Low pressure foam set up question

[Martins]

Hey all again,

So i am finally getting around to installing my low pressure air logic foam brush panel (removing the old disintegrating one.) my question however is more about the general set up and your thoughts on what foams better. Current set up is the standard air line off the air side and chem off the chem side up into the trough over the bay where they meet into a foamer then out to the bay. However i was looking at a few different set up options, one would be

the ole' TOMS WAY from kleen rite where you make then manifold right in the eq room then run 3/8 line out to the bay letting it foam the whole way. (with no foamer)

or run them into a foamer right at the manifold then out to the bay,

or keep the foamer above the bays and run both lines up and out to them.

My question is does it really matter for foaminess, or trigger time. What are you all using i know we've kinda talked about it before but I'm curious what set ups your running and what your preference is. I'm swapping systems tomorrow and just want to get my game plan down.

as always appreciate ya'll!

 

[MEP001]

You will definitely get foam to the brush faster with separate lines converging as close to the boom as possible.

Ole' Tom may have had a lot of experience, but he was a stubborn and close-minded guy. For a 2-bay with short runs to the boom, 1/2" hose may be okay from the room. Longer than 25 feet and you will see a massive difference in the time it takes to fill the line with foam.

FWIW I use a 10" piece of PVC with a couple nylon scrubbers in it, and to save money and a little time I drill and tap the PVC and put the fittings directly into it. You can just use a tee, but I like the thicker foam from a foamer, you will use less product, and it's easier to adjust the system to not have a big blast of liquid shoot from the brush head when it first comes on. The downside is that no one carries the scrubbers anymore - I've been ordering them from Amazon.

If you can find nylon N11 or N12 tubing in black, it will last practically forever.

 

[UtahYoutubeGuy]

You will definitely get foam to the brush faster with separate lines converging as close to the boom as possible.

Ole' Tom may have had a lot of experience, but he was a stubborn and close-minded guy. For a 2-bay with short runs to the boom, 1/2" hose may be okay from the room. Longer than 25 feet and you will see a massive difference in the time it takes to fill the line with foam.

FWIW I use a 10" piece of PVC with a couple nylon scrubbers in it, and to save money and a little time I drill and tap the PVC and put the fittings directly into it. You can just use a tee, but I like the thicker foam from a foamer, you will use less product, and it's easier to adjust the system to not have a big blast of liquid shoot from the brush head when it first comes on. The downside is that no one carries the scrubbers anymore - I've been ordering them from Amazon.

If you can find nylon N11 or N12 tubing in black, it will last practically forever.

Could you explain FWIW?...Sorry I got lost there.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

We don't use any foamers and simply Tee the air and product together above the boom in the bay and can get good foam. I suppose we might get better foam with less product if we used a foamer but then there is a maintenance issue of cleaning them. Pick your poison.

 

[cantbreak80]

I don't use foamers for foam brush...just connect 1/4" PE tubes to the manifold directly above the boom.

I DO use foamers for foam gun installations....it "smooths" the pulses from FloJet pumps. Again, from the above-the-bay manifold to the foam gun boom or hose mount.

This installation provides easy access to the foamer for cleaning or replacement. Yes, it's outside the warmth of the plumbing trough but the antifreeze system keeps it protected.

 

[MEP001]

I don't use foamers for foam brush

I always have - depending on the chemical used they may clog over time, but it takes ten years or longer in my experience. There's no attic or trough in car washes here, so they're easy to replace.

 

[Martins]

Just a quick update as im doing it haha old lines out! Unit on the wall! Woot.. also.. ugh

 

[Martins]

And done! Ill make it all pretty later…..

 

[UtahYoutubeGuy]

Sweet! Is there a reason you got a 5 bay setup?
Also did you look into different options other than air logic?

 

[Martins]

Sweet! Is there a reason you got a 5 bay setup?
Also did you look into different options other than air logic?

Yes! I have a 5 bay wash. Unfortunately the concrete around the 5th bay is not good so its closed.
I did look at a few options including just building a new setup myself however the ease and clean look of this panel is what caught my attention. I like lines clean and easy to work with. Plus for $1200 when i bout it and everything is pre plumbed and wired it was a no brainer. I would have rather gotten a Ginsan set up since im basically converting everything in my wash to Ginsan stuff since they are here in MI, however it was a little messy to me. Plus more $$.

 

[Martins]

I don't use foamers for foam brush...just connect 1/4" PE tubes to the manifold directly above the boom.

I DO use foamers for foam gun installations....it "smooths" the pulses from FloJet pumps. Again, from the above-the-bay manifold to the foam gun boom or hose mount.

This installation provides easy access to the foamer for cleaning or replacement. Yes, it's outside the warmth of the plumbing trough but the antifreeze system keeps it protected.

View attachment 4662

I use to use that type of foamer (they were there when i took over the place) but i could t find them anywhere so i went with the cheep ones from KR. Question looks like you removed your foam brush booms? Are you running the coil hose? Hows the feed back on that vs the boom?

 

[cantbreak80]

I use to use that type of foamer (they were there when i took over the place) but i could t find them anywhere so i went with the cheep ones from KR. Question looks like you removed your foam brush booms? Are you running the coil hose? Hows the feed back on that vs the boom?

I assemble the foamers with a few PVC fittings. (Pretty sloppy with that glue, huh?)
The coil hose is for foaming guns (pre-soak, tire, bug and mag-chloride, tri-foam).
Foam brushes booms are on the other bay walls.

 

[Earl Weiss]

No Foamers, No Needle Valves 3/8" Poly T'd above the Bay. 3/8" wire braid Hose , Erie Brushes.

 

[MEP001]

I assemble the foamers with a few PVC fittings. (Pretty sloppy with that glue, huh?)

Why not use clear primer/glue? PVC that size is rated for something like 600 PSI. You don't need the purple primer and max strength glue unless you're running the pressure to the max rating of the pipe.

 

[andyincali]

Just a quick update as im doing it haha old lines out! Unit on the wall! Woot.. also.. ugh

Thanks for sharing, turned out great! Do you still run a high pressure soap function or can it be run through the LP foam gun also leaving only rinse through the HP gun?

 

[Martins]

Thanks for sharing, turned out great! Do you still run a high pressure soap function or can it be run through the LP foam gun also leaving only rinse through the HP gun?

Thanks! i love the set up its simple and clean. i still run my hp soap through the gun, i also run my lp pre soak and tire cleaner through it. but this panel as well as the flo jet will only do like 120psi? so using it as a hp options wouldn't work in this case.

 

[andyincali]

Do you use any check valves with that low pressure setup?