How to get thick foam, Top 4 reasons why you are not getting thick foam from foam cannon

want thick foam out of your foam cannon? I will show you the top 4 reasons why you may be struggling to make thick foam and how to fix them. I will also give some auto detailing tips and tricks to help you along the way. I know a lot of you out there love the thick foam and many are struggling to achieve the thick foam so this one is for you.
I wont spell out the 4 reasons in the description because there is so much information packed into the video. Also check out my channel Attention to Detail where i test out lots of detailing products from wax, sealants, car soap, foam cannons, tire dressings, interior dressings, detailing tools, etc.

[@pauldavis983]

You grew a moustache after 37 seconds, amazing dude!

[@whatsontelevision3270]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Alexander_l322]

Lol

[@NinaBabyTV]

Paul Davis LOL, I'm dead.

[@JodBronson]

Hahahahahaha, good observation! If he drink the soap, we can see " Foam Moustache " easily!

[@juansiner]

Jajajajajajaja

[@JimzAuto]

Tips: 1) distilled H2O. 2) Soap brand. 3) Soap/H2O ratio. 4) Pressure washer gas/electric.

[@jorieboy11]

I’m a chemist and the distilled water part is actually very true. Calcium and magnesium ions can react with soap like molecules like sodium stearate and create a solid insoluble salt which dwells to the bottom. So in short, hard water ions react with the soap particles and therefore weakens the soap making it less foamy.

[@alexh5358]

Nerd, just kidding I wish I was a nerd lol.

[@steadyeddie7453]

Anyone with a whole house water softener will agree. Washing your hands or taking a shower in softened water feels like you never get the soap off of your skin. And if I am not mistaken most car wash facilities use distilled (and recycled) water.

[@davec8730]

@@steadyeddie7453 where do you live? most car washes around here have folks of a more 'eastern' persuasion, and they'll have never heard of distilled water.

[@steadyeddie7453]

@@davec8730 In Maryland and Virginia the car wash attendents (some owners) I have chatted with indicated they are required to recycle their water by law, and the spot free rinse uses distilled water. It comes from a separate dedicated tank. But I wouldn't doubt the tank has regular filtered tap water in it. Who's going to check, right?

[@davec8730]

@@steadyeddie7453 i would very much doubt it around here. they clean the wheels with a type of acid, just had to fork out for my wife's diamond cut wheels to be powder coated.

[@395131]

1. Distilled Water 2. Type of Soap 3. Soap to Water Ratio 4. Pressure Washer PSI/GPM

[@jaybee2981]

I absolutely love the in depth analysis. I never considered Distilled / warm Water or how to properly shake as factors to good foam.. excellent suggestions.. keep em coming !

[@attentiontodetail323]

. Thank you, and I hope the tips helped you get more foam 👍

[@jaybee2981]

@@attentiontodetail323 Definitely going to try it out tomorrow and let you know my honest opinion.

[@attentiontodetail323]

@@jaybee2981 . What soap you gonna try?

[@jaybee2981]

@@attentiontodetail323 For one I'll go with the usual Chem guys citrus wash and gloss. For the other daily driver I'll try out blue corral.

[@jaybee2981]

@@attentiontodetail323 Oh and Chem guys honeydew snow foam on one and for the other I'll try out blue corral in my foam cannon to see how that works out.

[@vinylxpress]

excellent job explaining foam cannon. I really like how you stayed on topic and not rable off on other nonsense in your video like some of the others do..Also you speak clearly and stay on point..I Look forward to more of your DIY videos.

[@CorgiDaddy]

I am new to soap cannons and really appreciate this informative video. Thank you!

[@percymchow]

Great video, thank you!! Super helpful, but got my foam cannon and learning how to tweak it so it works like it is supposed to. Thanks again!

[@jaimepadilla9548]

You broke that down perfectly thank you! 👌🏽 I look forward to more of your videos

[@WellHelloSilly]

Bro, I just got the Amazon Canon and can't explain how dumb I felt when I figured out what I was doing wrong! I swapped out the orifice for the 1.1 and did 2 separate washes on two different days and was pleased by changing the orifice, but still wasn't getting great foam. Having just put everything back and cleaned up, I had this moment of clarity where I realized both times I NEVER so much as even swirled the water and the soap! 😂 That made all the difference in the world for my 1700 psi electric power washer. SMH...

