Hello dear friends! Today we have a very interesting topic. Especially for those who prefer to wash the car with their own hands or think that the current prices are too high for a car wash. That is, he is going to move from the services of professional car washes to manual ones. Therefore, the topic of our conversation is a foam generator.
But not GPSS, which is used to extinguish fires by supplying foam. And not generators for foam concrete. Although their rental may be of interest to some, it is not about them.
We are talking about a special high pressure device that is used for. Such a garden tool that allows you to wash your own car on the territory of a private house or even in the courtyard of a high-rise building (who is not afraid of neighbors or other threats).
Of course, the job can be done with a conventional low pressure sprayer. However, it will not be possible to obtain a high-quality result from a sprayer. But penniki create a homogeneous and fine foam. Due to it, a wonderful effect is achieved. I use it myself, so I know what I'm talking about.
Device Features
It doesn’t matter if you buy an Italian foam generator or order from China, they all look about the same structurally.
The structure includes:
- gun;
- mixer;
- balloon.
A special nozzle, as well as a foaming tablet, ensures that this mixture is supplied under high pressure. As a result, the machine is quickly covered with a layer that cleans off the dirt.
Such washing cannot be called completely contactless. If you need a result, you will also have to work with sponges or brushes.
An important characteristic on which work and the best indicator of efficiency depends is the volume of the tank. Usually they are made for 25-100 liters. The compressed air supplied from the cylinder must have a pressure of 5-6 bar. At the outlet, the manual foam generator has a special regulator. It allows you to control the pressure due to the built-in pressure gauge.
Sprayer or generator?
Here comes a very important point. If you need a mini-sink, I advise you to choose a foam generator. Although many car wash vendors offer to buy a sprayer. Some even pass off an ordinary sprayer as a supposedly highly efficient foam generator.
In some cases, a universal sprayer can perform well. But he is inferior to foam, because he is not able to create the same persistent foam. At the output, you get a regular emulsion, the effectiveness of which is much lower.
Therefore, I will teach you to distinguish sprayers from generators.
- the sprayer scheme does not provide for a regulator to control the quality of the mixture;
- the sprayer has a larger outlet nozzle than a foamer.
These distinctive characteristics are enough to make the right purchase.
If we talk specifically about manufacturers, then you should pay attention to the following brands:
- Karcher;
- Monsoon;
- Calm (Stihl);
- Huter (Huter);
- Bosch (Bosch);
- Elitech;
- Procar;
- idrobase;
- Interskol;
- Champion;
- Patriot.
Go to Aliexpress, read reviews, explore different stores. The Internet works 24 hours a day, so you can always find out information about a particular model.
How a foam generator works
Now we will study the principle of operation of such a device. And what is he? The work is carried out on the basis of fairly understandable processes.
In short, due to compressed air, a special shampoo passes through the foaming agent and the finished product, that is, foam, is obtained. Conventionally, the process of education is divided into two stages.
- Primary foam. A jet of water under the action of high pressure exits through the jet and mixes with the shampoo. In parallel, air is added to the mixture, which is supplied through special holes. But such foam does not have the necessary characteristics, therefore it is not suitable for washing a car.
- Finished foam. Here the main role is played by the so-called tablet. The mixture that we received in the first stage passes at high speed through the tablet. This is a small device that provides the creation of a foam mass with the desired characteristics. The foaming tablet is made of corrosion-resistant wire. They have different cell sizes. It is important to get high expansion foam. This directly affects the quality of the car wash.
At the exit, we get a stream of foam, which is easily applied with a hose to the car, and then washed off with water.
Advantages and disadvantages
Such a mini high pressure washer has important advantages:
- the constituent liquids are converted into foam without loss;
- the output is a stable mixture with excellent detergent properties;
- foam consumption and parameters can be adjusted;
- one charge of a cylinder for 50 liters allows you to wash from 10 to 15 cars.
But there are also a couple of disadvantages:
- you will have to constantly refill the cylinder with compressed air;
- you need to install a compressor.
Having a good sink at your disposal, using a special adapter, you can combine them into a common appliance. An excellent solution for those who have already acquired a car wash and want to increase the efficiency of their car wash equipment.
