I’m a chemist and the distilled water part is actually very true. Calcium and magnesium ions can react with soap like molecules like sodium stearate and create a solid insoluble salt which dwells to the bottom. So in short, hard water ions react with the soap particles and therefore weakens the soap making it less foamy.
Anyone with a whole house water softener will agree. Washing your hands or taking a shower in softened water feels like you never get the soap off of your skin. And if I am not mistaken most car wash facilities use distilled (and recycled) water.
@@steadyeddie7453 where do you live? most car washes around here have folks of a more 'eastern' persuasion, and they'll have never heard of distilled water.
@@davec8730 In Maryland and Virginia the car wash attendents (some owners) I have chatted with indicated they are required to recycle their water by law, and the spot free rinse uses distilled water. It comes from a separate dedicated tank. But I wouldn't doubt the tank has regular filtered tap water in it. Who's going to check, right?
@@steadyeddie7453 i would very much doubt it around here. they clean the wheels with a type of acid, just had to fork out for my wife's diamond cut wheels to be powder coated.
I absolutely love the in depth analysis. I never considered Distilled / warm Water or how to properly shake as factors to good foam.. excellent suggestions.. keep em coming !
@@attentiontodetail323 Oh and Chem guys honeydew snow foam on one and for the other I'll try out blue corral in my foam cannon to see how that works out.
excellent job explaining foam cannon. I really like how you stayed on topic and not rable off on other nonsense in your video like some of the others do..Also you speak clearly and stay on point..I Look forward to more of your DIY videos.
Other than getting the hose connector turned around (watch out for that one), the machine is simple to put together and use th-cam.com/users/postUgkxfQauTxLT0JLSvqkq10rD79TU4k0Vz8zP . And very nice, too. I'm surprised at the power-it's more than we'll ever need, and we've not even used the most powerful setting yet.I've cleaned off a dirty concrete porch to get it ready for sealing, started to clean siding, and I know this pressure washer will be terrific for cleaning tools this fall.The only issue we had is we had turned around the hose connector, and it leaked. Once it was on correctly, though, we had no problems with the connection. Just remember that the end with the green knob goes towards the hose. It's obvious now what we did wrong, but not necessarily obvious at the time.
I started detailing cars two years ago! I washed a neighbor's Buick SUV. The Black paint that goes around the Buick emblem started to come off with my 1800 Stanley pressure's washer. I noticed it right away. So it wasn't too bad. Finished detailing interior and exterior. So be careful trying to get great foam. With your pressure washer. 1700 psi to about 2000 psi. I find is o.k. if you hold the wand back a little further. But be careful. With psi higher it can cause damage. I believe people think I need 2300 psi or more to get my car cleaner and quicker. But, If your detailing someone else's car. Be careful. To much psi can cause serious damage. Love the distilled water and the kind of soap and oz's. Great info. Shawn.
Did make me chuckle with the ‘warm water increase the Acidity of water - that’s a new one for me!! Also, PIR is more important than thick foam - I use bilt hamber myself because it’s capable of doing a single stage wash which is perfect for someone as lazy as me!
Bro, I just got the Amazon Canon and can't explain how dumb I felt when I figured out what I was doing wrong! I swapped out the orifice for the 1.1 and did 2 separate washes on two different days and was pleased by changing the orifice, but still wasn't getting great foam. Having just put everything back and cleaned up, I had this moment of clarity where I realized both times I NEVER so much as even swirled the water and the soap! 😂 That made all the difference in the world for my 1700 psi electric power washer. SMH...
Hey man I love that video it taught me a lot I have a battery powered pressure washer and didn't get a lot of foam out of it now I know what I need to do to get that thing to foam up thanks again for the video
Yep, hard well water here, that’s what I thought. Also went from an electric to a gas PW, it did help. Pretty much using straight soap. I’ll try mixing with distilled, thanks great tips, Dave.
Thanks for answering the questions for us that are on the quest for thick foam. My latest experiment is to try the cheapest soap from Menards, straight up. $4.99 Turtle Wax brand. Best results were from Chemical Guys Honey Dew using more soap than required with warm water. I will try using distilled water, interesting!