[@noabert]

Other than getting the hose connector turned around (watch out for that one), the machine is simple to put together and use kzbin.infoUgkxfQauTxLT0JLSvqkq10rD79TU4k0Vz8zP . And very nice, too. I'm surprised at the power-it's more than we'll ever need, and we've not even used the most powerful setting yet.I've cleaned off a dirty concrete porch to get it ready for sealing, started to clean siding, and I know this pressure washer will be terrific for cleaning tools this fall.The only issue we had is we had turned around the hose connector, and it leaked. Once it was on correctly, though, we had no problems with the connection. Just remember that the end with the green knob goes towards the hose. It's obvious now what we did wrong, but not necessarily obvious at the time.

[@jamesbutler606]

Did make me chuckle with the ‘warm water increase the Acidity of water - that’s a new one for me!! Also, PIR is more important than thick foam - I use bilt hamber myself because it’s capable of doing a single stage wash which is perfect for someone as lazy as me!

[@dirtrider88]

PIR??? and what the hell is bilt hamber?

[@shawnbeck2303]

I started detailing cars two years ago! I washed a neighbor's Buick SUV. The Black paint that goes around the Buick emblem started to come off with my 1800 Stanley pressure's washer. I noticed it right away. So it wasn't too bad. Finished detailing interior and exterior. So be careful trying to get great foam. With your pressure washer. 1700 psi to about 2000 psi. I find is o.k. if you hold the wand back a little further. But be careful. With psi higher it can cause damage. I believe people think I need 2300 psi or more to get my car cleaner and quicker. But, If your detailing someone else's car. Be careful. To much psi can cause serious damage. Love the distilled water and the kind of soap and oz's. Great info. Shawn.

[@MaitreBart]

Thank you taking the time to show us the differences visually.

[@Itsmejame5]

This was very informative. Thanks Joel!

[@samuelsilva4172]

As a mobile detailer, foam is always a tricky thing. Either it's too thick, and takes forever to rinse off, you're wasting more product, or your foam cannon empties too fast, or it's too thin and then it runs off too fast, and dries in the sun, but it's more lubrication and "slippery". My suggestion is, find a soap that you like, one that leaves leaves good finish, nice smell (pleasant working experience), easy to rinse off, and just work with different dilution ratios too figure out what you like, and what works best for you

[@davekana8388]

Yep, hard well water here, that’s what I thought. Also went from an electric to a gas PW, it did help. Pretty much using straight soap. I’ll try mixing with distilled, thanks great tips, Dave.

[@attentiontodetail323]

Thank you for the comment and the support. I hope the tips help you get the thick foam your looking for 👍

[@davekana8388]

Thanks for answering the questions for us that are on the quest for thick foam. My latest experiment is to try the cheapest soap from Menards, straight up. $4.99 Turtle Wax brand. Best results were from Chemical Guys Honey Dew using more soap than required with warm water. I will try using distilled water, interesting!

[@davekana8388]

Attention to Detail thanks again!

[@attentiontodetail323]

@@davekana8388. you will have to let me know how your experiments work out. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to ask. 👍

[@davekana8388]

Attention to Detail will do, that’s great for offering!🖐

[@MMTPros]

Great video Attention to Detail 👍🏾

[@attentiontodetail323]

Thank you. 👍

[@AVROST1]

Wow, I'm really amazed very good tips, Really enjoyed this video thank you so much ❤️

[@captain_fishaun5061]

Great, informative video. I bought a gallon of mequires gold, and it gives decent foam, but not what I want. I have the electric Stanley that comes with a foam cannon. I'd like to try a different soap but don't wanna go out and buy a bunch. At least you pointed me in the right direction. Thanks for your time

[@timb7775]

The gallon size of Gold Class is a rip off, the 64oz is 1/3rd the price regularly neverind finding it on sale. I use Gold Class because I can feel the microfiber sponge just gliding over the paint nicely, it seems to clean very well, and it doesn't appear to remove any wax or sealant I have applied to the car. I mix 5:1 in my inexpensive foam cannon that has a 1.25 orifice and set my pressure washer to around 2,000psi. Foam is full and coats the entire surface, then I'll use my sponge and go over the car then rinse. I also rinse the car 1st to get all the loose stuff off.

