Powdered Soap Recipes

[borumrm]

I hope I am not breaking any rules here since there is another thread about the pros and cons of powdered soaps vs liquids but for my discussion on this topic I really have a question and hopefully some of you chemist out there can help me out.

First I do not currently use powder. I am using liquid but the other thread has me seriously thinking of trying powder now however I think it would really help if when someone shares what brand of powder they use if they could post their secret recipe for folks like me that are new to using powder.

Now for the heart of my question regarding recipes....I remember from either a physics or chemistry class many years ago that water will have a saturation point where when a powder or salt or any other dissolvable substance is put in it can only suspend so much of it. At the saturation point when it can no longer accept additonal powder then it will simple refuse and any additional powder will simply refuse to dissolve. Are you powder users finding that point and backing off just a hair and then that is considered full strenght then you dilute using your hydrominder tips? I am wondering how you determine how much powder you put in...say 30 gals of water and two scoops of power gives a certain strength then30 gals of water and 4 scoops would be twice as strong unless you reach full saturation at 3 scoops....then the 4th scoop does nothing as it won't suspend. How are you all coming up with your mixtures....Maybe I am just to simple minded and this science stuff confuses me and I am making it too complicated but I am wondering....thanks

 

[Randy]

This is how I’ve been mixing the Kleen-Rite Inbay Turbo Powder, 50lbs Part #: KRTP50. A 50lb box makes 55 gallons of product. I’m using this as a Self-serve presoak. I don’t have room for a 55 gallon drum so I mix it in small 5 gallon batches.

50 Lbs. of powder is 800 ounces

800 oz. divided by 55 gallons of water = 14.54 oz. of powder per gallon of water

72.7 oz. of powder per 5 gallons

I have a digital scale that was last used when my boys were in Cub Scouts for the Pinewood derby. I weight out 72.7 oz. of dry power and add that to 5 gallons of Hot water in a 15 gallon barrel, I cut the top of the barrel off so it open at the top. I then mix in 20 oz. of Fonic Foam brush soap that has been premixed, a 5 gallon pail makes 15 gallons of premix. I stir it up with piece 1”plastic conduit, the first time I mixed up a batch I used a yellow broom handle and it turned it white, it’s a pretty strong mix. I’ve never had a problem with it dropping out of solution. When the barrel gets down to about 2 or 3 gallons I’ll mix up another batch. I use 511 Hyrdominder with an Orange tip 64-1. The key is to use the same procedure or recipe every time you mix up a batch.

I got a sample from JBS of there Frenzy Powdered presoak that I’ve been meaning to try, but haven't got around to it yet.

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

Randy could i mix up the solution at my house with hot water and let it sit in my equipment room at the wash and do you have to stir it up everyday with a electric mixer and does it look like white presoak and bubbles up on the car good? Thank you sir all about saving money.

 

[Randy]

I make up 3 or 4 - 5 gallon batches at home in the garage and put them into small buckets with lids. I fill a 5 gallon bucket with Hot water at the car wash when I need to mix up a batch and add that to the 15 gallon barrel along with the powder. No I don’t have a mixer and No I don’t stir the mix every day. I stir it maybe once a week, I’ve never seen any sediment or powder at the bottom of the barrel. I guess you could mix it up at home and take to the car wash. I prefer to mix it up at the car wash, less mess. It bubbles up nice on the car and it cleans great. I use a Procon pump running at about 125 -135 psi on my Presoak system.

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

Powerded soap

Randy sir thank you I believe i am gonna try some powdered soap it cheap on return chemical guy may get mad but o well.. Thanks alot I was looking at the JBS frenzy soap and stone soap co powder.. might try them both

 

[CCAR]

A lot of the mixing ratio depends on how concentrated the powdered soap is. The one I'm using I mix at 8 ounces to a gallon, it then goes through a hydrominder at 10-12/1 and then to the pumps. If I mix it at say 10 ounces to a gallon it will fall out of suspension, so for me I'm as concentrated as I can get with out using a timer and a mixer. I do give it a stir every once in awhile but I don't have to. It shouldn't be that hard to find a powder with enough show to it. I don't want to play chemist I want to buy one that's ready to use The powder I'm using is as described. I tried simonize powder but there was no show to it. In the end I had to add foam to it and had to run it more concentrated so the cost wasn't worth it to me. It seems that simonize powders lack the foam show, maybe okay for presoak but not for high pressure. That's just the way they made them I guess. CCAR

 

[borumrm]

This is how I’ve been mixing the Kleen-Rite Inbay Turbo Powder, 50lbs Part #: KRTP50. A 50lb box makes 55 gallons of product. I’m using this as a Self-serve presoak. I don’t have room for a 55 gallon drum so I mix it in small 5 gallon batches.