Someone even creates a home-made apparatus from a fire extinguisher or other improvised means. There are even a number of special videos where everything is clearly shown. But I wouldn't recommend doing that kind of thing. If you want a device for foam supply and a really high-quality car wash, do not spare the money and buy yourself a good generator, even if it is Chinese.
But refinement is another matter. When buying a household or professional foam pen, many note that some spare parts are not efficient enough.
A little about improvement
How to make the foam generator work even better? Here we are talking about increasing productivity, that is, increasing the amount of foam created.
No complicated repairs are required. Yes, and you don’t have to open the drawing of the generator. The essence of the refinement is to start working better nozzle.
I note that many foamers experience problems with mixing components due to the imperfection of the standard nozzle. Water is supplied under low pressure, therefore, although the shampoo gets into the mixture, full mixing does not occur. There are models with a too narrow opening through which shampoo is supplied. The water just doesn't allow the detergent to push through.
There are two methods by which you can improve the lack of factory foams.
The price of such a refinement can be zero if the necessary materials are available.
About shampoos
Where to buy shampoos? Any auto chemical store. But it is very important to understand how to use special chemistry.
Cities such as Moscow, Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg and many others offer a huge range of special active foam. To be more precise, the concentrate is sold.
Try to choose quality mixes that are popular. Never take concentrates with a pH value of more than 12. More aggressive mixtures can corrode paintwork, chrome parts, rubber seals, etc.
It is also impossible for a shampoo to contain a component called sodium hydroxide or simply caustic soda. Manufacturers abuse it because it effectively destroys dirt and is cheap. But at the same time, it causes great damage to the paintwork.
Shampoo is used according to the manufacturer's instructions. Usually, up to 20 grams of the product goes to 1 liter of water. But figures may vary. Look at the label.
Of course, in the photo, generator sellers demonstrate the miraculous effect of contactless washing. But in practice it takes more time and effort. If you like to wash your car with your own hands, then having a foam generator will greatly simplify the task when compared with the standard set of a bucket of water, a sponge and car shampoo.
Write your opinion about foam generators. It will be interesting to discuss them with you. For those who, for some reason, do not want to have their own foam generator and sink, we advise you to go to. Information about it is already posted on the site.
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Cheap home mini car washes do not have an effective foam nozzle. As a result, even good non-contact foam does not cope well with pollution. You can improve the quality of cleaning the machine by using a homemade foam generator. He copes with ingrained dirt, which is then easily washed off with a mini-sink.
Materials:
- case from an old powder fire extinguisher with a neck and a lid;
- steel tube 1/2 inch;
- a piece of rubber from the chamber for the seal;
- garden hose;
- tip for a garden hose;
- ball valve 1/2 inch;
- quick-detachable adapter fitting to the compressor M1/2 inch;
- fumlenta.
Homemade foam generator device
The foam generator is made on a meringue powder fire extinguisher or an old hand-held steel spray gun. You can use another metal container for 8-10 liters. It must be equipped with a neck with a threaded lid and a rubber seal.
At the top, at the end of the container, a hole is made for a 15 mm tube. It will be used to exit the foam. A short piece of pipe 7-10 cm is welded into it. A thread is cut into it to secure the adapter to the garden hose.
A hole for the tube is drilled on the side at the bottom of the cylinder. It will be used for air supply. A plugged pipe with side holes is inserted into it.
Enough 10 holes drilled in a row with a 2 mm drill. The tube is welded so that they look up. Next, a thread is cut on it to secure the ball valve. The fitting for the compressor hose is screwed onto it. All threads are pre-sealed with tape or other means.
How to use
About half of the water is poured into the foam generator. Car shampoo for contactless washing is added to it. The tank is closed with a lid. The compressor is connected to the lower adapter.
A garden hose is connected to the top fitting.
Wide tube for spraying foam.
After turning on the compressor and opening the ball valve, the supplied air mixes the water, creating foam.
She rises up the tank and after filling it moves along the garden hose, splashing out onto the car.
A foam generator of this design works much better than many standard mini-wash nozzles. It makes a thick foam, which, when using a normal shampoo, allows you to wash even a very dirty car with minimal time and effort.
