[scopriobharath]

is there any product that we can use to generate "foam" using a foam gun?

I came across Meguiars hyper wash by that available only in 3 litre bottles. I need something in smaller quantity. I am planning to buy a washer and plan to use the foamer in it.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Always wondered if foam, whether on human or car bodies, is a marketing gimmick?

Is it just feel-good stuff, or does it have a practical purpose in lifting dirt away from the surface?

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Always wondered if foam, whether on human or car bodies, is a marketing gimmick?

Is it just feel-good stuff, or does it have a practical purpose in lifting dirt away from the surface?

Yes Meguiars and Snow foam are good. Meguiars is avaiable in huge quantity and Sno foam is NOT avaiable in india. Its available in UK in huge quantity only

some cheap foaming shampoos are just cosmetic only. They do not clean effectively.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

is there any product that we can use to generate "foam" using a foam gun?

I came across Meguiars hyper wash by that available only in 3 litre bottles. I need something in smaller quantity. I am planning to buy a washer and plan to use the foamer in it.

I recently used Amway Car shampoo as foam to wash my car and it give brilliant results. I have a Karcher K2.180 and used the Karcher Foam Nozzle 0.3L.

I mixed 80 ml of Amway car shampoo with water filled in the foam nozlle upto brim. I required just only half i.e. 150 ml only to do a complete wash for a sedan.

You could give Amway a try. Dilution is 60-90 ml for 300 ml of water.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

I recently used Amway Car shampoo as foam to wash my car and it give brilliant results. I have a Karcher K2.180 and used the Karcher Foam Nozzle 0.3L.

I mixed 80 ml of Amway car shampoo with water filled in the foam nozlle upto brim. I required just only half i.e. 150 ml only to do a complete wash for a sedan.

You could give Amway a try. Dilution is 60-90 ml for 300 ml of water.

Thank you Lobo,

I am planning to buy the Karcher 3.550 system.

I am attaching 2 photos below. please indicate whether the foaming effect was as per the Honda or like the Mitsubishi pictured.

secondly - do you mix 80ml of shampoo and 220 ml of water in your 300ml foamer to foam the car ?

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

I am planning to buy the Karcher 3.550 system.

Great going. Everyone now is buying a high pressure washer and you wont regret it one bit.

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

I am attaching 2 photos below. please indicate whether the foaming effect was as per the Honda or like the Mitsubishi pictured.
Attachment 992534

Attachment 992593

More like the second photo. But certainly it gave good result as I was having Amway shampoo handy and use it for regular wash. Do give it a try.

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

secondly - do you mix 80ml of shampoo and 220 ml of water in your 300ml foamer to foam the car ?

Yes, 80 ml Amway + 220 ml water, in the 300 ml Karcher Foam Nozzle. Utilized half the mixture for complete wash for a sedan.

Secondly, I may be getting Megs Hyperwash 100 ml sample just to try it out for foaming via Karcher Foam Nozzle, in second week of Oct. Will let you know about it.

Edit:
Even do get the Water Filter. Even the cleanest of water has some or the other dirt particles.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Great going. Everyone now is buying a high pressure washer and you wont regret it one bit.

More like the second photo. But certainly it gave good result as I was having Amway shampoo handy and use it for regular wash. Do give it a try.

Yes, 80 ml Amway + 220 ml water, in the 300 ml Karcher Foam Nozzle. Utilized half the mixture for complete wash for a sedan.

Secondly, I may be getting Megs Hyperwash 100 ml sample just to try it out for foaming via Karcher Foam Nozzle, in second week of Oct. Will let you know about it.

Wow !! Thank you Lobo

I was expecting foam like the first picture (Honda). I would not mind an invitation for a first hand look at your meguairs hyperwash

I am waiting just to see if there are any real foaming products before investing in the foam gun. The problem is that meguairs and snow foam are available in "3 litres bottle" where as we require 50-100 ml per wash.

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Always wondered if foam, whether on human or car bodies, is a marketing gimmick?

Is it just feel-good stuff, or does it have a practical purpose in lifting dirt away from the surface?

I am no chemistry expert but here's what I've understood of foam (or high suds). Suds is formed when pockets of gas are trapped in a liquid or solid. While the suds by themselves does not equal cleaning power, the chemicals used in the foaming liquid do matter. They typically contain surfactants which lower the surface tension of liquids, helping them to spread out (which allows oil and water to mix). The water mixes with the grease and grime on the car surface and pulls it off.

So what about the foam? It is just a feel good thing, IMO. The liquid (and not the foam) has already done its job of separating the grime from the surface.

An example from everyday life -- when you shampoo your hair for the first time, no foam is produced, but the liquid has carried away the grime and dirt from your hair. In the second round, the shampoo foams a lot and that gives you the satisfaction that the hair is clean. When the dirt is freed and gone, only then will the surfactant produce a lot of suds. There is little dirt left to consume them. Most of the work has been done in the first washing itself. After that, all we like is playing with the foam!