[@rcman6895]

Hey man I love that video it taught me a lot I have a battery powered pressure washer and didn't get a lot of foam out of it now I know what I need to do to get that thing to foam up thanks again for the video

[@pacific322]

No water spots. Thanks for making this video as you have a new subscriber as well!

[@gangstabean29]

I’m going to try mixing it with warm distilled water now great vid 👍🏼

[@BlueNETGaming]

How did it work out for you?

[@rafaeldeleon225]

Ye.... still waiting.

[@KisKano5]

@@rafaeldeleon225 he drowned in the foam. RIP

[@joeb5763]

@@KisKano5 😂😂😂

[@Chaos744_]

Just purchased a 2300 PSI Sun Joe 3500 pressure washer this weekend, and purchased a foam cannon as well. Foam was super thick, used 3 Oz of soap and HOT water in the cannon and let er rip.

[@Magnabee97]

Good video. Addresses the exact issue I have. I’m gonna give your suggestions a try. Thanks.

[@attentiontodetail323]

Happy to help

[@renaissancelaboratories5645]

Nice level of detail on this. Thanks!

[@zrotzel]

Spot on with the water. Glad I watched this. I'll use distilled or RO in my foam cannon...

[@robngoma]

Great vid!!!Tnx for posting all the info!

[@gars1074]

Great video, thanks. I was surprised that you didn't mention the actual soap cannon as a factor. Are they all the same results given your 4 reasons? I have purchased 2 different brands with not a lot of success. Actually my car nut brain has because short wired just trying to make half decent foam. Thanks

[@alexagnew5457]

Dude, you did a great job here. Thank you for all the tips!

[@Helping.Homless]

Great job explaining & breaking it down

[@shaunharris4150]

Great video, what power washer are you using?

[@MJayFarr]

Excellent tips. I will be sure to try the distilled water on my next wash.

[@steadyeddie7453]

Thanks for the tips, especially the distilled water usage. Now I will have to research a distilled water filter system to pipe into my house plumbing. Man, this car washing is getting expensive!

[@shanda2600]

Lol who would have thought all this just to wash a 🚗!!!

[@bshakya1]

Nice and quality video with precise directions 👍👍

[@Tom-qn5nd]

good video! Which soap did you recommend.

[@g14baseball67]

Great video. I didn't realize how much care goes into a quality wash. On a avg how much should a carwash like this should cost ?

[@Bill14886]

Learned a lot. Thanks

[@jorianmaliepaard9673]

Saw it yesterday. Got my distilled water today! Thanks

[@ToddAUlmer]

thanks for the video. never thought of using distilled water. i'll give it a try

[@robertspreitzer8126]

You also need to clean it out after each use or it will get clogged up and not give you anything.

[@jorgeperez_909]

Bro.. u did help alot .. I have been looking for a video like this one. That can explain the amount. What soap. What to do. And what do not do... u got a new subscriber 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@JeffSG71]

Thanks, great tips and advice! Cheers

[@pnkpnthr80]

Ok ok you've convinced me : SUBSCRIBED!!! Thanks for your time and great info!!

[@redhondafk8357]

Very good and helpful review !

[@shanda2600]

Excellent video! Very helpful! Thanks!

[@denniscole4669]

Well done. This helped a lot.

[@sixtysecondsofstephens2386]

I live in hard water area, surely the water supply needs to be fully from soft water not just what's mixed in the foam cannon bottle ?

[@nickpyle442]

Where did get those red and black shelves for holding your Adams detailing sprays?

[@brandon9689]

Wow that chemical guys foam is awesome. The others weren't bad either tbh. The last one did a really good job though!

[@xiaoyu88]

great video man!

[@AlejandroPerez-th4jq]

Awesome video!