As a mobile detailer, foam is always a tricky thing. Either it's too thick, and takes forever to rinse off, you're wasting more product, or your foam cannon empties too fast, or it's too thin and then it runs off too fast, and dries in the sun, but it's more lubrication and "slippery". My suggestion is, find a soap that you like, one that leaves leaves good finish, nice smell (pleasant working experience), easy to rinse off, and just work with different dilution ratios too figure out what you like, and what works best for you
Thanks for the tips, especially the distilled water usage. Now I will have to research a distilled water filter system to pipe into my house plumbing. Man, this car washing is getting expensive!
Bro.. u did help alot .. I have been looking for a video like this one. That can explain the amount. What soap. What to do. And what do not do... u got a new subscriber 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Just purchased a 2300 PSI Sun Joe 3500 pressure washer this weekend, and purchased a foam cannon as well. Foam was super thick, used 3 Oz of soap and HOT water in the cannon and let er rip.
Great, informative video. I bought a gallon of mequires gold, and it gives decent foam, but not what I want. I have the electric Stanley that comes with a foam cannon. I'd like to try a different soap but don't wanna go out and buy a bunch. At least you pointed me in the right direction. Thanks for your time
The gallon size of Gold Class is a rip off, the 64oz is 1/3rd the price regularly neverind finding it on sale. I use Gold Class because I can feel the microfiber sponge just gliding over the paint nicely, it seems to clean very well, and it doesn't appear to remove any wax or sealant I have applied to the car. I mix 5:1 in my inexpensive foam cannon that has a 1.25 orifice and set my pressure washer to around 2,000psi. Foam is full and coats the entire surface, then I'll use my sponge and go over the car then rinse. I also rinse the car 1st to get all the loose stuff off.
It's all about the orifice size, has to be matched for the gpm and psi of the pressure washer being used. Even the pressure washer tips come in different orifice sizes, it's usually stamped right on the side of the quick connect part. Most people don't know how to use a pressure washer properly nevermind add a foam cannon to the mix. Then people complain when they buy something and it doesn't produce the results they want, they think it should just magically work.
I only use distilled water in the foam cannon. To prevent water spots from hard water on your final rinse you could use a drying aid that prevents the water from baking to the surface long enough for you to get the vehicle towel dried or air dried (leaf blower, air cannon, or any compressed air device). The other option would be something like a de-ionizer or water filter of some sort. Downside is they get expensive.
I use RO water for the entire exterior clean start to finish. Ppm avg. 1 to 5. If I use my deionize filter I'm at 0 ppm. I heard that using a 1.1 orifice will improve foaming action assuming gun and pressure washer are set up appropriately. . I would rather use the soap with the best ROI. Not gimmicks such as "water melon" scented non-sense. Great video! Thanks for sharing!
I’d like to see a test with no soap in the bottle but just distilled water then you spray the car and you let it dry to see the difference like when you pour water on the hood. I’m ok with the fact that distilled water is better but the water from the hose is actually mixing with distilled water, it’s pushing out distilled water by Venturi. Thanks for the video very helpful!
Excellent video! 👍👍👍 Here’s a question. It seems to me the only foam that’s cleaning the surface is foam directly in contact with the surface. That being said, why (other than running off to fast), does foam thickness matter? Did I just answer my own question? 😊
This was very very helpful, I do have a question though, when I am rinsing my car off to dry it afterwords, how am I able to do that without the water spots left over?? For example; would I be able to switch out the foam cannon from soap water to strictly just distilled water? So it doesn't get the water spots?
Great overview. One thing that I can't seem to find a consistent answer on is if the car needs to be pre-rinsed before applying foam. I've seen that by pre-rinsing, it doesn't leave as much grime for the foam to have to loosen up. On the other hand I've seen that if you don't pre-rinse, the foam isn't diluted by the rinse water already on the car. Seems people swear by either method, but for the most part people seem to go with the pre-rinse before foaming. Any thoughts? Regarding using distilled, I actually use distilled in a pump sprayer to do a final rinse for a touchless and spot-free result. And just let it air dry...haven't tried the leaf blower method, but I hear it works well if you don't have the time to let the car dry on its own.
You have made some good points on the pre-rinse topic. For the most part it is just user preference. By not pre-rinsing the foam will appear thicker but the consequence is the soap will dry to a scum quickly because the vehicle metal is hot from the sun beating down on it. If you intend to hand wash after, then it isn't that big of an issue. By rinsing first the soap appears thinner and runs off quicker. Both methods are perfectly fine. I do both methods and don't really prefer one over the other. I do like the idea you mentiond about a final rinse with distilled water and air drying. How many gallons would you say you go through on a single vehicle for the final rinse with distilled water?