In the end, everything is washed off with water from a pressure washer or a garden hose under normal pressure.
The cost of the simplest car wash is 300-400 rubles, which is quite a lot and ineffective, given that for the cost of 5 such car washes, you can assemble your own do-it-yourself foam generator for car washing.
Washing a car today is a luxury, even the simplest, not to mention contactless with a foam generator.
The cost of the simplest car wash is 300-400 rubles, which is quite a lot and ineffective, given that for the cost of 5 such car washes, you can assemble your own do-it-yourself foam generator for car washing. Of course, you can buy a new and branded one for 16-18,000 rubles, but again, this is not effective and expensive. When assembling this equipment, the most expensive part will be the compressor, which is responsible for pumping air, but you can buy a car compressor that will cost 1200-1600 rubles.
The device of the foam generator and the principle of its operation
Before you start building your own foam generator, you need to understand exactly how it works. The main purpose of this device is the disclosure of foam and its further smooth and uniform distribution over the machine body.
The water jet passes through the solution, which is mixed with air pumped from the compressor. During this process, an active foam is formed, which can easily clean the car from dirt. In addition to the fact that the foam has formed, it must be dense, which is achieved by passing lightly foamed soapy water through the tablet (multilayer metal mesh), which foams the solution intensively. Next, the liquid enters the parallel plates-regulators so that the flow of the solution is flat. A hose is needed to remove foam, a nozzle for distributing water flows or just a shower head is attached to it.
The easiest way to make a foam generator for car washing is from a garden sprayer like a Beetle. In its structure, the garden sprayer is almost identical to the foam generator. In total, it takes 1-1.5 hours to change the sprayer to a foam generator, unless, of course, all the necessary parts for creation are available. 
So, to create a foam generator from a garden sprayer, you will need:
- Sprayer capacity;
- Manometer for measuring air flow pressure;
- Single flow valve, allowing air to flow in only one direction;
- Flow regulator or just a faucet;
- Pipe for air injection inside;
- A hose with a wall thickness that can withstand a pressure of 6-8 atm;
- Metal bandage for connections;
- Mesh for the formation of foam.
The first thing you need for a foam generator is a container that can not burst at a pressure of 5 atmospheres, the sprayer container is just right for this purpose, since the walls can withstand a pressure of 4-6 atmospheres.
The step-by-step process of creating a foam generator from a garden sprayer looks like this:
Two metal shackles: a hose is screwed into the first, air will be supplied to the second
- The final step is to connect a car compressor (cost from 1200 rubles) or a compressor purchased on the secondary market specifically to create a foam generator.
This method is even easier and simpler than the previous one. To make a foam generator you need:
- Automobile compressor (cost from 1200 rubles);
- Gun;
- Canister (as a container);
- Nozzle;
- hoses;
- pressure gauge;
- Union.
All together it will cost a maximum of 1600-1800 rubles, while the cost of one car wash is 300-400 rubles.
The first thing to do is to take a tube with a length of 60-65 cm (in general, the length of the tube can be different and depends on the size of the plastic canister, the length of the tube should be 2-3 cm less than the height of the canister from the hole to the bottom) and fill with fishing line, which will play the role of a foaming tablet. The ends are covered with plugs with threaded holes. A T-shape adapter is mounted on one of the holes, a fitting is mounted on the remaining hole. Two hoses are connected to the T-shaped adapter, one of the holes must have a tap to control the flow of water, the second is needed to connect a pressure gauge. It should be remembered that the canister must be made of dense plastic that can withstand a pressure of 5-6 atmospheres, otherwise all work will go down the drain.
Many people try to find a compressor in the secondary market, however, for the purpose of washing a car, a cheap car compressor with a pressure gauge is quite enough, the price of which is 1200-1300 rubles, and the pressure created by even the cheapest model ranges from 2 to 7 atmospheres, which is what is needed to create foam generator.
How to make a foam generator with your own hands or where to start?
