My Adventure with the High Pressure Foam Cannon

Alright, so I'd been seeing these high pressure foam cannons all over the place, you know? Guys making their cars look like they're covered in shaving cream. Looked pretty cool, and honestly, my old bucket and sponge routine was getting a bit boring. Plus, I figured maybe, just maybe, it'd make washing the car a bit quicker or even, dare I say, fun. So, I decided to get one and see what all the fuss was about.

Getting it Out of the Box and Hooking It Up

The day it arrived, I was pretty keen to try it. Pulled it out, seemed simple enough. Just a bottle, a nozzle, and some brass bits. I already had a pressure washer, which is key, obviously. If you don't have one, well, this thing ain't for you. Connecting it to my pressure washer gun was straightforward, just a quick connect fitting. No real drama there, which was a good start.

The First Soap Mix - A Bit of a Letdown, I Gotta Say

Now, here’s where things got interesting. I grabbed my usual car wash soap. The instructions on the foam cannon bottle were kinda vague, just said "add soap." So, I eyeballed it. Poured some soap in, filled the rest with water. Shook it up a bit. I was picturing that super thick foam, like in the videos.

Fired up the pressure washer, aimed at the car, and squeezed the trigger. What came out? Well, it was foamy, sort of. More like... bubbly water. Not the thick clingy stuff I was hoping for. A bit disappointing, not gonna lie. It ran off the car pretty quick.

Tweaking and Trying Again - Getting Closer!

Okay, I thought, maybe I didn't use enough soap. Or maybe this soap just isn't the right kind for a foam cannon. I remembered there was this little knob on top of the cannon. Figured that must do something. So, for the next attempt, I did two things:

• I added way more soap to the bottle. Like, a lot more.
• I started messing with that top knob. Turned it one way, then the other.

And boom! We started getting somewhere. Turning that knob to what I guess was the "more soap, less water" setting, combined with the extra soap in the bottle, made a huge difference. The foam was much thicker, clinging to the car like it was supposed to. It wasn't quite the marshmallow consistency I'd seen online, but it was a massive improvement.

I also played around with the nozzle at the very front – the bit that adjusts the spray pattern from a jet to a wide fan. For foaming, you definitely want that wide fan setting. It covers the car much quicker.

So, Does It Actually Help Wash the Car?

Once I got the foam looking respectable, I let it sit for a few minutes. The idea, as I understand it, is the foam helps loosen up the dirt and grime. And yeah, I think it does. When I rinsed it off, a fair bit of dirt seemed to wash away with the foam. It definitely makes the pre-rinse more effective.

Then I still went over it with my wash mitt, but it felt like the dirt came off easier. Less scrubbing needed, which is always a good thing. I don't think it's a magic bullet that means you don't have to touch the car, but it sure helps with the initial lift of dirt. Plus, it’s kinda satisfying to cover the whole car in foam.

My Final Thoughts on This Foam Cannon Thing

So, after a few goes, what’s the verdict? I actually quite like it. It’s not going to cut your car wash time in half, not really. But it does make the process a bit more enjoyable and I think it does help get the car cleaner with potentially less risk of scratching because that pre-soak lifts a lot of grit.

The main things I learned: You need a decent pressure washer. Don't be shy with the soap – and some soaps are definitely better for foaming than others. I might even try a dedicated "snow foam" soap next time. And definitely play with those adjustment knobs on the cannon itself; they make all the difference.

Is it an essential bit of kit? Probably not for everyone. But if you wash your car regularly and want to step up your game a bit from the old bucket, it’s a fun tool to have. I’ll be keeping it in my car wash arsenal, for sure. It makes the whole thing feel a bit more pro, even if I'm just doing it on my driveway.