[@starlingave]

What about the air ratio knob. How important is that? I use a trinova and i get decent results, but not crazy thick foam like i saw from other detainers on youtube. thanks Bob

[@Darkshadowminer8]

If i use a 1.1mm adapter with a high pressure-pressure washer, will it have negative effects or will it further improve the foam quality?

[@panagiotisk8407]

Bro you are very good. Thank you very much

[@devyn5041]

How would you use distilled water with your pressure washer to do your final rinse of the vehicle?

[@attentiontodetail323]

I only use distilled water in the foam cannon. To prevent water spots from hard water on your final rinse you could use a drying aid that prevents the water from baking to the surface long enough for you to get the vehicle towel dried or air dried (leaf blower, air cannon, or any compressed air device). The other option would be something like a de-ionizer or water filter of some sort. Downside is they get expensive.

[@jbkivontop]

I am looking for a pressure washer. My question is what is the range for the PSI I should look for. What is too low and is there too high a PSI to use on your cars?

[@alec4027]

This video is amazing! But what pressure washer and foam cannon are you using at 7:05? The suds and power is amazing, this is the setup I need

[@attentiontodetail323]

The pressure washer is called Black Max, 2800psi, 2.3gpm, and the motor is Mitsubishi. The foam cannon I almost always use (including this video) is the MTM PF22

[@alec4027]

Attention to Detail Much appreciated thank you 🙏

[@Darkangel-sw9lm]

Is 2800 psi safe to use on a vehicle? Or is the psi adjustable?

[@caseG80]

Darkangel7682 2800 psi is fine the tip on the gun is the main concern most use the white 40% tip for vehicles always take caution how close you get to the car and best to always keep it moving avoiding blasting in one spot. Cheers

[@ohboy2592]

@@Darkangel-sw9lm you also know that 2800 psi isn’t the psi coming out of the machine. Most are 300-700 psi lower than what it says.

[@ciriusstar8376]

I’d like to see a test with no soap in the bottle but just distilled water then you spray the car and you let it dry to see the difference like when you pour water on the hood. I’m ok with the fact that distilled water is better but the water from the hose is actually mixing with distilled water, it’s pushing out distilled water by Venturi. Thanks for the video very helpful!

[@Autofusionchannel]

Awesome video, What were your ratios ?

[@attentiontodetail323]

In this video I used 4oz of soap and 20oz of water in the foam cannon for all 3 soaps. Typically when I wash my truck I only use 2 or 3 oz of soap with 20oz of water. Depends on the soap.

[@Autofusionchannel]

Attention to Detail awesome I’ll definitely have to try with distilled water We have crazy hard water here in Texas Thank you for sharing 👍👍

[@bigfellavideography]

let me get my metrics on for a sec... so you're using ~120ml of solution/concentrate for every ~590ml of water? that's gonna be a pretty thick mix, in theory anyway. I use 100ml of concentrate to 900ml of water, and get the same kind of results from my Bowden's snow cannon as you did for the watermelon product. 1 full litre of mix does the whole car. there's conjecture about warm water; a lot can't get the same kind of results. I will be trying out distilled water though (costly over here), and seeing if there's any kind of noticeable difference with my Karcher K3 washer.

[@markevanado9463]

Will an electric pressure washer with similar specs to a gas pressure washer perform the same?

[@gamingwithboogeyman7421]

Your video deserved subscript 😊👍 awesome explanation bro

[@gmitch239]

When I changed my orifice to 1.1 in my gas pw, it made a world of difference 😍

[@airuzair2424]

I thought 1.1 was only for electric pressure washers?

[@gmitch239]

@@airuzair2424 no sir, for either. It’s worth the change.

[@pitbulls719]

So clean water in the foam cannon and just regular water from the hose going through your power washer

[@gmitch239]

@@pitbulls719 that’s what I use

[@airuzair2424]

@RICARDO I still have watery foam with 1.1 on max setting on foam cannon and I used 2 oz. My gas washer has 3300 psi and 2.2 rpm

[@216baja]

Great video and will have to try distilled water. 👍

[@attentiontodetail323]

Thank you, I hope you get that thick foam 👍

[@MrOscar5690]

And how are you feeding distilled water through hose/power washer for final rinse?