Thank you for the tips! I am researching pressure washers and foam cannons, so this info is great to have. And you're right about the hot surfaces from the sun...I live in Tampa, and the metal gets too hot to even touch from the heat and sun. I always wait until I have evening shade on my driveway, though, and the car's cooled down. For the distilled, I read about this on a BMW detailing forum years ago and I haven't looked back since. I just have a generic two gallon pump sprayer, and I'd say I go through about 2.5-3 gallons to do a proper rinse. The key is top down and patience to be sure you're methodically chasing all of the tap water off the car, and takes maybe 20 minutes. If you rush it, you could miss areas so good technique has to be developed. I haven't towel dried a car in years, so one less contact process of course. Don't have to worry about those annoying "crevice trickles" either at all, as long as you get the distilled into the mirrors, door seams, etc. I've tried the CR Spotless system before (using ion exchange resin), but it's a hassle and the resin is expensive. Hope this helps!
I don't normally recomend any soap because usually people like whatever works but,chemical guys soap and products are top notch stuff.Ive been hand washing cars since I was a kid and I can appreciate a good product..Give it a try you won't regret it!!!!
So I’m going to use Simpson 3000 psi and 2.1 gpm w gas power washer that I’ve had for years. . Griot’s Boss FC w 1.25 orifice. i have the original long wand so I will be a ways from the vehicle. I was told this will work fine.
If you are out of distilled water, I wonder if a spoonful of white vinegar for hard water would let the shampoo work better in hard water. Vinegar is used this way for doing laundry if you have hard water. In that case 1/2 cup per washer load.
Hearing something before doing it seems impossible. It is when you apply what you heard, then, will you see it all come into play. Then will you eventually realize it isn't as complicated as it sounds.
So do you put distilled water in the canon with the soap and do you use distilled water in your bucket too. So basically no garden hose or spicket water? You must take the water from a bucket of store bought distilled water?
TDS meter will NOT tell you if your water is hard or not. For example, if your water is run through a softener the water will have the same TDS as it did before it was softened. “Clean” water is not a term. Any softened water source will generate more foam.
I get that the gpm should be higher, but I don't think a crazy psi is needed. The Kranzle unit that is the widely accepted "best pressure washer you can possibly get for washing your car" is 1,300psi
Is there a significant difference between thickier and thinner foam when it comes to removing dirt? I think thickier foam only makes you feel good but a waste of shampoo.
Great video, thanks. I was surprised that you didn't mention the actual soap cannon as a factor. Are they all the same results given your 4 reasons? I have purchased 2 different brands with not a lot of success. Actually my car nut brain has because short wired just trying to make half decent foam. Thanks
TDS isn't the best way to determine hardness, a water test strip is. For instance I don't have hard water because I have a water softener, but that does NOT lower my total TDS, Water softeners exchange calcium and magnesium ions with salt so the TDS is identical pre and post softened. For instance my TDS after my softener is 320 but I don't have hard water, it's very soft.
here is a weird question for you the recommedation I was given by a firefighter was to fill my fire extinguisher with soapy water so would you recommend that if the recommeded Item is dish soap that I use distilled water instead of tap water I mean do you think it will likely foam better ? thoughts please thank you
Thanks for the video. Does the distilled water in the just the cannon really help produce more foam? Isn't it just going to mix with the hard water from the hose? You also said warm water is better for foam so do you heat the distilled water before putting into the cannon? Appreciate the help! Thanks!
The distilled water in the foam cannon is for more foam yes. It's only so that the saop doesn't start breaking down prior to being used, so it does get mixed with hose water in the end but the soap is still fresh by the time it mixes with the hose water. If you used hard water in the foam cannon, the soap will immediately start breaking down trying to clean the minerals in the water making it less foamy by the time you get to use it. As for the warm water, I typically leave a gallon of distilled water in my garage and it stays warm. If you only have cold distilled water you can warm it up but it's probably not worth the hassle for slightly more foam.