How to make a foam generator with your own hands? The answer is simple - you have to try. For the manufacture of a foam generator, it is important to choose not a compressor, but a container that can withstand a huge volume of water and pressure inside. All the variations of creating a foam generator presented above are the simplest and most understandable, but also one of the most dangerous when used because of the case. So, at the slightest deviation in pressure, the device can at best crack and leak, at worst - explode in the hands. The best basis (capacity) for this kind of foam generator will be a gas cylinder, but to create a foam generator in this case, you will need welding experience and, in fact, a welding machine, which is long and problematic, but reliable.
How to use a homemade foam generator?
The step by step process of using the generator looks like this:
- Through the main hole - the neck, water is poured, preferably purified, by 60% of the volume;
- In the water, again through the neck, a washing concentrate is poured in a ratio of 10-18 grams per 1 liter of water;
- After the first two stages, the valve and the neck are closed;
- The compressor starts;
- Air is supplied to the container;
- Hose with a gun is connected;
- Open the faucet very slowly;
- Foam is applied (its density can be adjusted with a watering nozzle or a gun, depending on what is installed in the form of a distributor);
- The foam should be on the surface of the car for 15-20 minutes;
- After applying the foam, you can rinse the container and pour water into it and, just as the foam was applied, rinse it off, but with clean water.
Modern equipment for construction work is striking in its diversity. Manufacturers of equipment are trying every day to develop more and more advanced devices designed for a wide range of jobs. However, it is worth noting that in most cases, the purchase of equipment for construction work is a very costly activity in financial terms. Meanwhile, a rare builder is ready to question the possibility of full-fledged provision of construction activities only because of the need to pay for the purchase of new equipment. In addition, not only the acquisition, but even the temporary rental of construction equipment can be too significant a financial loss. Fortunately, a good craftsman can even assemble a foam generator for.
We study the design features of the device
As you know, do-it-yourself foam concrete of various categories is very widely used in the modern construction industry. The popularity of these materials is quite justified, because they have a fairly wide range of positive characteristics, which, however, practically does not affect their cost. In order to deal with the design features of self-made foam generators, it is worth studying the properties and components of the material that needs to be obtained in the end. In this case, of course, we are talking about foam concrete, which is traditionally made from the following set of components:
- foaming agent;
- cement;
- sand;
- water.
Scheme of production of foam concrete: 1 - container for foaming agent solution, 2 - service platform, 3 - compressor, 4 - foam generator, 5 - mixer, 6 - pressure hose, 7 - tiered molds It is worth noting that the production of foam blocks with your own hands is a very financially sound event. The cost of such a building material is lower than that of its analogues presented on the domestic market. This is primarily due to the fact that the technology for manufacturing factory analogues of foam concrete is much higher. If we talk about the price that will have to be paid for a standard set of components for the production of building material, it must be said that the most significant expenses are foreseen in the purchase of cement. The remaining components in the total amount will not exceed the price of the required amount of concrete. 
On what principle does the installation work?
Modern experts have tried to develop the simplest technology for assembling this equipment at home. In order to assemble a high-quality and reliable device, it is necessary to understand the principle on which it works. Actually, with the help of this device, foam is produced, which then forms the basis of foam concrete. The production unit traditionally consists of three different modules that ensure the smooth operation of the entire system and the performance of its main functions by the machine. This is about:
- modules that produce foam, and also transports it. With the help of this module, it is possible to obtain foam;
- control element, which provides automated dosing of the product.
A pre-prepared concrete solution is launched into the foam generator, which, under the influence of a certain pressure, is converted into foam concrete, pre-mixing with air. As practice shows, equipment of this type can be not only inexpensive, but also very productive. So, it is quite possible to build a unit capable of producing about five hundred liters of material per minute.
For a foam generator, you can also make a concrete mixer with your own hands, which is a tool that works in conjunction with this machine. However, it can also be purchased in advance at the store. In addition, in some cases, the concrete mixer can be easily replaced with the most ordinary shovel or other user-friendly tool designed for mixing mixtures manually. One way or another, the concrete mixer itself is designed to make a mixture, that is, to mix the above components of the material. 
Starting production of the production unit
Before proceeding with the direct assembly of the equipment, it is first necessary to prepare a detailed drawing of the future machine. Remember that it is necessary to make a foam concrete foam generator at the same time simple and, of course, reliable design with maximum performance. The foam produced on the unit must be of high quality and sufficiently dense, otherwise the final result, the building material, cannot be used in the construction of buildings. 