[@alplumasr]

But what do we do with MESH FILTER that comes included w/shipment of the two 1.1orifice replacements?

[@simeonjurukovski7378]

I have a gerni 115.5, everytime i attach the snow cannon it doesn’t work like the way you demonstrated in the vid, why is this?

[@jeffreymadia1725]

Thanks for all the very informative info on foam sprayers, I have a trinova foam cannon with a sunjoe 2800 psi electrics sprayer ,I tied putting the 1.1 orifice in there and got barely any foam at all if any

[@timb7775]

2,800psi you should be running a 1.25 or even a 1.35.

[@DmDetails]

Thanks for sharing !

[@superduper476]

What water to soap ratio did you use on the chemical guys total? So if the water contains 12 oz, 10 oz water, 2 oz soap?

[@jonathanellis7758]

Can you please do a video on how you mix and dilute the soap with water? Nomatter what i use i cant seem to get that thick shaving cream type foam

[@TheKingdunamis]

Great video. Thank you.

[@horaciocontreras7609]

Really useful for me, thanks! 😃

[@richardtruitt4646]

how do you get warm water into your water cannon when my pressure washer that the foam cannon is attached to has a garden hose connection which pulls from the cold water supply?

[@carterblanc7856]

I have that same brand of foam cannon do you know if those the different size orifice comes with it? I don’t think I have it.

[@timb7775]

It's all about the orifice size, has to be matched for the gpm and psi of the pressure washer being used. Even the pressure washer tips come in different orifice sizes, it's usually stamped right on the side of the quick connect part. Most people don't know how to use a pressure washer properly nevermind add a foam cannon to the mix. Then people complain when they buy something and it doesn't produce the results they want, they think it should just magically work.

[@KenVic02]

Great overview. One thing that I can't seem to find a consistent answer on is if the car needs to be pre-rinsed before applying foam. I've seen that by pre-rinsing, it doesn't leave as much grime for the foam to have to loosen up. On the other hand I've seen that if you don't pre-rinse, the foam isn't diluted by the rinse water already on the car. Seems people swear by either method, but for the most part people seem to go with the pre-rinse before foaming. Any thoughts? Regarding using distilled, I actually use distilled in a pump sprayer to do a final rinse for a touchless and spot-free result. And just let it air dry...haven't tried the leaf blower method, but I hear it works well if you don't have the time to let the car dry on its own.

[@attentiontodetail323]

You have made some good points on the pre-rinse topic. For the most part it is just user preference. By not pre-rinsing the foam will appear thicker but the consequence is the soap will dry to a scum quickly because the vehicle metal is hot from the sun beating down on it. If you intend to hand wash after, then it isn't that big of an issue. By rinsing first the soap appears thinner and runs off quicker. Both methods are perfectly fine. I do both methods and don't really prefer one over the other. I do like the idea you mentiond about a final rinse with distilled water and air drying. How many gallons would you say you go through on a single vehicle for the final rinse with distilled water?

[@KenVic02]

Thank you for the tips! I am researching pressure washers and foam cannons, so this info is great to have. And you're right about the hot surfaces from the sun...I live in Tampa, and the metal gets too hot to even touch from the heat and sun. I always wait until I have evening shade on my driveway, though, and the car's cooled down. For the distilled, I read about this on a BMW detailing forum years ago and I haven't looked back since. I just have a generic two gallon pump sprayer, and I'd say I go through about 2.5-3 gallons to do a proper rinse. The key is top down and patience to be sure you're methodically chasing all of the tap water off the car, and takes maybe 20 minutes. If you rush it, you could miss areas so good technique has to be developed. I haven't towel dried a car in years, so one less contact process of course. Don't have to worry about those annoying "crevice trickles" either at all, as long as you get the distilled into the mirrors, door seams, etc. I've tried the CR Spotless system before (using ion exchange resin), but it's a hassle and the resin is expensive. Hope this helps!

[@Bloodstryke]

@@KenVic02 That's an expensive rinse system. Distilled water is at least $1 per gallon here at this time.

