car myself so I'm not on here constantly like I once was talking about detailing but I still lurk from time-to-time and I'm not a newb by any stretch of the imagination. I appreciate the thought but that was an easy possibility to eliminate. I even tried twisting the dial fully in each direction just to make sure I wasn't an idiot. :laughing:

Also, I don't leave soap in the gun. I tend to use it all in one session. If I have leftover then I wash my wife's car after mine. So age of the solution is not an issue either.

I hope you understand why I feel the pressure washer is the most likely failure point in this chain.

UncleDavy said:
I also have the SunJoe SPX3000. That combined with the MTM PF22.2 and a variety of soaps gives me thick, clingy foam. I really like Chemical Guys Honeydew and DP Detailers Foaming Soap. What really helps is Blackfire Foam Booster. That combined with ANY soap will give you great foam. Usually 1/2 oz of foam booster and 3 oz of soap does the trick.
Click to expand...

Any way you could post a picture of the foam you're getting? Also, I'm wondering if your use of a foam booster is what's compensating for the lack of foam being created naturally by the PW/cannon combo. While I could do that, I hate the idea of having another chemical on hand when I already have SO many detailing supplies and my feeling was if I was getting acceptable results before that I should be able to achieve the same results without compensating by using a foam booster.
 
This was the winning combination for me. At first I used a cheap crap foam cannon and the foam was thin and runny. I switched to an MTM PF22.2 and it made a world of difference.
761ce8fade4b2dc0b4264166f1130ef7.jpg

2f253170a0ac0e2ab7d5915745bf6425.jpg



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MikeyC said:
So just to add a little more info . . .

I did order some 1.1 orifices off of Amazon already and when I went to install one on my foam gun I found it already had one in it. So, my sense is that the orifice size is not the issue.

Someone suggested the soap might be the issue . . . I'm using the same 3 car wash soaps I've been using for YEARS and previously got acceptable results with all of them.

As for the foam gun being the issue . . . I've tried three different ones now and one of those was the foam gun I was using before. None of them have returned the results I'm looking for. The two newer ones were inexpensive (less than $40). I could try a more expensive foam cannon but I'm not convinced that's the issue. I may order another cannon that's more expensive just to eliminate that possibility.

Someone asked about water quality . . . I'm on town water. The town sources its water from local wells and treats it locally at a municipal facility. The water here is considered "moderately" hard. I've always used water from this town with acceptable results though. I suppose the water quality could have changed but I added an RV drinking water filter to my hose to prevent spotting so that should improve the water quite a bit and it didn't make a difference in the foam quality (although spotting has been pretty much non-existent).

I think someone also mentioned the mixing dial . . . guys! I haven't posted on here in years but I've been using a foam cannon since some of the posters on here were in diapers. I was posting on other detailing forums before Autogeek Online even existed and was an early member of this forum. I know how to use a foam gun. I don't have time to polish my car to perfection anymore but I do still enjoy washing my car myself so I'm not on here constantly like I once was talking about detailing but I still lurk from time-to-time and I'm not a newb by any stretch of the imagination. I appreciate the thought but that was an easy possibility to eliminate. I even tried twisting the dial fully in each direction just to make sure I wasn't an idiot. :laughing:

Also, I don't leave soap in the gun. I tend to use it all in one session. If I have leftover then I wash my wife's car after mine. So age of the solution is not an issue either.

I hope you understand why I feel the pressure washer is the most likely failure point in this chain.



Any way you could post a picture of the foam you're getting? Also, I'm wondering if your use of a foam booster is what's compensating for the lack of foam being created naturally by the PW/cannon combo. While I could do that, I hate the idea of having another chemical on hand when I already have SO many detailing supplies and my feeling was if I was getting acceptable results before that I should be able to achieve the same results without compensating by using a foam booster.
Click to expand...

My list of possibilities was both for your benefit and future readers experiencing a similar problem.

Eliminating all but the pressure washer itself, then I guess we have found the problem. You really shouldn't need to buy another foam cannon, soap or foam booster to get high quality foam. I got brilliant foam from a 1400 psi Karcher, that Sunjoe should be up to the task so I would be looking into that.
 