I have a foam cannon that forces the water through a 1 cm thick fine mesh instad of a nozzle. So instead of having 1 tiny hole to pass through, I have 10.000 microscopic ones. Works like a charm and only cost forty bucks instead of a hundred. Just make sure you always go with a soap branded snow foam, and you should be good. Another common problem is the water pressure directly from the tap. If it's too weak, your pressure washer will try to deliver a higher flow than your tap allows, which will give you bad results, since you're getting too much air into the mix. And there's no easy fix for that. Worst case you'll need a circulation pump installed.
what is the point of the distilled water since you have tap water coming through the pressure washer which is going to be mixing with the detergent lending its mineral content to the mix. unless your water supply is deionized h2o (unlikely) or from a water softener i dont see the point. id see the max benefit if your pwasher water source were in the following order... labwater (deionized), distilled water, hose filtered, tap water. its highly unlikely that you would be able to get labwater or distilled water as a water source because there would be no means to get it at the required input pressure on the pwasher. so the best i could think of would be an multiple inline hose filters along with distilled water mixed with the detergent...
I used my foam cannon and it doesn’t foam as much, and sprays a very runny soapy water. I have an 1100psi electric pressure washer. Will a 1.1mm orifice work better or will a 1.0mm orifice work better with my foam cannon? Not sure which one I should order. Please let me know.
Today I used Turtle Wax Super Foam straight up. I had very good foam. This is only $4.99 for 128 ounces. I have very hard well water. I’m using a Simpson gas PW, 3300 PSI with 2.5 GPM.
I never tried that stuff straight. I will have to give it a 2nd chance. Lol. Before I knew I had hard water I tried 2oz of the turtle wax and had bad results. I think I will have to try it straight like you did.
You grew a moustache after 37 seconds, amazing dude!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lol
Paul Davis LOL, I'm dead.
Hahahahahaha, good observation! If he drink the soap, we can see " Foam Moustache " easily!
Jajajajajajaja
Tips: 1) distilled H2O. 2) Soap brand. 3) Soap/H2O ratio. 4) Pressure washer gas/electric.
I’m a chemist and the distilled water part is actually very true. Calcium and magnesium ions can react with soap like molecules like sodium stearate and create a solid insoluble salt which dwells to the bottom. So in short, hard water ions react with the soap particles and therefore weakens the soap making it less foamy.
Nerd, just kidding I wish I was a nerd lol.
Anyone with a whole house water softener will agree. Washing your hands or taking a shower in softened water feels like you never get the soap off of your skin. And if I am not mistaken most car wash facilities use distilled (and recycled) water.
@@steadyeddie7453 where do you live?
most car washes around here have folks of a more 'eastern' persuasion, and they'll have never heard of distilled water.
@@davec8730 In Maryland and Virginia the car wash attendents (some owners) I have chatted with indicated they are required to recycle their water by law, and the spot free rinse uses distilled water. It comes from a separate dedicated tank. But I wouldn't doubt the tank has regular filtered tap water in it. Who's going to check, right?
@@steadyeddie7453 i would very much doubt it around here.
they clean the wheels with a type of acid, just had to fork out for my wife's diamond cut wheels to be powder coated.
Four years later this video is still helping people like me - learn how to do it right.
Thanks
I absolutely love the in depth analysis. I never considered Distilled / warm Water or how to properly shake as factors to good foam.. excellent suggestions.. keep em coming !
. Thank you, and I hope the tips helped you get more foam 👍
@@attentiontodetail323 Definitely going to try it out tomorrow and let you know my honest opinion.
@@jaybee2981 . What soap you gonna try?
@@attentiontodetail323 For one I'll go with the usual Chem guys citrus wash and gloss. For the other daily driver I'll try out blue corral.
@@attentiontodetail323 Oh and Chem guys honeydew snow foam on one and for the other I'll try out blue corral in my foam cannon to see how that works out.
excellent job explaining foam cannon. I really like how you stayed on topic and not rable off on other nonsense in your video like some of the others do..Also you speak clearly and stay on point..I Look forward to more of your DIY videos.
1. Distilled Water
2. Type of Soap
3. Soap to Water Ratio
4. Pressure Washer PSI/GPM
Other than getting the hose connector turned around (watch out for that one), the machine is simple to put together and use th-cam.com/users/postUgkxfQauTxLT0JLSvqkq10rD79TU4k0Vz8zP . And very nice, too. I'm surprised at the power-it's more than we'll ever need, and we've not even used the most powerful setting yet.I've cleaned off a dirty concrete porch to get it ready for sealing, started to clean siding, and I know this pressure washer will be terrific for cleaning tools this fall.The only issue we had is we had turned around the hose connector, and it leaked. Once it was on correctly, though, we had no problems with the connection. Just remember that the end with the green knob goes towards the hose. It's obvious now what we did wrong, but not necessarily obvious at the time.
