To foam cannon or to pressure washer..

[blongo804]

Hey everyone! So right now, I am using a cheapo (well, in comparison to Adam's) foam gun from the "G" letter company. It's cheap. It's not that great. I've been just getting by with it. 

 

My question is this now.. It's either my current gun sucks pushing water out due to low water pressure from my house, or it just sucks at foaming no matter which setting it's on or no matter what soap:water ratio I use. From the hose alone, my water pressure seems decent, but through the gun, it's crappy. 

 

I'm debating either going with Adam's new foam gun because it looks like real life, or just going with a $150-200 pressure washer that could end up being even more inconvenient. Like everyone else, I simply want a solution that will destroy as much road grime as possible to allow as little actual scrubbing as possible, which in turn will reduce the risk of inducing swirls into my paint. The problem is, I can't tell if my house's water pressure (city water) is strong enough to help me here. That is why I am debating a pressure washer due to the fact it'll help me achieve the water pressure I might need for my situation. On the other hand, are pressure washers more of a hassle to deal with? I kind of assume so. Ugh.

 

Either way - I am getting one of these. 

 

Any thoughts?

Edited April 22, 2015 by blongo804

[Team Adam's]

Just to clarify:
 

Foam CANNON = attaches to a pressure washer

Foam GUN = attaches to a garden hose

 

Want to make sure we're clear on that, because there is a distinct difference.

On to your questions - a pressure washer will always trump a garden hose in terms of effectiveness simply b/c its a better method of cleaning. Just rinsing with a pressure washer gives you better cleaning power due to the amount of pressure and 'water broom' action.

Same goes with foaming, you can create a much more substantial lather with a cannon than you can with a gun... there really isn't a comparison b/c it isn't a fair fight.

BUT NOW... onto the cons - everyone thinks it will be easy to use a PW for washing... I find most guys end up growing weary of fighting with a pressure washer, additional connections, cords or gas, and don't stick with the routine. It does add some significant time to your setup and break down times. Also remember you're pressure washer will still need a cannon purchase - so you're into the pressure washer for $200 for a decent unit, then another $70+/- for the cannon.

[blongo804]

Just to clarify:

 

Foam CANNON = attaches to a pressure washer

Foam GUN = attaches to a garden hose

 

Want to make sure we're clear on that, because there is a distinct difference.

 

On to your questions - a pressure washer will always trump a garden hose in terms of effectiveness simply b/c its a better method of cleaning. Just rinsing with a pressure washer gives you better cleaning power due to the amount of pressure and 'water broom' action.

 

Same goes with foaming, you can create a much more substantial lather with a cannon than you can with a gun... there really isn't a comparison b/c it isn't a fair fight.

 

BUT NOW... onto the cons - everyone thinks it will be easy to use a PW for washing... I find most guys end up growing weary of fighting with a pressure washer, additional connections, cords or gas, and don't stick with the routine. It does add some significant time to your setup and break down times. Also remember you're pressure washer will still need a cannon purchase - so you're into the pressure washer for $200 for a decent unit, then another $70+/- for the cannon.

I went to lunch after I posted this thread and realized... crap.. used the wrong terminology lol. Mind changing the title?

 

The cons in this situation, in my opinion, seem to outweigh the pros. I don't know if I want to fight a pressure washer constantly quite honestly. I used one last weekend (Sun Joe brand), and it was "okay". The foam was great but the cannon ran out of solution FAST. I didn't play around with the settings, but I imagine that can be changed. 

 

Thank you for your thoughts, Dylan!

[Masonr97]

I'm a fan of the pressure washer/foam cannon setup. With Adams new car shampoo it gives a crazy thick foam that clings to the car. I've found that my setup/breakdown time wasn't too bad and was reduced even more so because I found quick disconnects for all my hoses. The pressure is great for knocking off the major dirt and grime which reduces the dirt on the car when I scrub it. To me the pros of the system outweigh the cons by far!

[Ricky Bobby]

I'll be honest

 

If you want to break down dirt and grime, just rinsing with an electric pressure washer will do the most work for you.  Pre-foaming a car may help to break up some surface grime, but so will the rinsing of that soap, with a higher pressure tip.  To get actual surface grime off it won't be "broken down" by a pH neutral shampoo.  You would need something above pH 7 and then you would start to degrade your LSP in high enough concentrations, to actually "break down grime" by foaming alone.

 

The same reason Adams soap is able to dry on the paint without negative effects is the same reason why its not going to chemically break down the grime on the surface.  pH neutral car shampoos are meant to lubricate, encapsulate, and wipe away grime without friction, when being mechanically agitated (like by a wash pad or wash wedge for example), so that you are able to touch the vehicle when washing and not mar the paint during the wash.

 

Pre-foaming after an initial rinse is really just to have a good time with washing, and to add more lubrication as you are washing.

 

There is room for both in my regimen but honestly I find myself mostly using the foam gun and hose when I am doing 2BM washes, and when I am mobile, or if I am doing a rinseless wash on my own car or customers cars and they are very dirty, I usually pre-rinse with the pressure washer to get the bulk of it off and make my rinseless process faster.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Ricky Bobby

[ledger64]

^^^^this is true.

