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Foam brush spitting liquid but not foaming

Dalefetz

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Just changed over to a new foam soap and it seems to be getting chemical but won’t foam up originally changed the tips till I could get some product out but once I did it wouldn’t foam. I’m new to most things regarding car washes wondering if there’s a simple fix for this issue.
 

OurTown

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By chance was the new soap a lot cheaper?
 

OurTown

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Maybe you are not getting enough soap in your hydrominder tank and need to go up to a larger tip.
 

Dalefetz

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Maybe you are not getting enough soap in your hydrominder tank and need to go up to a larger tip.
I thought that from the start and my sales rep told me it was a 1:200-1:300 moved down to a 1:120 and had the same results not sure if I should go any lower
 

Dalefetz

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Also I’m not sure but would a different foot valve effect chemical delivery ? Ive also switched that over.
 

Randy

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What kind/brand of soap are you trying to use? What were you using?
 

Dalefetz

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What kind/brand of soap are you trying to use? What were you using?
Zep mega foam blue is what I’ve switched over too but was previously using blue coral cherry red foam
 

Randy

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Zep mega foam blue is what I’ve switched over too but was previously using blue coral cherry red foam
That should foam like a ba$tard. It kind of sounds to me like you got a bad bucket of product. I'd be on the phone to your sales rep and get anotnr pail. Zep makes good products, but in my opion they are overpriced. We use JBS Fonic with great results and it's not all that expensive, we buy it when KR has the buy 3 get 1 free sale.
 

OurTown

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Try adding a little concentrate to the tank and see if it foams up.
 

Dalefetz

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Try adding a little concentrate to the tank and see if it foams up.
Started to foam up a little better headed over to our second wash to get a bigger dilution tip hoping that’ll work but it seems to foam better in one SS bay than the other
 

OurTown

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It couldn't hurt to try a different foot valve. I always check a new one before installing by blowing on each end to verify it's opening and closing properly. I'm surprised sometimes how inconsistent the force is to initially open them. Of course you will find some that do not close all the way too. Since the tank is apparently diluted too much you might want to drain it and then refill with the new larger tip. Also inspect the hydrominder and all tubing for any issues. I recently had a chemical draw issue and it turned out to be a cracked eductor. Check the inlet screen for debris as this will really reduce the chemical suction. Also is it cold in your equipment room and is the bucket sitting on the concrete? If so elevate it with blocks of wood or sit it on another bucket. Maybe the new stuff is more likely to gel from being cold making it thick and hard to draw through the tiny tip.
 

Randy

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Soft water, What's that. We don't have soft water up here in the PNW. My foam brush will foam like shaving cream if I wanted. You can't beat the JBS Fonic, I use the Fonic for both Foam brush and High pressure soap. I'd be calling Zep on Monday morning. Just out of curiosity how much is a bucket of Zep Mega foam blue soap now?
 

wyatt

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Just bought more Zep Mega foam blue this week. It was $271 for 15 gals.

For me it foams like crazy. Originally I didn't have foam generators and it foamed okay, but now with foam generators I have a lot thicker foam and use less chemical to do it. Try that maybe.
 

Randy

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I pay around $46 for a 5 gallon pail of JBS Fonic that makes 15 gallons of soap. Wyatt bought up a good point. Are you using a foam generator on your foam brush system? If you aren't they are easy enough to build. Anything you can do to agitate to soap solution will help it foam. What kind of pump are you using to pump your foam brush solution?
 

JMMUSTANG

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I‘d pour a 1/2 cup of non diluted foam brush chemical directly into the foam brush tank that goes to the bay.
It should foam pretty quickly and thick in the bay.
If it does you might want to check your dilution pill, it might be clogged.
I also use JBS and it works great.
 
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Randy

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JMMUSTANG, do you use the JBS Fonic or someother product from JBS. We got tired of the mess the colored soap would make in the equipment room so we just use the white Fonic, no one has ever mentioned that we use a different color, no more mess in the equipment room. A course we do our best to not be at the car wash when customers are there.
 

MEP001

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You might put a cable tie or hose clamp around the hose to make a good seal around the foot valve. In the last year or so I've had a ton of problems with foot valves for some reason, mostly changing a bad one and having the new one not seal in the hose.
 
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