I started detailing cars two years ago! I washed a neighbor's Buick SUV. The Black paint that goes around the Buick emblem started to come off with my 1800 Stanley pressure's washer. I noticed it right away. So it wasn't too bad. Finished detailing interior and exterior. So be careful trying to get great foam. With your pressure washer. 1700 psi to about 2000 psi. I find is o.k. if you hold the wand back a little further. But be careful. With psi higher it can cause damage. I believe people think I need 2300 psi or more to get my car cleaner and quicker. But, If your detailing someone else's car. Be careful. To much psi can cause serious damage. Love the distilled water and the kind of soap and oz's. Great info. Shawn.
Did make me chuckle with the ‘warm water increase the Acidity of water - that’s a new one for me!!
Also, PIR is more important than thick foam - I use bilt hamber myself because it’s capable of doing a single stage wash which is perfect for someone as lazy as me!
PIR??? and what the hell is bilt hamber?
Bro, I just got the Amazon Canon and can't explain how dumb I felt when I figured out what I was doing wrong! I swapped out the orifice for the 1.1 and did 2 separate washes on two different days and was pleased by changing the orifice, but still wasn't getting great foam. Having just put everything back and cleaned up, I had this moment of clarity where I realized both times I NEVER so much as even swirled the water and the soap! 😂 That made all the difference in the world for my 1700 psi electric power washer. SMH...
I am new to soap cannons and really appreciate this informative video. Thank you!
Hey man I love that video it taught me a lot I have a battery powered pressure washer and didn't get a lot of foam out of it now I know what I need to do to get that thing to foam up thanks again for the video
Yep, hard well water here, that’s what I thought. Also went from an electric to a gas PW, it did help. Pretty much using straight soap. I’ll try mixing with distilled, thanks great tips, Dave.
Thank you for the comment and the support. I hope the tips help you get the thick foam your looking for 👍
Thanks for answering the questions for us that are on the quest for thick foam. My latest experiment is to try the cheapest soap from Menards, straight up. $4.99 Turtle Wax brand. Best results were from Chemical Guys Honey Dew using more soap than required with warm water. I will try using distilled water, interesting!
Attention to Detail thanks again!
@@davekana8388. you will have to let me know how your experiments work out. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to ask. 👍
Attention to Detail will do, that’s great for offering!🖐
As a mobile detailer, foam is always a tricky thing. Either it's too thick, and takes forever to rinse off, you're wasting more product, or your foam cannon empties too fast, or it's too thin and then it runs off too fast, and dries in the sun, but it's more lubrication and "slippery". My suggestion is, find a soap that you like, one that leaves leaves good finish, nice smell (pleasant working experience), easy to rinse off, and just work with different dilution ratios too figure out what you like, and what works best for you
I’m going to try mixing it with warm distilled water now great vid 👍🏼
How did it work out for you?
Ye.... still waiting.
@@rafaeldeleon225 he drowned in the foam. RIP
@@KisKano5 😂😂😂
Spot on with the water. Glad I watched this. I'll use distilled or RO in my foam cannon...
Thank you taking the time to show us the differences visually.
Thanks for the tips, especially the distilled water usage. Now I will have to research a distilled water filter system to pipe into my house plumbing. Man, this car washing is getting expensive!
Lol who would have thought all this just to wash a 🚗!!!
Excellent tips. I will be sure to try the distilled water on my next wash.
You also need to clean it out after each use or it will get clogged up and not give you anything.
Saw it yesterday. Got my distilled water today! Thanks
You broke that down perfectly thank you! 👌🏽 I look forward to more of your videos
This was very informative. Thanks Joel!
I am very thankful for this video
No water spots. Thanks for making this video as you have a new subscriber as well!
Good video. Addresses the exact issue I have. I’m gonna give your suggestions a try. Thanks.
Happy to help
thanks for the video. never thought of using distilled water. i'll give it a try
Bro.. u did help alot .. I have been looking for a video like this one. That can explain the amount. What soap. What to do. And what do not do... u got a new subscriber 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Wow, I'm really amazed very good tips,
Really enjoyed this video thank you so much ❤️
Just purchased a 2300 PSI Sun Joe 3500 pressure washer this weekend, and purchased a foam cannon as well. Foam was super thick, used 3 Oz of soap and HOT water in the cannon and let er rip.
