The primary reason behind producing this article on ‘how to adjust foam cannon’ is to answer one of the most common questions that people tend to ask.
Why is my foam cannon not as foamy as I see in YouTube Videos?
Well, perhaps you are doing a few things wrong that are causing fewer suds than what you are expecting.
Hold on to your hat because I am going to deal with that problem exactly.
Needless to say, More suds helps to ensure the best use of foam cannon to get the best result.
Let me first point out some core mistakes that are responsible for thin foam or watery soap.
Once I start talking about those issues and the solution, eventually you will start learning how to adjust the foam cannon for getting the best result. And how to make more suds out of your foam cannon.
How To Adjust Foam Cannon Soap Ratio By Eliminating Mistakes
These are the major mistakes that keep you away from enjoying foam wash:
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Using the Wrong Pressure Washer
Are PSI and GPM an issue for foam cannon?
The answer is ‘yes’.
No matter whether you are going to use an electric or a gas pressure washer, it has to get a certain PSI and GPM to keep up with the foam cannon.
Usually, foam cannons require a minimum GPM and PSI from your pressure washer. If you buy online you will find the requirement on the product detail section most of the cases.
I am highly satisfied with my Sun Joe XPS1000. It’s just the right size and GPM. Does the job just great! You can check that on Amazon here
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Most of your foam cannon will require a minimum of 1.4 GPM. But if you use a pressure washer that has 1.3 GPM it will not make thick foam. So to solve this you need to upgrade to a higher GPM unit.
If you are still not sure how to use a pressure washer properly read this article.
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Using the Wrong Soap
Do you need special soap for foam cannon?
Yes, you do if you want more suds.
Even if you are using a perfect car soap, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is a perfect soap for your foam cannon.
Some soaps are specifically designed for foam cannon like Honeydew snow foam from Chemical Guys.
This type of soaps that are particularly made for foam cannon will give you more suds as opposed to any regular car washing soap.
That’s not all.
Some soaps are not specifically designed for foam cannon but they do have high suds formula. They will make more suds as well. For example, Dodo Juice Wax Safe wash.
So, Can you use regular car wash soap in a foam cannon?
Better no. Use soap as per my suggestion. Here is some car wash soap for pressure washer.
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Foam Cannon Soap Ratio
Not measuring the soap ratio correctly is another reason for not getting the thick foam out of your foam cannon.
The best way to figure out the ratio is by trial and error process. First, you should try with one ratio, if that doesn’t output thick foam then use more soap than water. Eventually, you should end up with your expected level of the foam thickness.
Nevertheless, I’m going to suggest a ratio here.
What’s the magic formula?
If you use 1 ounce of soap then half fill the bottle with water.
Putting 1 ounce of soap and filling the whole bottle with water won’t let thick foam coming out of the bottle I reckon.
Other experts suggest using 10 ounces of water with 1 ounce of soap to get the best result. Even better if you use 2 ounces of soap with 10 ounces of water.
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Orifice Size
Orifice size is another crucial factor that you perhaps are understanding wrong.
Different size of the hole requires different GPM from your pressure washer.
For example, a 1.25-millimeter orifice (the size of the hole) requires a minimum of 1.8 GPM and a minimum of 1100 PSI.
On the other hand, a 1.1-millimeter orifice requires a minimum of 1.4 GPM and a minimum of 1100 PSI.
That means if you are using an electric pressure washer that has 1.4 GPM, you will want to use a 1.1-millimeter orifice with your foam cannon.
So, if you have the wrong size orifice in your foam cannon then expect some watery soap rather than thick foam.
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Dirty Orifice
Cleaning the orifice properly and regularly is a must if you want the best performance from the foam cannon.
Sometimes you will see, the top of the orifice is dirty and it indicates that you don’t maintain it properly.
One best way to clean the orifice properly is to take the bottle off and put the hose in a bucket of clean water and let it run for a few seconds.
Do this cleaning every time you see the orifice and you are good to go.
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Quality of the Foam Cannon
Not all foam cannons are the same. They are made from different materials and of different quality.
Of course, a foam cannon that costs $15 won’t perform the same as the one that costs $80+
The more you pay the more you get is always true.
I recommend you to go for this foam cannon if you want to get the best performance. Just click here to check that on Amazon.
You are not bound to use this one though. Just make sure you are using the best quality cannon from any brand of your likings. Chemical Guy manufactures good foam cannons also.
You can get good thick foam using a $15 foam cannon too if you use the proper orifice.
Final Words
Mostly those are all that you should take care of to get the thick foam as you see in most YouTube videos.
No doubt, a foam cannon makes the cleaning perfect and requires less time to clean the car. But it is quite annoying to see soapy water instead of more suds. Watery soap reduces the performance too.
I discussed different points that you should focus on to make the most use of your foam cannon and get the best result. That means both the thick foam and the best cleaning performance.
Among all the points that I discussed, maintaining the proper soap ratio and using the perfect sized orifice are the top two considerations I believe.
What do you think?
Comment below if you are still confused about how to adjust foam cannon.