The foam generator circuit consists of control valves that set a certain density of the produced foam, as well as locking mechanisms that shut off the system if necessary. Thus, this home-made installation purely constructively works according to the principle known in technical sciences - pair valves. With the help of control valves in the primary case of operation of the device, it is necessary to set the desired density of the produced foam. In the future, the owner of the device will only need to adjust the shut-off valves. 
The following components of the unit must be marked on the drawings:
- turbulent mixing chamber;
- nozzle or jet washer;
- foam entry and exit points;
- foam cartridge.
So, the turbulent mixing chamber is one of the key components of the machine. It is in this place that the prepared solution is immersed. In the chamber, the mixture is properly mixed and then, under the influence of a certain pressure, passes through a double-truncated nozzle. At the time of entry into the system, the used solution under pressure is significantly compressed, and at the time of exit from the machine, on the contrary, it expands. In the case of expansion of the mixture, the speed of its movement increases significantly. Upon exiting the truncated nozzle, the concrete solution enters the foam cartridge, where it becomes a foamy substance. 
It should be noted that if the equipment is planned to be used temporarily, and its high performance is not essential, then it is possible to replace the aval nozzle with a jet washer.
Assembly of the unit: a guide for beginners
Having decided to assemble your own foam generator, take care of purchasing the following set of materials and tools in advance:
- metal sheets;
- hoses;
- pipe;
- welding;
- pump;
- compressor;
- adjustable valves, as well as their shut-off counterparts.
The first step is to assemble the vessel, into which the concrete mixture and air will be supplied in the required proportions. For a tank of this purpose, any iron container, the shape of which is close to cylindrical, is perfect. In order to ensure a continuous supply of raw materials to the machine, it is necessary to install a submersible pump and a hose. Another hose will supply compressed air to the foam generator structure. With the help of a special valve, it will be possible to adjust the pressure inside the structure. For example, if you want to increase the pressure level in the foam generator, then the valve must be closed. 
The Laval nozzle is usually installed separately in the unit body. In addition, you must not forget to place a channel in the design, which will expand and clamp in certain places. The foam cartridge is the closing element of the system, but its presence is perhaps the most important in the entire structure. This is due to the fact that foaming occurs in it. In order for foam to be created in the foam cartridge, it must be filled with the most common dishwashing devices - hedgehogs or nets. Drawings prepared in advance by specialists perfectly illustrate the types of connections in the structure, the location of its elements. 
The nuances of assembly work
There are no assembly options for any device that do not imply the presence of certain features. Due to the specifics of the construction industry, the independent manufacture of equipment for the production of building materials has a very significant specificity. So, answering the question of how to make a foam generator with their own hands, they name the following requirements:
- the inlet diameter of the nozzle and its depth should be no more than thirty millimeters and correlate in a ratio of one to one;
- a proportion of three to one is suitable for the ratio of the dimensions of the depth of the Lamal nozzle and its outlet diameter;
- the central hole in diameter should be ten millimeters.
It should also be taken into account that in the case when you want to achieve an equipment performance indicator of the order of two hundred liters per minute, you need to select the appropriate dimensions of the foam cartridge. So, its diameter should vary in the range from 30 to 40 millimeters, and the length should be limited to indicators from 600 to 800 minimeters. 
The foam cartridge deserves special attention. For its manufacture, it is worth choosing not a spiral, but a wire mesh. With regard to filling, it is worth giving preference to stacks made of stainless steel. They, like the filter for the foam exit from the structure, can be bought in a regular store in advance. The body of the foam cartridge must be tightly filled with nets, and a ruff with a washer should be installed at its outlet. The ruff may not be installed, however, in this case, splashing of the product at the outlet of the structure cannot be avoided. In addition, this will not have the best effect on the operational life of the entire structure. The assembly of the foam generator, subject to the theoretical knowledge of the average level, will not be difficult, and the resulting unit will last a long time and with high quality. 
Contactless car wash for many car owners is a luxury, since laying out up to 300 rubles. at the next car wash, not everyone can afford it. Buy a mini-sink, spending up to 15 thousand rubles. also not many are solved.