Great video Attention to Detail 👍🏾
Thank you. 👍
I’ve been watching a lot of these. I’d like to see someone wash an actual dirty 🚗
Great video, thank you!! Super helpful, but got my foam cannon and learning how to tweak it so it works like it is supposed to. Thanks again!
Nice level of detail on this. Thanks!
Nice and quality video with precise directions 👍👍
Distilled water in the canister won't do much. The vast majority of water comes from the hose! You'd have to put a filter on your hose.
👍
You dont need a lot psi or gpm to use foam cannon. I have seen 1600psi 1.2gpm do just fine.
How is putting distilled water into the cannon going to matter when the cannon is still pulling in the harder water from the pressure washer?
Hmmmmm….was thinking the same thing
Great, informative video. I bought a gallon of mequires gold, and it gives decent foam, but not what I want. I have the electric Stanley that comes with a foam cannon. I'd like to try a different soap but don't wanna go out and buy a bunch. At least you pointed me in the right direction. Thanks for your time
The gallon size of Gold Class is a rip off, the 64oz is 1/3rd the price regularly neverind finding it on sale. I use Gold Class because I can feel the microfiber sponge just gliding over the paint nicely, it seems to clean very well, and it doesn't appear to remove any wax or sealant I have applied to the car. I mix 5:1 in my inexpensive foam cannon that has a 1.25 orifice and set my pressure washer to around 2,000psi. Foam is full and coats the entire surface, then I'll use my sponge and go over the car then rinse. I also rinse the car 1st to get all the loose stuff off.
Great job explaining & breaking it down
When I changed my orifice to 1.1 in my gas pw, it made a world of difference 😍
I thought 1.1 was only for electric pressure washers?
@@airuzair2424 no sir, for either. It’s worth the change.
So clean water in the foam cannon and just regular water from the hose going through your power washer
@@pitbulls719 that’s what I use
@RICARDO I still have watery foam with 1.1 on max setting on foam cannon and I used 2 oz. My gas washer has 3300 psi and 2.2 rpm
It's all about the orifice size, has to be matched for the gpm and psi of the pressure washer being used. Even the pressure washer tips come in different orifice sizes, it's usually stamped right on the side of the quick connect part. Most people don't know how to use a pressure washer properly nevermind add a foam cannon to the mix. Then people complain when they buy something and it doesn't produce the results they want, they think it should just magically work.
Wow that chemical guys foam is awesome. The others weren't bad either tbh. The last one did a really good job though!
How would you use distilled water with your pressure washer to do your final rinse of the vehicle?
I only use distilled water in the foam cannon. To prevent water spots from hard water on your final rinse you could use a drying aid that prevents the water from baking to the surface long enough for you to get the vehicle towel dried or air dried (leaf blower, air cannon, or any compressed air device). The other option would be something like a de-ionizer or water filter of some sort. Downside is they get expensive.
Dude, you did a great job here. Thank you for all the tips!
I use RO water for the entire exterior clean start to finish. Ppm avg. 1 to 5. If I use my deionize filter I'm at 0 ppm.
I heard that using a 1.1 orifice will improve foaming action assuming gun and pressure washer are set up appropriately. .
I would rather use the soap with the best ROI. Not gimmicks such as "water melon" scented non-sense.
Great video! Thanks for sharing!
Ok ok you've convinced me : SUBSCRIBED!!! Thanks for your time and great info!!
Excellent video! Very helpful! Thanks!
Dang i thought this wouldn’t be worth watching and I’ll be watching it again
I’d like to see a test with no soap in the bottle but just distilled water then you spray the car and you let it dry to see the difference like when you pour water on the hood. I’m ok with the fact that distilled water is better but the water from the hose is actually mixing with distilled water, it’s pushing out distilled water by Venturi.
Thanks for the video very helpful!
Really useful for me, thanks! 😃
Excellent video! 👍👍👍 Here’s a question. It seems to me the only foam that’s cleaning the surface is foam directly in contact with the surface. That being said, why (other than running off to fast), does foam thickness matter? Did I just answer my own question? 😊
I live in hard water area, surely the water supply needs to be fully from soft water not just what's mixed in the foam cannon bottle ?
This was very very helpful, I do have a question though, when I am rinsing my car off to dry it afterwords, how am I able to do that without the water spots left over?? For example; would I be able to switch out the foam cannon from soap water to strictly just distilled water? So it doesn't get the water spots?
Worth every penny.