Another example against the foam -- if you use a front loading washing machine, you have to use a special detergent. That detergent is a low suds one (produces less foam). Why? because the tumble action produces a lot of foam, and foam itself is redundant. The surfactants are important, not the foam.

[funkyp]

hey how do these pressure wash systems work? do they need a water hose supply or can work off a 1 lts bottle?

asking coz i have no water supply point for car wash and use a 2 bucket method. if these can work off a 1 ltr bottle, i might look at buying one

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by funkyp

hey how do these pressure wash systems work? do they need a water hose supply or can work off a 1 lts bottle?

asking coz i have no water supply point for car wash and use a 2 bucket method. if these can work off a 1 ltr bottle, i might look at buying one

KArcher systems like 3.550 have a suction hose as an accessory to collect water from stored / collected water sources like buckets / tanks / drums / swimming pools etc.

attaching a video of the same (Please view from 1.26 onwars)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC3u9sdgVuw

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by funkyp

hey how do these pressure wash systems work? do they need a water hose supply or can work off a 1 lts bottle?

asking coz i have no water supply point for car wash and use a 2 bucket method. if these can work off a 1 ltr bottle, i might look at buying one

Even I have a water tap 15 feet from my car but attaching a pipe to the tap is a herculean task. Reason being the very high back pressure from Karcher.

So, I too use a bucket filled with water and a normal pipe to carry water to Karcher. Works without a problem other than, I need to run back & again to get water from tap to get water in other bucket to keep the other bucket topped up, otherwise I risk having low water and air entering the Karcher which means I need to drain air out all over again.

Other thing, if you use water from tap there is pressure which drains the air out out of Karcher. But when you use bucket, you need to drain air, which itself is a procedure which needs to be followed to the point.

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

I would not mind an invitation for a first hand look at your meguairs hyperwash

Surely. The count of bhpians is rising for the first hand Karcher experience. We all could have a small detailing party at my place in 2nd week of Oct.

Originally Posted by nileshch

An example from everyday life -- when you shampoo your hair for the first time, no foam is produced, but the liquid has carried away the grime and dirt from your hair. In the second round, the shampoo foams a lot and that gives you the satisfaction that the hair is clean. When the dirt is freed and gone, only then will the surfactant produce a lot of suds. There is little dirt left to consume them. Most of the work has been done in the first washing itself. After that, all we like is playing with the foam!

Thats one of the best explanation I have come across and accessing Team-BHP at 4 am, we all are addicted to it!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by nileshch

...

So what about the foam? It is just a feel good thing, IMO. The liquid (and not the foam) has already done its job of separating the grime from the surface.

...

I think you may well be right in everything you say. I can, though, think of one possible advantage of foam for the car wash: maybe it allows the surface to stay wetted for longer, allowing the surface to soak and also helping to prevent marks left by evaporation.

Just an idea.

[mb_jg]

I just got my order of the Karcher K 2.110 from Flipkart. They do not include the foam washer container with the kit, instead there is a pipe at the back of the unit through which you can feed detergent\shampoo.
Anyone using\used this model?

[ThinkBig]

Originally Posted by nileshch

The surfactants are important, not the foam.

Nilesh, good understanding of the subject. Foam basically if thicker lets the surfactants dwell longer on the paint. When diesel was discussed earlier for dissolving/removing tar I did not touch about surfactants at that time. I use a 9.5 moles ethylene oxide condensate emulsifier for removing tar. Sorry for being a little technical, but this is a very powerful carbon/tar remover. If mixed with other surfactants it removes spots very easily without softening the paint. No dangerous solvents incorporated.

Basically the best formula would be to study how brushless automatic car washes work. They spray a presoak chemical, wash and then the shampoo (specially made for touch less wash), rinse and blow dry. A little bit of chemistry and reproducing these kind of bulk processes goes a long way. We only have to wash our car and not hundreds of cars in quick time.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by mb_jg

I just got my order of the Karcher K 2.110 from Flipkart. They do not include the foam washer container with the kit, instead there is a pipe at the back of the unit through which you can feed detergent\shampoo.
Anyone using\used this model?

Even in my Karcher K2.180 there is provision of feeding the detergent\shampoo through the transparent pipe which is in front(model specific), but I haven't used it. Since I also got Karcher Foam Nozzle 0.3 lt which does the job, never tried it.

All you would need to do is take the detergent\shampoo container and immerse the pipe into it and it will do the job. After you are finished, replace detergent\shampoo container with a clean water conatiner to rinse all the soap through the pipe by running the clean water through the system. Have a complete go through the Manual. Do not skip reading it.

Also if possible do get hold of a Karcher Water Filter, as you did be surprised by the dirt it filters out at the end of the wash. As I got my Karcher and related accessories from OZ, I'm not aware whether these be available in India.