DFB said:
My list of possibilities was both for your benefit and future readers experiencing a similar problem.

Eliminating all but the pressure washer itself, then I guess we have found the problem. You really shouldn't need to buy another foam cannon, soap or foam booster to get high quality foam. I got brilliant foam from a 1400 psi Karcher, that Sunjoe should be up to the task so I would be looking into that.
Click to expand...

Interesting possibility. Perhaps the PW I have is somehow defective? I gave my previous PW to my brother in law. He sent me a copy of the tag on the machine and not only does it produce only 1.6 GPM but at a lower pressure as well. In theory , the Sun Joe has better specs for running a f.oak cannon but it’s not producing better results.
 
briarpatch said:
Griots Brilliant Shine
Click to expand...

I have absolutely enjoyed the performance of this one, great foam with everything I feed it even at lower than recommended dilution ratios. However, the little steel ball at the end of the pick-up tube IS NOT real stainless and mine is rusting. Come on Griot's....really? Gonna charge me $60~ and cheap out there? That, so far, has been my only disappointment.
 
I think I'm going to order another pressure washer from Amazon and see if that makes a difference. If it doesn't then I can always return it.

UncleDavy said:
This was the winning combination for me. At first I used a cheap crap foam cannon and the foam was thin and runny. I switched to an MTM PF22.2 and it made a world of difference.

2f253170a0ac0e2ab7d5915745bf6425.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

This is the kind of foam I was used to getting before. I never used a foam booster though and the foam cannon I was using was cheap AF because back when I got it there were basically two to choose from. The other one had to be ordered from Europe.

PouncingPanzer said:
I have absolutely enjoyed the performance of this one, great foam with everything I feed it even at lower than recommended dilution ratios. However, the little steel ball at the end of the pick-up tube IS NOT real stainless and mine is rusting. Come on Griot's....really? Gonna charge me $60~ and cheap out there? That, so far, has been my only disappointment.
Click to expand...

Is that the Griot's foam cannon?
 
PouncingPanzer said:
I have absolutely enjoyed the performance of this one, great foam with everything I feed it even at lower than recommended dilution ratios. However, the little steel ball at the end of the pick-up tube IS NOT real stainless and mine is rusting. Come on Griot's....really? Gonna charge me $60~ and cheap out there? That, so far, has been my only disappointment.
Click to expand...

If I remember right, I think Griot's changed the material for the little ball since releasing the Brilliant Finish cannon. Contact their customer service and see if they'll help you out.

One thought to the Original Poster - after using your foam cannon, do you drop the pick up in straight water and run the cannon to flush out the internals before putting it away? I know I've heard of folks needing to rebuild their cannon (replace the stainless mesh that's responsible for making the foam) because the leftover product residue gunks up the internals and reduces the foam output. Obviously not relevant with all new parts, but something to consider for future use.

If we're throwing Foam Cannon hats in the ring, I've really like the BOSS foam cannon. Had it since it came out, has worked great. Really like the auto-metering function since I use it with their foaming products, as well as the ability to thread on either the reservoir it comes with (I usually just use it for a clean water flush after use) or the 22/35 oz bottles.
Pressure washer wise I'm using the Ryobi 1600psi/1.2gpm little cheapie. 1.1mm orifice in the cannon.
 
Placed an order today because of the sale so I relented and ordered some foam booster to try.
 
UPDATE . . .

I detailed my car yesterday and used two of the three foam cannons I have on hand. I also purchased some new soaps to try out. The more expensive foam cannon didn't provide any suds at all this time. I might have to disassemble it and see what's going on there. The less expensive one actually functioned reasonably. Now i'm wondering if the car wash soaps I have are part of the issue. I was using some soaps I haven't used in a while. The last few years I've mostly been using CarPro HydrO2 Foam to maintain my car's coating. Recently, I got a new car which I hadn't coated yet so I was using some old Optimum Car Wash and Poorboy's Super Slick and Suds. When I used a new bottle of CG Strip this week the foam was noticeably improved. Not quite as foamy as I used to get but much improved.
 
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