Alright, let's dive into this little project I tackled the other day: mounting a soap dispenser on my pressure washer. Sounds kinda crazy, right? But trust me, it's actually pretty slick.

So, it all started when I was power washing my deck. I was using those little bottles of detergent you clip onto the nozzle, but man, they run out so fast! Plus, they're kinda messy to swap out. I thought, "There's gotta be a better way!" That's when the idea hit me: why not add a proper soap dispenser, like the ones you see on car wash setups?

First thing I did was hit up my local hardware store. I grabbed a cheap soap dispenser – nothing fancy, just a basic one with a decent-sized reservoir. Then I spent some time rummaging through the plumbing section, looking for fittings that would connect the dispenser to my pressure washer's soap siphon tube. This was the trickiest part, honestly. You gotta find the right sizes and thread types. I ended up needing a couple of adapters and some Teflon tape to seal everything up tight.

Next, I had to figure out where to mount the dispenser. I wanted it somewhere out of the way but still easy to access. I decided to attach it to the handle of the pressure washer using some heavy-duty zip ties and a couple of metal brackets I had lying around. I drilled a few small holes in the brackets to match the mounting holes on the dispenser, then used the zip ties to secure the whole thing to the handle. It's not the prettiest setup, but it's rock solid.

Now for the plumbing. I disconnected the pressure washer's original soap siphon tube and connected one end to the output of the soap dispenser. Then, I ran a new length of tubing from the dispenser's intake down into a jug of concentrated soap. I made sure to use hose clamps at all connections to prevent leaks. Leaks are the enemy!

Time for the moment of truth: testing! I filled the soap reservoir, primed the pump by squeezing the dispenser a few times, and then fired up the pressure washer. And... it worked! Soap was flowing like a charm, mixing perfectly with the water stream. No more fumbling with those tiny bottles.

Of course, there were a couple of minor hiccups along the way. At first, I had a small leak at one of the fittings. A little extra Teflon tape fixed that right up. I also had to adjust the soap concentration a bit to get the right amount of suds. But overall, the project was a huge success.

Here's a quick rundown of the key steps:

• Get a soap dispenser: Choose one with a good reservoir size.
• Find the right fittings: Adapter fittings are key to connecting the dispenser to the pressure washer.
• Mount the dispenser: Use brackets and zip ties to secure it to the pressure washer frame.
• Plumb it in: Connect the dispenser to the soap siphon tube and a jug of concentrated soap.
• Test and adjust: Make sure everything is sealed tight and adjust the soap concentration as needed.

What I learned:

• Plumbing fittings can be a pain to figure out. Take your time and don't be afraid to ask for help at the hardware store.
• Teflon tape is your friend. Use it generously.
• Zip ties are surprisingly strong.

The End Result

So yeah, that's how I mounted a soap dispenser on my pressure washer. It's a simple project, but it's made my life a whole lot easier. Now I can power wash my deck, car, or whatever else without constantly stopping to refill the soap. Plus, it looks kinda cool, right?