Snow foam doesn't work like it used to, any idea why?

[Austin-182]

Another one for you guys in the know....

What would make a snow foam lance change the way it works? When i first got it, the car would cover in thick foam and slowly run off. Now when i use it, its like very light soapy water and hardly foams, when it hits the car it starts to run off straight away. A bit like if you simply threw a bucket of shampoo over the car straight from the bucket.

This really annoys me as it wasn't cheap and although i imagine it is still doing some good, its not doing what its supposed to.

i have tried twisting both setting all different ways and it simply wont foam like it used to, is this a common problem?

 

[Dan@M.A.D]

Adjust the air nozzle?

The more air you let in the thicker it will become.

 

[Austin-182]

Adjust the air nozzle?

The more air you let in the thicker it will become.

Tried it mate, tried both nozzels, it still wont come out like it used to when i bought it?

 

[Dan@M.A.D]

Tried it mate, tried both nozzels, it still wont come out like it used to when i bought it?

Seems odd. It will be the valve on top that adjusts the air flow.

Are you sure it's not the snow foam that's crap? Have you tried some different stuff?

 

[Jon.G]

Are you using the same mix of foam?

 

[Austin-182]

Seems odd. It will be the valve on top that adjusts the air flow.

Are you sure it's not the snow foam that's crap? Have you tried some different stuff?

No but its the only stuff i have ever used, I've tried the black one on the top and no matter which way i turn it, it doesn't help. Either make it go like water, or a little bit foamy water. Nothing like foam at all.

its the autobrite foam lance with the magifoam, nothin magic about it anymore haha.

 

[Auto Finesse]

It is a common problem, basically it has a "gauze" inside that whisks it all up and mixes the air in to create the foam, this gets clogged by limescale and dried soap and this reduces its effectiveness, you can dismantle the lance easy and descale or replace the components,

See this video from 2:30 onward on how to service your foam lance : http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/blog/2012/03/pa-foam-lance-demo-video/

 

[Austin-182]

Are you using the same mix of foam?

Yes and ive tried different amounts also to see if tht worked

 

[Austin-182]

It is a common problem, basically it has a "gauze" inside that whisks it all up and mixes the air in to create the foam, this gets clogged by limescale and dried soap and this reduces its effectiveness, you can dismantle the lance easy and descale or replace the components,

See this video from 2:30 onward on how to service your foam lance : http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/blog/2012/03/pa-foam-lance-demo-video/

Cheers for that will have a look now. Do you think its easy to sort or will i need to buy new parts for it to work properly again?

 

[Yellow Dave]

It is a common problem, basically it has a "gauze" inside that whisks it all up and mixes the air in to create the foam, this gets clogged by limescale and dried soap and this reduces its effectiveness, you can dismantle the lance easy and descale or replace the components,

See this video from 2:30 onward on how to service your foam lance : http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/blog/2012/03/pa-foam-lance-demo-video/

More than likely this 99.9% of the time

 

[Austin-182]

 

[Austin-182]

Why did i try to do it!!

ive broke it, the metal fins no longer move, they are stuck in one position, what an idiot! And i couldn't even free the metal fin part off.

 

[Austin-182]

Don't think iv broke it, its held on by 2 pins also, different to the one in the video. However i cant take the main bit apart to get to the filter as i need to have it in a vice or the whole thing spins.

 

[MatthewR]

If your struggling Autobrite direct offer a 'service' option iirc, give them a ring and they will take it apart, clean it up and fir new seals and gauzes.

 

[Austin-182]

If your struggling Autobrite direct offer a 'service' option iirc, give them a ring and they will take it apart, clean it up and fir new seals and gauzes.

I wonder how much it all costs though, i had a look for a spare filter and even those are around £10.

 

[Jack-C]

This guide might be useful

http://detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=84349

 

[leeroybrown]

£15 Austin pal for the service, I need to send mine away as its doing the same thing

 

[Austin-182]

£15 Austin pal for the service, I need to send mine away as its doing the same thing

Read that thread above mate, im going to do it myself. When you get them they should say about servicing etc, even running the hot water through after each use would of probably helped like the video says.

s.NO.w foam lance haha

 

[Yellow Dave]

But then they don't tell you to empty out your spray heads for harsh chemicals like tar removers, APC's etc to stop them working / sticking, but it's good practice to. I only rinse my lance through maybe after 6months, probably once a year. Depends how much you use it.

 

[Elfy]

I'm having the same problem, comes out pretty thick, but no where near as fast as you see on the snow foam videos you see. I literally have to stand right near the car!

That may be due to the incorrect mix. Need to have another try

 

[Christophe]

mine does this sometimes. i find using warm water and shaking the bottle with the mixture before attaching makes it work.

 

[Elfy]

Sorry to hijack the thread.

to make my snow foam work I have to turn the dial to + nearly all the way and literally stand in top if the car!

if I turn the dial to - then it's more powerful but it's basically just water and doesn't turn foamy or cover the car at all!

i assume I must just be getting the mix incorrect? I use the valet pro ph neutral snow foam! Coming towards the end if it now

 

[john182rs]

Im on the HD lance too with Magifoam, dial is turned all the way to - and one tiny bit back. 2 inch of Magifoam and hot water in the bottle to the top.

After use I always run a litre of clean water through it while I am rinsing the car off.

 

[Pearce]

Sorry to hijack the thread.

to make my snow foam work I have to turn the dial to + nearly all the way and literally stand in top if the car!

if I turn the dial to - then it's more powerful but it's basically just water and doesn't turn foamy or cover the car at all!

i assume I must just be getting the mix incorrect? I use the valet pro ph neutral snow foam! Coming towards the end if it now

Mine did the same until I serviced it now its fine

 

[yellowbelly]

I was very disappointed with the foam being produced from my lance over the weekend, thinks its time to take it apart for a clean up.

 

[Elfy]

I've got the snow foam lance from CYC! Is this one able to be serviced? Looks different to the guide on detailing world

 

[Pearce]

Mine was from cyc an I just followed the guide on the polished bliss website I think it's link on the first page

 

[Elfy]

Stripped it all down apart from getting the metal gauze out I have taken the main body off etc

 

[Elfy]

I was retarded, all taken apart and cleaned up, quite a bit of s**t came out of the metal gauze and other parts of the gun, hopefully it will foam nicely once put back together!

 

[GrahamS]

Took my metal gauze out yesterday and it's a completely different piece of kit. It dribbled out before and wasn't that think. Now it comes out like I always wanted it to and blasts out.

 

[Elfy]

That's good to hear! I basically had to stand on top of the car for the snow foam to hit it! Hoping I can stand away now and it cover the car nice and thick like its meant to

 

[Mr bean]

Have just taken my AB lance apart and left it soaking as I was experiencing poor spraying and crap foam age :-/