When you see videos of people washing off their cars with a thick, white, foam that covers the whole surface of the car and makes the whole scenario appear like a winter wonderland. You might wonder how they do that and what is the secret to generating such thick suds. As regardless of using high-quality and expensive best snow foam soaps you never got to achieve such consistency of the foam.
Well, that’s not such a great deal when you are using the best snow foam lances or foam cannons. But it’s vital to assemble them properly or else you will not only waste your time but also snow foam and money. In fact, the latest foam cannons are so well equipped that with only simple assembling they can create thick clingy foam without any hindrance. Even now few foam cannons available on the market are designed to attach to the normal garden hose instead of a pressure washer to generate thick foam.
So give this little guide on how to use a foam cannon a read to achieve maximum cleaning proficiency.
What Are Foam Cannons?
Before we discuss the usage of foam cannons and their benefits we should be well aware of these equipment. So that we can get a better understanding of the purpose of these car cleaning equipment and use them to make our job easier. The foam cannons are purposefully designed car washing equipment consisting of multiple parts. It has a nozzle at the top of it and you can attach it with the pressure washer or extension wand.
The foam cannons create thick shaving foam like suds mixing pressurized water from the pressure washer, quality snow foam soap, and air. And it will generate an enormous amount of suds that will stick to the surface of your car and loosen all the dirt and grime without leaving any swirls. The clingy foam that the foam cannon generates sticks to the surface of your car for longer without damaging the paint. And the detergent or the soap gets more time to do its job to eliminate and break down the dirt and make it easy to wash your car with the mitt.
So in case you are facing difficulties regarding how to wash a car with foam cannon or your pressure washer cannot seem to work effectively. This article is for you and we have mentioned some reliable and tested tips and tricks to help you assemble your foam cannons properly. To get the most out of them and to make car cleaning a joyous experience for you.
Guide On How To Use A Foam Cannon
Though the foam cannon use does not involve any rocket science to master. And it can be pretty simple to assemble it according to the instructions book. But if you are still unable to get it right let us help you with a step-to-step guide on how to use foam cannon to wash cars.
Choosing The Right Products
Before starting the cleaning process of your car with the foam cannon it’s vital to choose a reliable product like soap or snow foam shampoo. So that you can get your desired thick snow foam to lubricate the surface of your car.
Also the best snow foam for car wash makes a difference as it’s the power of the detergent that determines its effectiveness. And if you will be able to get your shiny and glossy car free of scratches or swirls after washing.
Add The Right Delusion Ratio
After you have got the best car wash shampoo now measure out the perfect amount of the product. As many people struggle with the factor of how much soap to put in the soap cannon. Reading the delusional ratio mentioned over the container will help you get the perfect consistency of the snow foam.
While if that combination does not work for you then in such a scenario you can experiment with different delusional ratios to get your desired results. The delusional ratio can be different in accordance with the scenarios as if you wash your car often. You might not need that much of a soap as there will be no dense dirt over the car. And you can simply go for the 1:8 ratio as it will work well in such a scenario.
On the other hand, if you are washing your car after ages the ratio1:3 of the snow foam might work well for you.
Add Warm Water
Now it’s time to add water inside the canister of the foam cannon that already contains the product in diluted ratio. Make sure to add water slowly as adding too quickly can create a mess that will result in wastage of product.
When water is added too fast it will create foam inside the container that will be useless and it will not come out of the nozzle. So be careful and watch your actions as this is the most common mistake made by car owners.
Stir Nicely
When you have added your desired ratio of the snow foam soaps and water now cover the bottle with the lid. And stir the bottle nicely to mix the water and the soap. But do not overdo it as it will not do any good all you have to do is simply stir in a circular motion.
Do not shake as the shaking will create foam inside the container. So be gentle when you stir to get your desired results.
Attach Bottle To Foam Cannon
Now you are done with the stirring, now carefully attach the foam cannon with the pressure washer.
Do not forget to secure it nicely as if you don’t it might get disassembled and you will lose the product. When it is nicely secured, you can then start to spray the foam over your car.
Setting The Spray Pattern
When purchasing the best snow foam lances or foam cannons look for the ones that come with different nozzle attachments. This will give you the freedom to set the pattern of the spray system with the adjustable knob.
The knob will allow you to balance or control the usage of the air and detergent to help you get the desired consistency of the foam. Though having more options and adjusting those patterns can be confusing for those who know less about these items. But so far so good you can choose a product that suits your needs and prerequisites.
