Alright, let's talk about soap tanks for pressure washers. Or more like, my adventure in trying to get one to actually work without wanting to throw the whole setup across the yard. You know how most pressure washers come with that tiny little soap bottle? Yeah, the one that holds about enough soap to wash a toy car. Totally useless for anything bigger, like the driveway or the whole side of the house.

My Quest for Continuous Soap

I was fed up. I’d be in the zone, cleaning away, and then poof, no more soap. Have to stop, refill, get going again. It was a real workflow killer. I just wanted a way to get a steady stream of soapy water without the constant interruption. Seemed simple enough, right? Well, not so much with my basic machine.

I'd seen those fancy pressure washers with big built-in tanks, or those setups where you just plonk a tube into a giant jug of detergent. That’s what I was aiming for. Continuous soap, less faff. My pressure washer, a pretty standard electric one, didn't have any obvious way to hook up a big external tank directly. No special ports, no nothing. Just the little screw-on bottle for its "detergent feature."

The Siphon Tube Experiment

So, I did a bit of digging. Found out about these aftermarket siphon hose kits. Basically, a plastic tube with a filter on one end and some kind of connector that’s supposed to work with your pressure washer wand or pump to draw soap. They were cheap, so I figured, why not? What’s the worst that could happen?

I got one of those kits. It was pretty basic – a length of clear tubing, a little brass-looking connector, and a weighted filter for the end that goes in the soap. The instructions were, let's say, minimalistic. Looked easy enough though. I grabbed a gallon jug of my usual car wash soap, diluted it a bit because I read somewhere that thick soap is a no-go for these things, and stuck the tube in.

Fired up the pressure washer, switched to the low-pressure soap nozzle, and held my breath. And... soap! For a bit. Then it kind of sputtered. Then more water than soap. Then maybe some soap again. It was a bit of a rollercoaster.

The Reality Check: What Actually Happened

Here’s what my "practice" with this so-called soap tank solution turned into:

• Priming was a pain. Sometimes it would draw the soap right away, other times I’d be standing there for ages, wondering if it was even working. Had to make sure the tube was perfectly positioned, no air leaks. Frustrating.
• Soap consistency was all over the place. One minute I'm getting a decent soapy mix, the next it's practically just water. The little adjustment valve on the siphon attachment? Felt like it was just for show. I could never quite dial it in.
• The darn hose. It would kink up, or the filter end would try to float, or I’d move the pressure washer and inadvertently pull the tube right out of the soap jug. Then I'd have soap (or just water) spraying everywhere while I scrambled to fix it. Not ideal when you're trying to, you know, clean things efficiently.
• Soap type matters. A lot. My regular, slightly thicker car wash soap, even diluted, sometimes seemed to struggle. I learned you pretty much have to use those watery, "pressure washer specific" detergents for these siphon systems to stand a chance.

Trying to Make it Better (Sort Of)

I wasn't ready to give up completely. I thought, okay, maybe the flimsy gallon jug is part of the problem. So, I got a more robust 5-gallon bucket with a lid. I drilled a neat hole in the lid for the siphon tube to pass through. This did help! It kept the tube from kinking as much and stopped it from just falling out. A small win. The bucket was also more stable, so less chance of knocking it over.

But even with the bucket, that inconsistent siphoning and soap mix was still my main enemy. It wasn't the "set it and forget it" dream I had. It was more like a "constantly monitor and adjust it" reality. I spent more time fiddling with the soap setup than I did actually washing, or so it felt sometimes.

Where I Landed

So, what's the takeaway from my soap tank saga? Well, for my particular, fairly basic pressure washer, trying to get a reliable, consistent external "tank" system going with a simple siphon tube was more trouble than it was worth most of the time. It kinda worked, sometimes, if the stars aligned and I used the right super-thin soap. But it wasn't the game-changer I hoped for.

For big jobs like cleaning the whole deck, I still sometimes drag out the bucket and siphon tube setup. It’s marginally better than refilling that tiny onboard bottle twenty times. But I go into it knowing it’s going to be a bit of a fiddle.

For washing the car? I actually ended up buying a separate foam cannon attachment that screws onto the wand. Yes, I still have to fill a bottle, but it’s a bigger bottle than the original, and when it works, it gives a much thicker, more satisfying foam. It has its own quirks, mind you, but the soap delivery is more consistent than the siphon ever was for me.

My practice taught me that if you really want a great soaping experience with your pressure washer, you either need to buy a machine that’s properly designed for it with a decent built-in tank or reliable external feed system, or invest in a quality foam cannon. Trying to MacGyver a perfect solution onto a basic model with a cheap siphon kit... well, let's just say my experience was a lesson in managing expectations. It can be done, but don't expect miracles without some serious tinkering.