Question about Foam Guns...

sonyexec said:
I just got my Glimour foamer about 3 weeks ago and WOW what a difference. I don't detail professionally and only wash my two cars. It has been a great time saver not to mention fun to use, always seems to bring the neigbors out of their man caves to see what the hell I'm using to make the foam.



My foamer is the base model and just hooks up directly to the water hose, no pressure washers here. While I dont the kind of thick whip cream like foam a pressure washer can produce it really is not that bad considering it's just a water hose. I was always mixing the car wash with water in the foam container while it was okay once I put in straight car wash into the container it really produced some thick stuff. Also, I can just leave the soap in the container for next week's wash.



Best $60 I have ever spent.
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sweet! :2thumbs:
 
SuperBee364 said:
The really good electric ones that are capable of putting out good flow rates (I think 2.0 gpm is minimum for a good wash) require some huge amounts of electricity, and they are darn near as loud as the gas ones. You'll need a dedicated 20 amp circuit. Lowes, Home Depot, etc. carry smaller electric ones (I've gone through a bunch of them. They are cheap and don't last long), but they just don't have the gpm to really do a good car wash.



Mine does 2.8 gpm, and I really wouldn't want to go any lower than that.



I know mine sounds loud in that video, but my wife was taking it from inside the garage. Makes it sound much louder than it really is. It's not quite as noisy as a lawn mower.
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Interesting...I've got some more research to do...
 
sonyexec said:
I just got my Glimour foamer about 3 weeks ago and WOW what a difference. I don't detail professionally and only wash my two cars. It has been a great time saver not to mention fun to use, always seems to bring the neigbors out of their man caves to see what the hell I'm using to make the foam.



My foamer is the base model and just hooks up directly to the water hose, no pressure washers here. While I dont the kind of thick whip cream like foam a pressure washer can produce it really is not that bad considering it's just a water hose. I was always mixing the car wash with water in the foam container while it was okay once I put in straight car wash into the container it really produced some thick stuff. Also, I can just leave the soap in the container for next week's wash.



Best $60 I have ever spent.
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couldn't stand it any longer:soscared: . I JUST ORDERED MY GILMOUR:chuckle: . what the heck, 60 bucks shipped. now for the wait. :hairpull
 
I agree that gas powered pressure washers are generally in a whole 'nother league compared with electric ones, but remember to consider ventilation when using them inside the garage. Seems obvious, but still....
 
Accumulator said:
I agree that gas powered pressure washers are generally in a whole 'nother league compared with electric ones, but remember to consider ventilation when using them inside the garage. Seems obvious, but still....
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It was outside of the garage... but taking a video inside the garage where the sound was echoing made it seem alot louder. In fact, you can see where the washer is in the video.
 
JIMMIE JAM --- you're going to love it! No more stooping over into a bucket countless times to rinse your wash mitt, now you'll hose it down with plain water, attach the foamer, foam it down, scrub away, then do you're final rinse.
 
Not if you use LSP friendly soaps at the right concentration. Z7 and DP Extreme Foam are very LSP friendly. I think you could just about use those two straight from the bottle on your paint without removing your LSP. The Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss is a different story, though. It will remove your LSP if it's not diluted according to the directions on the bottle. It can also be used at paintwork prep strength to remove any LSP, oils, etc. prior to a polishing session or switching to a new LSP.
 
mosborn9 said:
...doesn't all that high concentration of soap in these guns kill the LSP with frequent use?
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SuperBee364 said:
Not if you use LSP friendly soaps at the right concentration..
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Correct. I go over each panel a few times (initial pre-wash, 1st pass w/BHB, 2nd pass with mitt, inspect and maybe do more...) and the Griot's Car Wash I use has no appreciable effect on my LSPs other than slightly diminishing the slickness of UPP, which every form of washing seems to do anyhow. For comparision, I've had Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo compromise Souveran with *one* normal/nonfoamgun wash.
 
SuperBee364 said:
The Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss is a different story, though. It will remove your LSP ... prior to switching to a new LSP.
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Thanks. I've been looking for a way to do just this without having to polish the entire car again. Just ordered the CG Citrus Wash.
 
LazerRed1 said:
Thanks. I've been looking for a way to do just this without having to polish the entire car again. Just ordered the CG Citrus Wash.
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I think you'll love the CG's CW&G. After using it to remove your LSP, a really quick IPA wipedown will remove any CW&G residue and give you a squeaky clean surface for your new LSP to adhere to.
 
