The Foam Gun. Why?

C

CharlesW

The Rainmaker
Seeing the pictures in ajnavo61490's Corvette thread made me wonder about the benefits of the foam gun.

1. What is the purpose of the device, to put a layer of soap/foam all over the vehicle?

2. Is this supposed to act like a presoak?

3. Couldn't you do the same thing with a mixture of your car wash and a $10 pump up garden sprayer?

4. You still need to wash the car in the conventional manner with a bucket and mitt or some other washing media, don't you?

5. Doesn't the foam start to dry on the vehicle before you can get all the areas washed with your mitt and rinsed?

Just curious about the true value of the use of the system. What does it accomplish for all the extra cost and effort?

It's not really important to me since about 95% of my washing is now either waterless, (S&W), or rinseless, (ONR/4 in 1).
 
I use mine with some sort of car wash soap and AP. I guess I could use typical methods but I think when using AP it is a little more gentle in foam form.
 
I only use my gun when my car is extremely dirty like in the winter or right after. I use it as a presoak. I :love: it for this. I've foamed the entire car and I've foamed only the section that I was going to wash first.Yes I use a mitt.Although I've tried,used the gun exclusively and mitt in the past I like using the two bucket method along with the gun. Since I don't use the gun that often I don't worry about the amount of soap I'm using.To me it's a step to help cut down on the chance of winter dirt,grime,salt of damaging,scratching the paint.
Yes I can live without the gun but to see all those suds on my car is a little piece of mind.:bigups to foamgun for winter washing.:passout:
 
1. What is the purpose of the device, to put a layer of soap/foam all over the vehicle?

2. Is this supposed to act like a presoak?
Click to expand...

Yes it acts as a presoak. It will loosen and lift dirt from the surface before you touch the car. Better than rinsing alone will do.

3. Couldn't you do the same thing with a mixture of your car wash and a $10 pump up garden sprayer?
Click to expand...

You could but it would be much slower and you wouldn't get as much pretty foam.

4. You still need to wash the car in the conventional manner with a bucket and mitt or some other washing media, don't you?
Click to expand...

I have cars that I do regularly and if they aren't that dirty the foam gun will wash the car nicely without having to even touch it. When a car has been detailed properly cleaning it is a breeze. ( I should mention that I always use a small pressure washer )

Having said that, the average person should wash their car with conventional methods after the foam has been applied.

5. Doesn't the foam start to dry on the vehicle before you can get all the areas washed with your mitt and rinsed?
Click to expand...

That's one atribute of a good car wash soap is it's ability to stay wet. Wetting agents are added to car wash soaps just for this reason. Weather will play a factor. Even the best car wash soaps will dry prematurely if it's really hot and you haven't washed fast enough.
 
I find the foam gun useful on larger jobs like SUV and 4x4 trucks...but for just washing a car, it more work than I like to go threw...I can wash a car with a bucket faster.
 
I don't use the foam gun as much as I once did but have employed it to other duties around the house more than I use it on my vehicle these days. Parking in a garage has made my detail life a whole lot simpler. It will be put to use cleaning my exterior windows and overhang next.
 
GearHead_1 said:
Perhaps the question here is: Why not?:D
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Just a few reasons "Why not".

1. $60 to $70 plus shipping.

2. Special soap. Maybe not needed, but recommended.

3. Another item to find a place to store.

4. Another soap to bring in the house and store for winter.

5. Requires getting it out foam gun, getting out soap, filling soap container, and hooking it up to the hose every time you want to use it.

6. Gotta clean everything up and put it away after use.

7. Still need to bucket wash as usual to complete the job.

It kind of looks like a gimmick to me. :D

Be honest, how many of you with a foam gun:
a. Use it regularly.
b. Would buy one again.
 
Troy@DetailCity said:
To each his own. They are no gimmick and definitely have a place in my detailing regime.
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Your circumstances might be a little different.
As a professional detailer, you probably have a provision for always having it readily available.

Your use of a pressure washer for cleaning vehicles is not typical for most hobby detailers. Do you still need to use a soap solution for your pressure washing?
Wouldn't it be pretty easy to do a pre-soak with the pressure washer?

FWIW, I do have a pressure washer, but other than wheel-wells once in a while, it doesn't get used for the vehicles. It's not worth the effort to get it out and put back away for one vehicle.
 
CharlesW said:
Just a few reasons "Why not".

1. $60 to $70 plus shipping.

2. Special soap. Maybe not needed, but recommended.

3. Another item to find a place to store.

4. Another soap to bring in the house and store for winter.

5. Requires getting it out foam gun, getting out soap, filling soap container, and hooking it up to the hose every time you want to use it.

6. Gotta clean everything up and put it away after use.

7. Still need to bucket wash as usual to complete the job.

It kind of looks like a gimmick to me. :D

Be honest, how many of you with a foam gun:
a. Use it regularly.
b. Would buy one again.
Click to expand...
Charles you left out one negative it uses a lot of soap causing you to spend much more on soap for NO benefit.

I used mine twice I will never mess with this thing again.

All the benefits are more between the ears that on the car :wall

I have yet to harm my paint from a conventional wash.
 
I love the foam gun. Many may disagree with me, but my process is to use 1 bucket for mitt rinse and the foam gun rather than a soap bucket. I probably use more soap that I would with the 2 bucket method, but soap is generally not that expensive. I don't use special soap.

I start by spraying the entire car with the foam gun. Then, as I wash a panel I spray the mitt with the foam gun and if needed I will spray more soap on the panel.
 