Great overview. One thing that I can't seem to find a consistent answer on is if the car needs to be pre-rinsed before applying foam. I've seen that by pre-rinsing, it doesn't leave as much grime for the foam to have to loosen up. On the other hand I've seen that if you don't pre-rinse, the foam isn't diluted by the rinse water already on the car. Seems people swear by either method, but for the most part people seem to go with the pre-rinse before foaming. Any thoughts? Regarding using distilled, I actually use distilled in a pump sprayer to do a final rinse for a touchless and spot-free result. And just let it air dry...haven't tried the leaf blower method, but I hear it works well if you don't have the time to let the car dry on its own.
You have made some good points on the pre-rinse topic. For the most part it is just user preference. By not pre-rinsing the foam will appear thicker but the consequence is the soap will dry to a scum quickly because the vehicle metal is hot from the sun beating down on it. If you intend to hand wash after, then it isn't that big of an issue. By rinsing first the soap appears thinner and runs off quicker. Both methods are perfectly fine. I do both methods and don't really prefer one over the other.
I do like the idea you mentiond about a final rinse with distilled water and air drying. How many gallons would you say you go through on a single vehicle for the final rinse with distilled water?
Thank you for the tips! I am researching pressure washers and foam cannons, so this info is great to have. And you're right about the hot surfaces from the sun...I live in Tampa, and the metal gets too hot to even touch from the heat and sun. I always wait until I have evening shade on my driveway, though, and the car's cooled down. For the distilled, I read about this on a BMW detailing forum years ago and I haven't looked back since. I just have a generic two gallon pump sprayer, and I'd say I go through about 2.5-3 gallons to do a proper rinse. The key is top down and patience to be sure you're methodically chasing all of the tap water off the car, and takes maybe 20 minutes. If you rush it, you could miss areas so good technique has to be developed. I haven't towel dried a car in years, so one less contact process of course. Don't have to worry about those annoying "crevice trickles" either at all, as long as you get the distilled into the mirrors, door seams, etc. I've tried the CR Spotless system before (using ion exchange resin), but it's a hassle and the resin is expensive. Hope this helps!
@@KenVic02 That's an expensive rinse system. Distilled water is at least $1 per gallon here at this time.
Excellent informative video and not full of bullshi% that many have.. thanks for the tips and demos...want to try the distilled water on next wash....
I don't normally recomend any soap because usually people like whatever works but,chemical guys soap and products are top notch stuff.Ive been hand washing cars since I was a kid and I can appreciate a good product..Give it a try you won't regret it!!!!
So I’m going to use Simpson 3000 psi and 2.1 gpm w gas power washer that I’ve had for years. . Griot’s Boss FC w 1.25 orifice. i have the original long wand so I will be a ways from the vehicle. I was told this will work fine.
Very helpful sir with your tips Awesome
Bro you are very good. Thank you very much
Greetings
Fantastic video 🇺🇸🍾🎉🇺🇸
Keep producing more videos.
Your video deserved subscript 😊👍 awesome explanation bro
Awesome video!
Great vid!!!Tnx for posting all the info!
If you are out of distilled water, I wonder if a spoonful of white vinegar for hard water would let the shampoo work better in hard water. Vinegar is used this way for doing laundry if you have hard water. In that case 1/2 cup per washer load.
After following all these steps for preparation I’m now too tired to wash anything
Hearing something before doing it seems impossible. It is when you apply what you heard, then, will you see it all come into play. Then will you eventually realize it isn't as complicated as it sounds.
So do you put distilled water in the canon with the soap and do you use distilled water in your bucket too. So basically no garden hose or spicket water? You must take the water from a bucket of store bought distilled water?
Learned a lot. Thanks
Great video. I didn't realize how much care goes into a quality wash. On a avg how much should a carwash like this should cost ?
Even using distilled water, doesn't the house water coming through the pressure washer negate this?
Great job!
TDS meter will NOT tell you if your water is hard or not. For example, if your water is run through a softener the water will have the same TDS as it did before it was softened.
“Clean” water is not a term. Any softened water source will generate more foam.
Well done. This helped a lot.
Very good and helpful review !
OK nice video, But why u didn't have Turtle ice snow foam & Torque foam wash????
I get that the gpm should be higher, but I don't think a crazy psi is needed. The Kranzle unit that is the widely accepted "best pressure washer you can possibly get for washing your car" is 1,300psi
Is there a significant difference between thickier and thinner foam when it comes to removing dirt? I think thickier foam only makes you feel good but a waste of shampoo.
