Foam Brush Slow

[thepoundwash]

Keep in mind I'm 3 months intonowni g a car wash. My foam brushes are doing great with perfect type foam coming out. Yetttt it is taking it nearly 30seconds to reach the bay. Basic setup with air and chemical selnoids in the control room with each bay having its own hose. How can I get the chemical to come out much faster once the foam brush buttom is pressed on the meter box? Are check valves typically used above the bays on brushes?

 

[traveler17]

Yes, put check valves in the bays above the fb if you don’t have them

 

[MEP001]

Are your foamers in the room with a single hose going to the bay? If so, run two separate 1/4" ID tubes to the bay and put the foam generator close to the boom. It won't take but a couple seconds for the foam to get to the brush.

I don't understand why you'd want a check valve on the foam brush.

 

[thepoundwash]

The chemical and the air meet in the pump room and each bay has its own individual line going to the brush. We do have the foam generators right above the foam brushes above the bays. Yet it still takes atleast 20 to 30s econds for it to reach the brush.

 

[traveler17]

Are your foamers in the room with a single hose going to the bay? If so, run two separate 1/4" ID tubes to the bay and put the foam generator close to the boom. It won't take but a couple seconds for the foam to get to the brush.

I don't understand why you'd want a check valve on the foam brush.

My fb chem comes out quick. Isn’t the premise of the check valves on the boom to keep the chemical and air in the line at the boom?

 

[thepoundwash]

My fb chem comes out quick. Isn’t the premise of the check valves on the boom to keep the chemical and air in the line at the boom?

That was gonna be my next try. It's as of the chemtoical and air or atleast the chemis flowing back wards the pump room and having to flow from paoint a to point b every time

 

[traveler17]

That was gonna be my next try. It's as of the chemtoical and air or atleast the chemis flowing back wards the pump room and having to flow from paoint a to point b every time

That’s just how I saw it done , not sure if right or wrong , just keeps the chemical there not having to flow all the way from the ER

 

[MEP001]

My fb chem comes out quick. Isn’t the premise of the check valves on the boom to keep the chemical and air in the line at the boom?

It shouldn't run out of the lines, but if air and liquid tee into the check valve it would probably help it foam. The only reason you might need a check valve on the foam brush would be to keep the weep from backing up.

 

[MEP001]

That was gonna be my next try. It's as of the chemtoical and air or atleast the chemis flowing back wards the pump room and having to flow from paoint a to point b every time

It's because the foam drops out and it has to refill the whole length of hose with foam before it reaches the brush. I've seen lots of washes like that. You can only turn up the air pressure so far before it causes too much foam and it stalls the flow. There's no upside to the single hose since two 1/4" tubing lines even costs about half of a single hose.

 

[TurboJet]

As mentioned foam is likely going flat after a while of non use. If you have a single line coming from the equipment room to the bay, generally a 3/8” poly braided hose is used in that scenario so the foam does not get compressed from the equipment room to the bay. To get the product foamy again if it goes flat, install a foam generator just before the FB boom. Another trick to try is to pack some Brillo pad material in the foam
Brush handle to reagitate the product as it passes. I personally have not done this, but I know some tried this with success. Good luck.

 

[MEP001]

If you have a single line coming from the equipment room to the bay, generally a 3/8” poly braided hose is used in that scenario so the foam does not get compressed from the equipment room to the bay.

I used to run a chain of washes that had a bank of foam generators in the room and 1/2" hose running the full length of the roof, so about 100' to the farthest bay. The best I was able to get was a full minute for that bay to get foam.

 

[OurTown]

I used to run a chain of washes that had a bank of foam generators in the room and 1/2" hose running the full length of the roof, so about 100' to the farthest bay. The best I was able to get was a full minute for that bay to get foam.

I assume there were a lot of customers complaining that the foam brush system is broken in that bay.

 

[Earl Weiss]

The chemical and the air meet in the pump room and each bay has its own individual line going to the brush. We do have the foam generators right above the foam brushes above the bays. Yet it still takes atleast 20 to 30s econds for it to reach the brush.

IMO that is your issue. Foam has to travel too far. and it will flll the line to the Foam Generator above the Bay and when the foam dies because it is not in use the line is mostly empty all the way back to the ER. . Run separate 3/8 Poly for air and liquid to a 1'2" T above boom with a check valve where line meets T . Run a separate line to that T if weep is needed. Liquid will be right there when FB is called for and the Air and liquid will mix at that point creating fom as it ravels the 20+ feet or so to the Foam brush as opposed to however far for foam to travel from the ER.

 

[cantbreak80]

I've been installing/remodeling foam brush and gun systems like this for years.

1/4" poly tubes from solenoids to the manifold above the boom...
3/8" poly from the manifold to the boom...
1/4" 100-R1 (hi-pressure hose) from the boom to the brush handle.

No check valves or foamers required. (I do use foamers for foam guns just to smooth the delivery)

Adjust liquid pressure to 50 PSI
Adjust air pressure to 40 PSI

Foam will show up at the brush within 3 to 5 seconds in warm weather conditions...a bit longer if you're weeping in cold weather.
Adjust air pressure up/down 1 psi at a time to produce your preferred foam density from shaving cream to runny wet suds.