# new to snow foam



## ian222 (May 4, 2007)

Just got this http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-a ... d_371.html and some valet pro - ph neutral foam.

First attempt was too runny, has anyone else used these 2 in combo and what ratio did you use. It says 1:400 which doesnt seem right to me. Anyone got good measurements to get it nice a thick?

Also what is the + and - do on the top of the lance?


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## Jay-225 (Mar 7, 2012)

1:400 :-o I use bilt hamber which has a mixture of 1:10 so 100ml of bh 900ml of water fills the lance. i think i had some of that PH stuff when i 1st got mine and mixed at the same rate of 1:10. i also add a touch of car shampoo to the mix to get it really foamy 

*edited lol*
the +/- on the lance adjust the amount of liquid that is pulled out of the bottle and mixed with the hose water, keep it whacked fully open... twisting the nozzle on the end adjusts the spray pattern either making it direct and narrow or wide spread stream, i normally have it around half way.


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## Gizmo68 (Feb 26, 2012)

The 1:400 ratio may well be correct, but don't forget the way a SF lance works is by adding extra water into the bottle all the time (therefore diluting the mixture further).

I found that I needed approx 1" of Valet pro ph neutral foam in the same lance gave me the desired foam I required.


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## ian222 (May 4, 2007)

Do you fill the lance bottle to the top? If so why as you are adding water from the washer aren't you?


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## Gizmo68 (Feb 26, 2012)

Yes you need to add an inch (or so) of SF into the bottle, fill it with warm water then when the pressure washer adds the extra water it is diluted to the correct ratio.

If you want to be a bit more exact then fill the bottle with water and measure how much water comes out of the lance, before your PW takes to empty the bottle, you can then work it out accurately.

I tried ½" in the bottle which was not enough, 1" is much better.


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## Jay-225 (Mar 7, 2012)

Yep as said fill the bottle to the top with warm water after adding desired amount of snow foam, i was a bit ocd about it and measured the how much the lance holds ( 1 litre ) then did to the specs on the bottle which is 1:10 for me and add a small drop of car shampoo. This mixture is then added to the water from the hose via pressure and comes out all white and foamy  i am always left with a small amount in the bottle as it really does cover the car well..

My old car with the above method...


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## ian222 (May 4, 2007)

Nice one guys, will let u know how i get on


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## darylbenfield (Jun 29, 2011)

Half inch to an inch of foam in the lance, I also like a couple of drops of decent shampoo in the mix too, if the car is grim a couple of drops of Auto FInesse Citrus really loosens the dirt up, fill it up with warm water to where it tapers in, then Bobs your Aunty. 8)


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## ian222 (May 4, 2007)

Still didnt look right with 2" in it. Maybe its because I am using a 25m hose so pressure isnt at its greatest.


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## darylbenfield (Jun 29, 2011)

Tried the nozzle on top?


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## ian222 (May 4, 2007)

Yeah tried that pal, I am putting it down to the washer, its a small bottom of the range one and i don't think the pressure is there.


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## Wildman (May 23, 2005)