When the foam is runny, it pulls the dirt off quicker. Thicker foam really is just for making it fun to clean vehicles
You've got to be joking with that answer.... Please tell me you're joking
It's a balance that people need. Thick foam means good application to cling to dirt to come away from the paint.
Great video, thanks. I was surprised that you didn't mention the actual soap cannon as a factor. Are they all the same results given your 4 reasons? I have purchased 2 different brands with not a lot of success. Actually my car nut brain has because short wired just trying to make half decent foam. Thanks
I use distilled water in the cannon but my tap has hard water. Will it make difference?
Great explanation thanks !!!!
Good video, good information
TDS isn't the best way to determine hardness, a water test strip is. For instance I don't have hard water because I have a water softener, but that does NOT lower my total TDS, Water softeners exchange calcium and magnesium ions with salt so the TDS is identical pre and post softened. For instance my TDS after my softener is 320 but I don't have hard water, it's very soft.
Fantastic video .
here is a weird question for you the recommedation I was given by a firefighter was to fill my fire extinguisher with soapy water so would you recommend that if the recommeded Item is dish soap that I use distilled water instead of tap water I mean do you think it will likely foam better ? thoughts please thank you
Thanks for the video. Does the distilled water in the just the cannon really help produce more foam? Isn't it just going to mix with the hard water from the hose? You also said warm water is better for foam so do you heat the distilled water before putting into the cannon? Appreciate the help! Thanks!
The distilled water in the foam cannon is for more foam yes. It's only so that the saop doesn't start breaking down prior to being used, so it does get mixed with hose water in the end but the soap is still fresh by the time it mixes with the hose water. If you used hard water in the foam cannon, the soap will immediately start breaking down trying to clean the minerals in the water making it less foamy by the time you get to use it. As for the warm water, I typically leave a gallon of distilled water in my garage and it stays warm. If you only have cold distilled water you can warm it up but it's probably not worth the hassle for slightly more foam.
I was literally about to ask the same thing.
Found a machine shop on Ebay selling custom orifices ordered a 0.85mm to try in my cheap washer
Have u ever tried using dish washing soap...just wanted to know what the result would be like....in terms of foam
Excellent delivery and advice
Great Video
Thank you
I have a foam cannon that forces the water through a 1 cm thick fine mesh instad of a nozzle.
So instead of having 1 tiny hole to pass through, I have 10.000 microscopic ones.
Works like a charm and only cost forty bucks instead of a hundred.
Just make sure you always go with a soap branded snow foam, and you should be good.
Another common problem is the water pressure directly from the tap.
If it's too weak, your pressure washer will try to deliver a higher flow than your tap allows, which will give you bad results, since you're getting too much air into the mix.
And there's no easy fix for that. Worst case you'll need a circulation pump installed.
What is the brand of your foam cannon?
@@btucker8312 It’s “Nilfisk”
what is the point of the distilled water since you have tap water coming through the pressure washer which is going to be mixing with the detergent lending its mineral content to the mix. unless your water supply is deionized h2o (unlikely) or from a water softener i dont see the point. id see the max benefit if your pwasher water source were in the following order... labwater (deionized), distilled water, hose filtered, tap water. its highly unlikely that you would be able to get labwater or distilled water as a water source because there would be no means to get it at the required input pressure on the pwasher. so the best i could think of would be an multiple inline hose filters along with distilled water mixed with the detergent...
I used my foam cannon and it doesn’t foam as much, and sprays a very runny soapy water. I have an 1100psi electric pressure washer. Will a 1.1mm orifice work better or will a 1.0mm orifice work better with my foam cannon? Not sure which one I should order. Please let me know.
Great video and will have to try distilled water. 👍
Thank you, I hope you get that thick foam 👍
Put the water in your foam bottle first then add the soap it stops it bubbling out.
Hard water kills foam. It also gunks up the tiny mesh filter inside the cannon.
Good information tks.
Thanks, great tips and advice! Cheers
Today I used Turtle Wax Super Foam straight up. I had very good foam. This is only $4.99 for 128 ounces. I have very hard well water. I’m using a Simpson gas PW, 3300 PSI with 2.5 GPM.
I never tried that stuff straight. I will have to give it a 2nd chance. Lol. Before I knew I had hard water I tried 2oz of the turtle wax and had bad results. I think I will have to try it straight like you did.
Attention to Detail it’s sort of watery but I’m happy with the results. Did a nice job of getting off the road grime!