Start Spraying
In the end, all you need to do is to cover the whole surface of your car with the snow foam. And you can do it in the proper pattern by starting from the top to the bottom. When using the best snow foam for car wash you can simply spray it all over your car and leave for a few minutes to dwell as mentioned over the product. After that, you can simply start cleaning with a mitt or just the way you normally do.
This will make the car cleaning super easy and fun and they will also save your time by making car washing a pretty fun activity. After you are done washing your car, disassemble the foam cannon and empty the remaining product.
Difference Between Foam Guns And Foam Cannons
If you are not well aware of all the positive and negative aspects of both the foam guns and foam cannon. You will always feel difficulty choosing between the cannon car wash or the foam gun.
Though both hold their distinctive characteristics and serve a great deal when it comes to cleaning your car. But using them in accordance with the scenario and the type of vehicle can bring out better results. Let us tell you the difference between both these car washing equipment with their usage. Read More.
Foam Guns
The guns are the extensions that are used to connect to the garden hose and they are used for traditional car cleaning methods. Though the best foam gun without pressure washer and the foam cannon serve the same purpose they differ because of the consistency of the foam they produce.
As the typical foam guns are mostly attached with the garden hose yet they receive less pressurised water. That does not mix the perfect amount of air to create the thick foam hence resulting in runny foam. That will not be clingy to the surface of your car and will run down within no time. Hence it might not remove all that stubborn dirt from the surface of your car.
Our expert considers that purchasing a foam gun without a pressure washer is a total waste of money. Instead, you can go for some pressurized water sprayer to get better results in such a scenario.
Foam Cannons
The best snow foam cannon and foam lances are attachments to the pressure washer. The most reliable aspect about them is that you can easily attach them with any pressure washer and enjoy amazingly thick foam.
The foam cannons for hoses are mostly preferred by car enthusiasts as they offer ease of cleaning. The pressure washer offers pressurized water that is ideal for better mixing of the soap and air. And hence it will spray out a thick foam that will stick to your car surface longer to eliminate all kinds of dirt and grime.
Things To Know Beforehand
There are a few factors like the preflight checklist that you should confirm before making any move. This will ensure how smoothly your car cleaning procedure will go and you will eliminate all the chances of any possible accident.
Type Of Your Pressure Washer
It’s vital to know the type, brand, and build of your pressure washer beforehand. As all of them hold their distinctive features and come with different cleaning options.
The two basic types of pressure washers are one electric-powered and the other gas-powered. Though both of them are effective and do their job nicely, the gas-powered pressure washers are mostly preferred by the purchasers.
Though we have used both of them, personally we will also suggest you get the gas-powered washer. As it offers higher GPM (Gallons Per Minute) and the PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch) which is associated with thicker foam.
Experts suggest that you should get pressure washers that offer 1.75 GPM and 1900 PSI ratings if you seek perfection and ease with your car washing.
Type Of Your Foam Cannon
Before you question how to wash a car with a foam cannon you should try your best to know the brand and type of the foam lances you purchase. Though there are numerous choices available in the market and the best one to go for is that fits your budget.
But it’s better to purchase an expensive one than the cheap one because of the build quality. Also, this can be a pretty good investment as they will last longer and you will not have to purchase one often.
Go for the foam cannons with the brass connectors with multiple nozzles and knob adjustments. So you can enjoy more spraying patterns and also look for the soap control knob to adjust the consistency of the soap. You can adjust the knob to have the thickest clingy foam and also to get the runny watery foam.
Though having more adjustment options can enhance complexity, you can avail of simpler ones as per your choice.
Water You Are Using
The factor that you might not be aware of is that the water you use can also affect the consistency of your foam. As if you are using tap water you might not get your desired results as the tap water is considered hard water because of its high minerals.
These minerals fight with the active ingredients of the detergent and make them less effective while you might also get to witness some watermarks over the surface of your car.
Hence it is suggested to use foam cannons for the hose as the filter of the hose will have cleaner water to offer. In contrast, for the best results and maximum thickness of the soap use distilled water as it does not contain any minerals.
Maintenance & Storage Of Your Foam Cannon
If you do not take care of your foam cannons in between washes it can result in breakdowns you might witness the build-up of calcium deposits. So if you do not want to waste your money on frequent purchases of foam cannons.
Make sure to maintain them nicely and the best you can do is to properly clean your foam cannons after every use. Do not leave any traces of the water and the car washing shampoo inside the container.
Also, wash the foam cannon with water and spray clean water once or twice to eliminate any soap from the nozzle or the suction tube. Then air-dry your cannon to eliminate any chances of rust and other factors. You can then store them at some cool and dry place until the next use.
