Alright, so I've been meaning to talk about this pressure washer soap tank situation. It’s one of those things, you know? You see it, you think, "Hey, that could make life easier," and then you actually try it.

I’d been washing my car the old-fashioned way for ages – bucket, sponge, the whole nine yards. My back was starting to complain, and honestly, it took forever. Then I got this pressure washer, and it had this little built-in soap tank. "Perfect!" I thought. Or so I believed.

So, the first thing I did was grab my usual car wash soap. The good stuff, you know? I poured it into the tank. The instructions were, let’s say, minimal. Classic. Just a tiny diagram that looked like it was drawn by a five-year-old.

My First Go at It

I hooked everything up, switched to the soap nozzle – my pressure washer has a specific one for low-pressure soap application – and pulled the trigger. And… well, not much happened. A sad little dribble of soapy water came out. Not the thick foam I was dreaming of, the kind you see in those fancy car wash videos.

I stood there for a minute, just looking at it. "Is this it?" I wondered. I fiddled with the dial on the tank, if it even had one (some do, some don't, mine was pretty basic). Still, just a watery mess. I checked the connections, made sure the little siphon tube was actually in the soap. It was.

I thought, "Okay, maybe my soap is too thick?" So, I emptied some out, added a bit of water to the tank to dilute it. Gave it another whirl. A little better, but still, nothing to write home about. It was more like vaguely soapy water being sprayed, rather than a proper cleaning solution.

Digging for Answers

So, I went online. Did some digging. Turns out, a lot of these built-in tanks are… well, they’re okay for light-duty stuff, maybe. But if you want that real satisfying, thick foam, you often need a separate foam cannon attachment. That was a bit of a letdown, I gotta say. The whole point of the built-in tank, for me, was convenience and not having another attachment to store and fiddle with.

Here’s what I figured out through trial and error, and a bit of grumbling:

• Dilution is key. You really gotta play around with how much water to soap you use. Too thick, and it won't suck it up properly. Too thin, and it's just colored water.
• The right soap matters. Some soaps are just better suited for these tanks or for foaming in general. My regular car wash soap was just alright.
• Expectations need to be managed. It’s not going to be like a commercial car wash foam experience with most basic built-in tanks.
• Priming the pump. Sometimes, I had to let it run for a bit, just water, then switch to soap, to get the siphon action going.

So, What's the Verdict?

After a few more tries, I got it to a point where it was usable. It wasn’t the dream, but it was better than nothing, and quicker than the bucket for a quick rinse-down. I found a soap specifically designed for pressure washer tanks, and that made a bit of a difference. It's still not super foamy, but it lays down a decent layer of soap that I can then agitate with a mitt before rinsing.

It's one of those things where the idea is great, but the execution on these basic built-in tanks can be a bit underwhelming. I ended up using it for quick washes, like getting dust or light dirt off the car, or for pre-soaking really grimy garden tools. For a proper car wash, if I want that thick foam, I'm now eyeing up one of those separate foam cannon attachments. Figures, right? You try to simplify, and you end up with more gear.

But hey, that's the journey of trying stuff out, I guess. You live, you learn, you spray some slightly-soapy water around. It does beat just plain water for shifting some types of grime, so I haven't given up on it completely. It's just... not the magic bullet I hoped for. Still, better than wrestling with a sloshing bucket every single time for those small jobs.