Another thought/question.
From what I have read, the foam gun either dispenses foam or you can remove the handle and have a spray rinse. So.... How do you do a free flowing rinse when you have the foam gun connected to the hose?
Does the foam gun have to be removed from the hose to allow a sheeting rinse.
Do you shut off the water supply to the hose to remove the foam gun or do you have to add more fittings so you have a shut off at the foam gun connection? :confused:
 
I have quick connect/disconnect fittings. It only takes me seconds to use/not use the foamgun. As for disconnecting the gun and doing the flood/flush method I just kink the hose and unscrew the nozzle. No problem there.
I got mine as a gift so there was no money put out by me.
I probably would not have bought one but I'm glad I have it.
Storing it takes a minimal amount of space so that's not a problem.
I use it at most 15 to 20 times a year(5 cars during the winter months,maybe mid December to mid March).I usually do more than one car at a time so I don't have to bring it out of storage the 15 to 20 times if this as seen as nuisance.
I do not see this as a hassle.
I like mine.
Do I feel it's a must have? No. :passout:
 
I use mine only for either stripping a car or for very very dirty car.
Either way, I still wash with buckets and mitts.
 
It took me a while to get back to this thread. I can't see why anyone wouldn't love to have one of these. I leave soap in the gun and just hook up next time I use it. I use it for every wash and love it when washing the garage floor too. Charles, other than the expense and a place to put it you're really stretching for a reason not to have one. Hooking it up, filling with soap, cleaning it up, come on. There is nothing to any of these reservations. I use no special shampoo though admittedly I use probably more shampoo depending on the shampoo than when not using one. I don't find this costs me more because I end up buying a less expensive soap in gallons and get it to foam very well. Everything on the foam gun is a quick connect set up. It's a matter of seconds to go from foam gun to water nozzle. I would tell anyone to get one.
 
Troy@DetailCity said:
Yes it acts as a presoak. It will loosen and lift dirt from the surface before you touch the car. Better than rinsing alone will do.



You could but it would be much slower and you wouldn't get as much pretty foam.



I have cars that I do regularly and if they aren't that dirty the foam gun will wash the car nicely without having to even touch it. When a car has been detailed properly cleaning it is a breeze. ( I should mention that I always use a small pressure washer )

Having said that, the average person should wash their car with conventional methods after the foam has been applied.



That's one atribute of a good car wash soap is it's ability to stay wet. Wetting agents are added to car wash soaps just for this reason. Weather will play a factor. Even the best car wash soaps will dry prematurely if it's really hot and you haven't washed fast enough.
Click to expand...

GearHead_1 said:
It took me a while to get back to this thread. I can't see why anyone wouldn't love to have one of these. I leave soap in the gun and just hook up next time I use it. I use it for every wash and love it when washing the garage floor too. Charles, other than the expense and a place to put it you're really stretching for a reason not to have one. Hooking it up, filling with soap, cleaning it up, come on. There is nothing to any of these reservations. I use no special shampoo though admittedly I use probably more shampoo depending on the shampoo than when not using one. I don't find this costs me more because I end up buying a less expensive soap in gallons and get it to foam very well. Everything on the foam gun is a quick connect set up. It's a matter of seconds to go from foam gun to water nozzle. I would tell anyone to get one.
Click to expand...

Charles I :love: my foam gun and wouldn't do a conventional wash without it ... I don't sell them anymore and I was one of the first to do a group buy for the members here as I found it to do everything Troy said for my own vehicles.
As for the expense of buying one :hmmm: well i look at it as a one time investment if you buy the quality one as it is made of brass and there is nothing to fail and I'm almost ...repeat almost as cheap as you are :D but it does lubricate the vehicle very well and I use a quick connect on both the foam gun and my fireman's nozzle so it takes about 3 seconds to switch over, but it does have a setting for spraying without soap. I use my Super Slick & Suds, and like Troy said, a quality soap will stay wetter longer and give you time to work. I too leave soap in the gun for the next use and even though I might use a bit more soap, I value the finish on my vehicles more than the few extra cents I spend in soap. Would I recommend or buy another, ABSOLUTELY :bigups it's also cool watching people's faces when you're covering your vehicle with foam :cool:
 
Just playing devil's advocate Charles...no disrespect

1. $60 to $70 plus shipping. ordered mine direct from Gilmour for $38+$8 shipping

2. Special soap. Maybe not needed, but recommended. I use Optimum Carwash and it works great in the gun. IME better than DP Extreme Foam for foam guns.

3. Another item to find a place to store. It's smaller than a gallon jug

4. Another soap to bring in the house and store for winter. My garage only gets down to 35-40 degrees so I only bring in LSPs, Sealants and such...never brought in cleaners and never had a problem

5. Requires getting it out foam gun, getting out soap, filling soap container, and hooking it up to the hose every time you want to use it.I keep a gallon of shampoo premixed for the gun and if the shampoo you're using is so strong that it deteriorates the pickup tube or the brass fitting, you probably shouldn't be using it on you paint.

6. Gotta clean everything up and put it away after use. I never empty mine and have yet to have a malfunction.

7. Still need to bucket wash as usual to complete the job. Actually it replaces the soap bucket in the two bucket method. One less bucket to move around the car. You still need the rinser with a GG IMO, but it saves the time of measuring out and ounce of soap and filling the bucket.

It kind of looks like a gimmick to me. :D The $10 ones are gimmicks the Gilmour was made to lay down foaming degreasers in the restaurant and automotive shop industries. They actually used to sell a Simple Green version, so they are pretty durable if you can shoot that in it.

Be honest, how many of you with a foam gun:
a. Use it regularly. yes
b. Would buy one again.yes
 
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