But it is quite possible to afford a do-it-yourself foam generator for washing from a sprayer, spending minimal funds, by making it yourself from an old sprayer and a few simple parts. Such a foaming agent will provide a constant, almost free, but fast and efficient car wash at home.
Principle of operation
The main purpose of the foam generator is formation of foam from shampoo and water, which after generation is evenly distributed over the surface.
The sprayer as a foam generator is based on mixing two foaming components under compressed air pressure and applying foam to the surface.
In practice, this is done by mixing water and detergent in a container, compressed air pushes the solution through the foam tablet to form a dense active foam.
For more information about the operation of the foam generator from the sprayer, see the video:
Necessary materials
For the efficient operation of the future foam generator, the purchase of expensive components, as well as the use of new parts and devices is not necessary. When making a device with your own hands, you will need the following parts and materials:
- container from a garden sprayer. For this, containers from sprayers, garden, as well as the Quasar or "" models are suitable.
- For these models, the pump or pump is dismantled;
- pressure gauge with scale up to 10 atm;
- nipple with one-way shut-off valve. two 0.5-inch shackles with four nuts and gaskets;
- a valve that regulates the supply of foam;
- metal tube and;
- reinforced hose that can withstand pressure up to 8 atmospheres;
- hose adapter;
- clamps for connecting fittings with hoses;
- foam tablet.
When selecting materials, the first thing they determine is a container that can withstand pressure up to 6 atmospheres. Intact tank garden sprayer well suited to these requirements. You can buy a foam tablet in a store or make it yourself.
The basis for the functioning of the foam generator from the Zhuk sprayer is a metal mesh, which is easy to make from a metal brush designed for washing dishes, or a tightly knitted lump of fishing line.
Safety
When manufacturing a foam generator, it must be taken into account that the container in the sprayer can withstand pressure up to 4-5 atm. When forcing air into it, it is imperative to monitor the pressure gauge reading or control the pressure with a relief valve.
The device must not be used for other purposes by pouring toxic or flammable substances into the container.
How to make a foam generator from a sprayer with your own hands? If you used to make your own for a snow blower, did it yourself, assembled it with your own hands or for a walk-behind tractor, then it will not be difficult for you to make a foam generator yourself from a sprayer.
If the necessary parts and parts are available, the foam generator is assembled in the following order:
- in a spray bottle remove hand pump and the holes are plugged;
- a pair of squeegees, 1.27 cm (0.5 in) in diameter, is installed in the upper part of the tank. The parts are fastened with nuts on both sides, and their tightness is achieved using gaskets;
- a T-shaped adapter is placed on the air supply, a pressure gauge and a shut-off valve are placed on it, and a tube is attached inside, a length slightly less than the height of the tank. This is necessary in order for the air to enter from below. Due to this, the liquid foams;
- the second drive is designed to exit the foam. A tap, a foam tablet are installed on it, and for quick connection of the hose - easy removal. A metal tube is connected to the hose, and a nozzle or sprayer is connected to it. The foam generator is ready.
To automatically adjust the pressure in the tank, it does not interfere with the installation of fittings for air injection control in the form of a valve that dumps excess atmospheres.
This will free the operator from the constant control of the pressure gauge when air is injected, and guarantee the safety of the device, eliminating the possibility of a tank explosion under pressure.
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After checking the reliability of all connections and the tightness of the tank, water is poured into it through the neck in an amount of 2/3 of the total volume and concentrated shampoo is added according to the instructions (usually up to 2 g / l of water). The neck is securely twisted, and the outlet valve is closed.
By pump or compressor through shut-off valve blow air to the required pressure. A hose with a nozzle is directed to the surface for applying foam and slowly open the tap. The density of application can be adjusted with a nozzle or nozzle.
Conclusion
Self-assembly of the foam generator is quite simple and does not require special knowledge and skills. Its production cost will be 10-15 times lower than the factory device. To do this, you need to draw up a product diagram and a consistent plan of action, as well as correctly select all the necessary materials.
When assembling the device, safety requirements must be taken into account: since the foam generator tank works under pressure, its permissible value is controlled by a pressure gauge, and all parts and connections must be operational and securely assembled.