 

need to think about the climate/area you work in as well.   Having both I can say if you work in a cold climate that pressure washer for your foam cannon isn't going to do anything but sit stored all winter long so its much easier to grab the foam gun in those situations, but for sure the cannon makes an incredible amount of foam...

[BitterGreg]

I have this one. Free shipping and no tax. Has held up great so far.

 

http://www.pressurewashersdirect.com/Karcher-K5.740-Pressure-Washer/p6276.html#reviews

[BKazzle]

I think it takes me an extra 5 minutes total to roll out my pressure washer and put it away. I personally don't think it's inconvenient at all and 5m may even be a stretch. I even hate my pressure washer, but they replaced it at no charge or exchange and now I have 2...so I have no reason to get rid of it (them).

 

Skip the cannon...get a pressure washer...get a foam gun.

 

My process: Rinse with pressure washer, disconnect hose from PW (quick connect), connect to foam gun (quick connect), use my preferred wash method, rinse with hose (not PW)

 

Just my opinion.

[vobro]

I think it takes me an extra 5 minutes total to roll out my pressure washer and put it away. I personally don't think it's inconvenient at all and 5m may even be a stretch. I even hate my pressure washer, but they replaced it at no charge or exchange and now I have 2...so I have no reason to get rid of it (them).

Skip the cannon...get a pressure washer...get a foam gun.

My process: Rinse with pressure washer, disconnect hose from PW (quick connect), connect to foam gun (quick connect), use my preferred wash method, rinse with hose (not PW)

Just my opinion.

Agreed. No different then the few other steps we all learned along the way 2bm,proper care of wash media and mf towels etc. When I find an extra step that I can see the benefit of then it gets incorporated into the regiment . I'm not saying I use the pw every time I wash but when the cars are dirty I've found the pw is superior, disclaimer I haven't used Adams foam gun yet.

[07stanggt]

It depends on your situatuion. My garage queen which never really gets dirty, but does get a lot of dust etc when driving,  when it gets put away, the foam cannon comes out, followed by just a hose to rinse off all the foam, never needing to actually "touch " the car with any wash pad. I have a 3000 psi pw and at the lowest setting and most amount of foam to come out of the cannon, actually rinses off the dust and gets into all the little crevases without having to use a bucket etc, so no real difference in time than an actual hand wash.Like anything else, there are goods and bads to both.

[BitterGreg]

I will probably never need to use a gas PW on the car, but what is the "safe" max PSI for paint? Does hardness of clear coat matter? Does the Cleaning Units matter (psi x gpm)?

[Ricky Bobby]

I think it takes me an extra 5 minutes total to roll out my pressure washer and put it away. I personally don't think it's inconvenient at all and 5m may even be a stretch. I even hate my pressure washer, but they replaced it at no charge or exchange and now I have 2...so I have no reason to get rid of it (them).

 

Skip the cannon...get a pressure washer...get a foam gun.

 

My process: Rinse with pressure washer, disconnect hose from PW (quick connect), connect to foam gun (quick connect), use my preferred wash method, rinse with hose (not PW)

 

Just my opinion.

 

This is what I do.  I have Eley quick connects on my PW hose inlet and a Dramm shut off on my hose.  I do a pre-rinse or pre-foam with the Ryobi PW, shut off water, disconnect hose, connect to foam gun and fill up buckets, foam down car and start washing.

 

Then just empty the pump and roll the PW in the garage when putting your washing materials away

[HydroBlueJK]

I will probably never need to use a gas PW on the car, but what is the "safe" max PSI for paint? Does hardness of clear coat matter? Does the Cleaning Units matter (psi x gpm)?

 

with a higher pressure washer (2500-3000) you have to be careful, but im sure if you keep the distance from the paint you wont do any damage

[BKazzle]

Agreed. No different then the few other steps we all learned along the way 2bm,proper care of wash media and mf towels etc. When I find an extra step that I can see the benefit of then it gets incorporated into the regiment . I'm not saying I use the pw every time I wash but when the cars are dirty I've found the pw is superior, disclaimer I haven't used Adams foam gun yet.

 

Yep, basically my thought process as well.

 

I have both the 'brass' Gilmour gun and Adam's Polishes gun and the Adam's Polishes gun is far superior. Would recommend it to anyone and I have. Haven't used it with their new shampoo yet (probably will this week), but their old shampoo was superior to a lot of shampoos, so I don't expect anything different.

 

This is what I do.  I have Eley quick connects on my PW hose inlet and a Dramm shut off on my hose.  I do a pre-rinse or pre-foam with the Ryobi PW, shut off water, disconnect hose, connect to foam gun and fill up buckets, foam down car and start washing.

 

Then just empty the pump and roll the PW in the garage when putting your washing materials away

 

Quick connects are great and make everything smooth...I have them connected to everything.

 

I basically do the same thing as you and I personally feel that the most important thing is the pre-rinse. I literally spend 10-15m rinsing. (well at least it feels that way)

[Ricky Bobby]

^Absolutely.  As fun as foaming is, the inital rinse is most important by far.