I too have just bought myself a Snow foam lance and some Autobrite Magifoam and have been trawling for ages trying to find answers to the questions us newbie's need answering. Mainly How much product do I put in the damn bottle? and how do I adjust the lance to give me thick foam?. The advice seems contradictory, wide ranging, as well as confusing. So I have tried to accumulate what I have found and post it here in a hope it will help others like myself.
First of all let me get the maths out of the way and say that I have a Karcher K5.700 with a quoted flow rate of 460 Litres of water per hour
So 460 Litres divided by 60 = 7.66 Litres of water per minute
Approximate time to foam an entire car is about 2 minutes which equals 2 X 7.66 = approx 15 Litres of water through the Pressure Washer. If you add to that the 1 Litre of liquid in the snow foam bottle that equals 15 + 1 = 16 Litres of liquid (water/solution)
So if a manufacturers claims for their snow foam has a 200:1 dilution, then the amount we need to add to the snow foam bottle is 16 Litres X 1000 (to get millilitres) divided by (the dilution rate) 200 = 80 Mililitres of solution required in the bottle
This roughly equates to about 1inch in the snow foam lance bottle mentioned by some people.
Why do some people say 1inch to 2 inch in the snow bottle and some say 5:1 mix ratio?
The dilution rate provided by the manufacturers is based really on professional valets that clean multiple cars (Hand car washes for example) that use a pump spray (large garden style used to spray roses etc) to pre wash cars to remove Traffic Film (Traffic Film Remover - TFR) and dirt. They are not wanting the foaming properties as much as they are wanting more to breakdown and remove the Traffic Film and dirt from the car so it is easier to remove with a pressure lance and hence less elbow grease (time)and ensure as much of the dirt is removed as possible, after all if you have your car washed you do not want dirt left if you are paying to have it removed. So the 80 Millilitres calculated earlier is really the minimum amount required, (a professional outfit are after all about making money and using the least possible product possible) so to get a thick foam (via you snow foam lance) you would more than likely double the amount in the snow foam bottle to say 160Ml or 200Ml as this is easier to judge as it is a fifth of the 1 litre bottle, hence the ratio 5:1 or 2 inch roughly.
Once you have 200Mls (or your preferred dosage) in your bottle fill either ¾ or to the top with warm/hot water and shake the bottle to mix the solution. Doesn't really mater if it is ¾ full or totally full as you are going to be passing 15 litres of water through it in 2 minutes from the pressure washer.
One other thing that you may be wondering about is the adjustment of the snow foam lance. The adjustment at the front will give either a vertical fan effect (if the vertical bars are close together) or a splodge hose pipe watering type effect and anywhere in between. The setting is up to you this will not effect the thickness of the foam just the evenness of the coating and how you get it onto the car. The dial on top Plus (+) or Minus (-) adjusts the flow rate of water into the snow foam lance bottle so Plus (+) gives more water throughput meaning thinner foam and quicker foam exhaustion and Minus (-) gives obviously the opposite less water throughput, thicker foam longer time to spray your car etc. Most people set this fully to Minus (-) and then adjust from there if the foam is too thick.
Again this is all subjective on the flow rate of your pressure washer, the amount of foam you want to place on your car, the product itself and also how many washes you want to get out of a bottle of product. You do not have to be exact every time to get a good mix. The main goal is to get the foam to stay as a foam on your car for as long as possible so that it can do its work and break down and remove dirt and the Traffic Film.
Once the foam has dissipated from you car anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes dependant upon product, pressure wash and dry with a Microfiber cloth or continue your normal wash / clean routine if there is still dirt left on the car.
Hope this is of some help.


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## Wick (Jan 23, 2012)

ian222 said:


> Yeah tried that pal, I am putting it down to the washer, its a small bottom of the range one and i don't think the pressure is there.


What PW have you got? Have you tried adjusting the width of the spray nozzle as well as the +/- dial on top? Most HD foam lances are adjustable both ways by twisting the end of the barrel.

I would also recommend 1" in the bottom and then 3/4 full with warm water to do a whole car.


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## darylbenfield (Jun 29, 2011)

Wick said:


> ian222 said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah tried that pal, I am putting it down to the washer, its a small bottom of the range one and i don't think the pressure is there.
> ...


This.

I use a normal household Karcher - works fine.


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## Wildman (May 23, 2005)

Just an update, The Autobrite Magifoam (buy direct from their web site) gives a thick moose and clings on the car for 30 to 40 minutes, applied to a dry car (roughly 200mls in the lance bottle), it is brilliant stuff, I have also some Valet Pro PH Neutral Snow Foam that was bought for me as a christmas present. This is by far a lot thinner with the same application / dilution method and only clings to the car for 10 to 20 mins. As for the cleaning properties, well my car has not really been that dirty to fully appreciate, but as the Magifoam clings for longer and is thicker it appears to remove more of the crud. I will not bother trying anything else, after all has been used up I will be back to buy more Magifoam.....


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## Wick (Jan 23, 2012)

Glad to hear that. I also have magifoam and it does wonders during the winter web you can't be bothered to clean. The key to it working in my opinion is to have a good layer of protection on to start though


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