Great. I'll be doing a little polishing to remove a few stubborn swirls I didn't get the first time, but just didn't want to do the entire car, just to remove the Mezerna FMJ.



Looking at foam attachments for my power washer now. Figured I already have the washer, why not use it for the car.
 
i wish i would have known about the foam gun from ag before i went to lowes and bought mine for 11.77. it's certainly good enough for me but the ag one looks a little better quality and for not much more money.
 
sonyexec said:
JIMMIE JAM --- you're going to love it! No more stooping over into a bucket countless times to rinse your wash mitt, now you'll hose it down with plain water, attach the foamer, foam it down, scrub away, then do you're final rinse.
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:grinno: :grinno: ups is going to deliver my Gilmore TODAY. just in enough time for a weekend of fun. i'm foaming anything that isn't welded down!!!! :chuckle: :chuckle:
 
blucpe said:
i wish i would have known about the foam gun from ag before i went to lowes and bought mine for 11.77. it's certainly good enough for me but the ag one looks a little better quality and for not much more money.
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I wasted my money on the Lowes gun. Just ordered a Gilmore. Thought about the pressure washer gun, but I don't like the idea of having to drag out the washer every time I want to wash, and thought, maybe incorrectly, the water hose would be easier to haul around the car than the high pressure hose since I intend to foam along with the mitt. If I'm wrong, then the pressure washer foam gun will be purchased. Can't have enough stuff.
 
I somehow missed this thread :o I'll chime in a little bit since I have a lot of experience with both a foam gun, and foam cannon.



I've been using the Gilmour (Pinnacle) foam gun for about the last 8 months using a variety of foam/soap solutions. I had settled on using DP Xtreme foam after trying many many soaps. The gilmour produced great foam, however, after about a minute, the foam has come off the panel, or you need to keep foaming the panels as you go along. The best way I can describe the texture / density of the foam is "frothy".



Now, I've got a 2700 PSI Pressure washer along with the Foam Cannon attachment that SuperBee generously helped me source (hey thanks again!). I've been using this for the last 2 months. Using the same soaps (DP Xtreme) the foam produced are totally different. The foam produced from the Foam Cannon (via pressure washer) not only sticks to the panels FAR FAR longer, but the texture made from the foam is much "creamier" if I had to put a word to it. Think shaving cream, but slightly heavier in texture.



Which one is better imo? Well for me, I not only find the Foam Cannon much more fun to use (it's one of those oddly satisfying things like popping bubble wrap) but it also cleans MUCH better. The whole idea of having the foam cling to the panels, is it allows the soap to do it's job better. The longer the foam suspends against hte panels and can work against loosening up the grime etc, the cleaner your car will be with less scrubbing or chance of marring.



I had planned to do an extensive comparison between the two, but simply haven't had time to sit down and write it yet. Let me end with this, if you want SERIOUS foam (and fun) go with the foam cannon and pressure washer. If you're on a tighter budget, there is nothing WRONG with the foam gun, it still accomplishes the task at hand, but there are better (foam cannon) options available imo.
 
Naturally a high pressure washer & foam gun combo would produce the best results, that's a no brainer BUT for those that just want to wash their car using their water-hose adding a foam gun makes the job easier for less than $75. Yes using a water-hose and a foam gun will produce a less firm foam that will run down the body panels, that being said, the foam doesn't run off the panels like water it's a very slow run off and unless you're washing a huge SUV or limo I don't see there being a big problem. I maybe spray my car twice with the foam to "freshen-up" the foam on the body panel when i get to that particular side of the car.
 
superbee, your video shows that you have a bigger bottle attached to yours than in the link. Can you just use any bottle or did you buy an attachment?
 
MobileJay said:
superbee, your video shows that you have a bigger bottle attached to yours than in the link. Can you just use any bottle or did you buy an attachment?
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He rigged together a bigger bottle attachment. Just make sure the thread pitch is the same as the original bottle, (and same neck size) and you're good to go. If you use the bottle that comes with it on max ratio, its gone in less than 30 seconds. I've been meaning to do the same thing (bigger bottle & siphon) but just haven't had the time. You also have to make the siphon tube inside logner as well
 
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