50 Lbs. of powder is 800 ounces

800 oz. divided by 55 gallons of water = 14.54 oz. of powder per gallon of water

72.7 oz. of powder per 5 gallons

I have a digital scale that was last used when my boys were in Cub Scouts for the Pinewood derby. I weight out 72.7 oz. of dry power and add that to 5 gallons of Hot water in a 15 gallon barrel, I cut the top of the barrel off so it open at the top. I then mix in 20 oz. of Fonic Foam brush soap that has been premixed, a 5 gallon pail makes 15 gallons of premix. I stir it up with piece 1”plastic conduit, the first time I mixed up a batch I used a yellow broom handle and it turned it white, it’s a pretty strong mix. I’ve never had a problem with it dropping out of solution. When the barrel gets down to about 2 or 3 gallons I’ll mix up another batch. I use 511 Hyrdominder with an Orange tip 64-1. The key is to use the same procedure or recipe every time you mix up a batch.

I got a sample from JBS of there Frenzy Powdered presoak that I’ve been meaning to try, but haven't got around to it yet.

Randy, do you have automatics? Is this what you use in your automatics also if you hve them? I am interested in recipes for touchless automatics if anyone out there is willing to share theirs.

 

[Stuart]

I use Power Kleen 9115 from KO Manufacturing. Works great in my IBA as a HP soap. I do not use any presoak passes on IBA. (I have an old Raco automatic. any Raco operators out there- i'd like to hear from you) It has good show and cleaning ability.
Use a titrate kit to adjust concentrate at the wand. KO Mfg has kits to titrate. As mentioned earlier, be consistant once you find your mix ratio.
Forty pounds mixes 60 gallons or more, dependant on your location needs. One of my locations I mix 40# to 130 gallons in hot water and the other location is 40# to 60 gallons in cold water (just the way it was set up). If you mix less than 60 gallon/40# solution may start to separate.
I mix in one tank (mix tank) and as my soap tank needs filled I have a shurflo pump transfer from mix tank to the soap tank. From there I use the flowmeter into the HP pump at 2gph. KO Mfg sells by the 40# box or 400# drum. I use both. Hope this helps.

 

[Jeff_L]

...I mix in one tank (mix tank) and as my soap tank needs filled I have a shurflo pump transfer from mix tank to the soap tank. From there I use the flowmeter into the HP pump at 2gph...

Stuart - so you inject/pull straight concentrate into your HP pump and adjust the mix with a flowmeter? No hydrominder between the concentrate and the pump to mix with water first? Just curious, not judging, as I use hydrominders first then to the HP pump. Not because of any scientific reason, simply because my washes were set up that way when I bought them.

 

[Waxman]

1 50lb. box Kleen Rite Super Kleen Powder added to 27.5 gal. hot water. Stir. add 2+ gal. KR Purple Passion and add hot water to fill 55 gal. barrel.

As for the science end of things, I say leave that to the chemists who make the powder. What you care about is what works, not why.

 

[Stuart]

Stuart - so you inject/pull straight concentrate into your HP pump and adjust the mix with a flowmeter? No hydrominder between the concentrate and the pump to mix with water first? Just curious, not judging, as I use hydrominders first then to the HP pump. Not because of any scientific reason, simply because my washes were set up that way when I bought them.

Correct. At one location I go straight from my mix tank and have injector pumps inject the soap into my HP pumps. Old school I know, that is how it was set up and works great. Just a bit extra electricity used.

Other location, much busier, I have a mix tank which transfers to my IBA soap tank as needed and the IBA tank supplies my SS soap tank as needed with a shurflo pump, then to the HP pumps. Same concentrate all the way to flowmeters.

Although I have 4 hydrominders in each location (fb,ps tc,wax) I do not care for them due to the fluctuation of concentrate in the seasonal changes. Also on the hydrominders in use, I only use 5 gallon jugs. When I used the 30 or 55 gallon barrels there was also concentrate descrepancies from when the barrel was full (strong mix) to when it was to the last few gallons (weaker mix). My plans are to do away with them. (it is towards the bottom of my ever-growing list)