[@patrickdaley2894]

Very helpful sir with your tips Awesome

[@Fredengle]

here is a weird question for you the recommedation I was given by a firefighter was to fill my fire extinguisher with soapy water so would you recommend that if the recommeded Item is dish soap that I use distilled water instead of tap water I mean do you think it will likely foam better ? thoughts please thank you

[@keelanshaw1210]

This was very very helpful, I do have a question though, when I am rinsing my car off to dry it afterwords, how am I able to do that without the water spots left over?? For example; would I be able to switch out the foam cannon from soap water to strictly just distilled water? So it doesn't get the water spots?

[@rahouston]

So do you put distilled water in the canon with the soap and do you use distilled water in your bucket too. So basically no garden hose or spicket water? You must take the water from a bucket of store bought distilled water?

[@junclj]

Can I use purified drinking water? In Malaysia here, we have purifier machine such like Coway, Diamond, Cuckoo water purifiers.

[@jacksherman5696]

I’ve been watching a lot of these. I’d like to see someone wash an actual dirty 🚗

[@uknw438]

Excellent video 👍

[@stevewaclo167]

Excellent video! 👍👍👍 Here’s a question. It seems to me the only foam that’s cleaning the surface is foam directly in contact with the surface. That being said, why (other than running off to fast), does foam thickness matter? Did I just answer my own question? 😊

[@bentorres7895]

What pressure washer do you have?

[@josh33025]

Does the dial on top of the foam cannon change anything?

[@alexmatheny9295]

Got my new foam cannon yesterday and it works great, but im trying to figure out how to make the canister last longer, i was washing my Mom’s big Toyota Tundra and ran out with just a couple body panels left. Do i need more soap vs water in the canister or vice versa?

[@mikebee515]

Same here I can never get my f150 done with 1 canister. Its a chore getting more warm distilled water outside and leave all my detail crap outside.

[@rogerpierre7760]

Can you put a mixture of soap and water in a large vessel (1US Gallon) and just pour into the bottle when needed? This is for use in a car wash

[@twakes2329]

I am very thankful for this video

[@SteveK99Sub]

Thanks for the video. Does the distilled water in the just the cannon really help produce more foam? Isn't it just going to mix with the hard water from the hose? You also said warm water is better for foam so do you heat the distilled water before putting into the cannon? Appreciate the help! Thanks!

[@attentiontodetail323]

The distilled water in the foam cannon is for more foam yes. It's only so that the saop doesn't start breaking down prior to being used, so it does get mixed with hose water in the end but the soap is still fresh by the time it mixes with the hose water. If you used hard water in the foam cannon, the soap will immediately start breaking down trying to clean the minerals in the water making it less foamy by the time you get to use it. As for the warm water, I typically leave a gallon of distilled water in my garage and it stays warm. If you only have cold distilled water you can warm it up but it's probably not worth the hassle for slightly more foam.

[@KlockoFett]

I was literally about to ask the same thing.

[@beazybeecardetailingservic6826]

What if you're using a water hose with a foam Cannon do you still use the distilled water in the foam Cannon and the water from the water hose?

[@sampulatorsingh9430]

I used my foam cannon and it doesn’t foam as much, and sprays a very runny soapy water. I have an 1100psi electric pressure washer. Will a 1.1mm orifice work better or will a 1.0mm orifice work better with my foam cannon? Not sure which one I should order. Please let me know.

[@danielgutzz]

Very helpful!!

[@devdarshanagarbatti]

if I add one ounce of foam liquid how much ounce of water to add in that

[@catchall673]

Distilled water in the canister won't do much. The vast majority of water comes from the hose! You'd have to put a filter on your hose.

[@eliteoutlaw3210]

👍

[@raulsegovia4420]

I don't normally recomend any soap because usually people like whatever works but,chemical guys soap and products are top notch stuff.Ive been hand washing cars since I was a kid and I can appreciate a good product..Give it a try you won't regret it!!!!

[@MJJCvideo]

hi, are you interested in reviewing the new MJJC foam cannon Pro?

[@JeffGoDawgs]

I’m interested send me one and I will do a review on it

[@truejey7475]

@@JeffGoDawgs C##CK Blocker. 😆

[@jandone100]

I use distilled water in the cannon but my tap has hard water. Will it make difference?

[@noabert]

Worth every penny.