Why the data sheet has two figures and both are right
Open the data sheet of any touchless concentrate. It will say something like: “1:100 to 1:200 — foam generator, sprayer, pump sprayer, dosing system; 1:10 to 1:20 — foam kit, PROMAX-type mixer”.
A tenfold difference, and it is not a typo. The point is that different equipment does different things with the concentrate.
Foam generator and dosing system dilute the concentrate themselves at the moment of delivery: you fill in the concentrate and the device meters it into the water flow at the set ratio. That is why the figure is large — 1:100 and above.
Foam kits and hand mixers work differently: a ready working solution is poured into the tank and delivered almost as it is. That is why the ratio is narrow — 1:10.
The same line on the data sheet means different things for different equipment. Mixing them up is the most common and most expensive mistake in a bay.
Ratios by type of equipment
Below are the actual ranges from product data sheets, not averaged recommendations.
Foam generator, sprayer, pump sprayer, dosing system (DOSATRON and similar). Touchless shampoos: 1:60 to 1:200 depending on the product and the dirt. More concentrated products work at the upper end: there are shampoos, for instance, that hold their foam and cleaning power even at 1:150.
Foam kit, PROMAX-type mixer. The same products — 1:6 to 1:20.
Drying waxes are counted differently, usually in millilitres per litre: a foam kit 200–500 ml per litre of water, a hand sprayer 20–50 ml per litre, dosing systems 2–5 per cent.
The exact range is always on the page of that particular product — do not go by the figures for the product next to it, even if it is from the same manufacturer.
What happens when you under-dose
Under-dosing is when there is less concentrate than there should be. It does not look like “cleaning a little worse” — it is quite recognisable.
The foam becomes thin and collapses quickly — instead of a dense blanket, the body is left with a wet patch. After rinsing, dirt stays as streaks, especially on the sills and the lower part of the doors. People complain that “the car wash has got worse”, and the first thing they blame is the product.
The tricky part is that a doser can start under-dosing gradually rather than all at once: a clogged injector, a dried-out valve, a stretched tube. That is why concentration is checked on a schedule rather than after a complaint — together with the rest of the bay maintenance.
What happens when you overdose
Overdosing looks harmless — so we use a bit more. In fact it is three separate problems at once.
Money. A double overdose means exactly double the consumption. A canister meant to last a month runs out in two weeks and you will not understand why.
Streaks. Excess alkali is harder to rinse off and dries on the body, leaving exactly the whitish film the chemistry was bought to fight.
Metal. Alkali at high concentration is no longer harmless chemistry. Aluminium, chrome, fasteners and welded seams suffer — not in a single wash, but cumulatively.
A word about frost: in winter the concentration is sometimes raised deliberately, and that is justified. But it is raised within the range on the data sheet, not “by eye, to be sure it cleans”.
How to work out monthly consumption
The calculation is simple, and it is needed not for the books but to order in time.
A useful guide is about 35 ml of concentrate per passenger car. Multiply by the number of cars a day per bay, by the number of bays and by thirty days.
For example, three bays at twenty-five cars a day: 35 × 25 × 3 × 30 = 78,750 ml, that is about 79 litres of concentrate a month. A little under four twenty-litre canisters.
Then add a margin. In winter consumption grows: the dirt is heavier, the concentration is raised, and there are more cars during the road-salt season. A sensible margin is twenty to thirty per cent on top of the summer figure.
And count more than the shampoo: foam, wax and wheel cleaner are used at their own ratios. It is easier to work out the whole set once and order it as a package — that way you never end up with shampoo in stock, no wax, and half the programmes in the bay out of action.
Frequently asked questions
Why does one car shampoo have two different dilution ratios?
Because the figure depends on the equipment. A foam generator, a sprayer and a dosing system dilute the concentrate themselves at the moment of delivery — they need a wide ratio, 1:60 and above. A foam kit and a hand mixer deliver an almost ready solution from a tank — they need a narrow one, 1:6 to 1:20. Both figures on the data sheet are correct; you only need to know what you have installed.
How do you dilute concentrate for a foam generator?
For touchless shampoos the working range is usually 1:60 to 1:200 depending on the product and how dirty the car is. More concentrated products hold their foam and cleaning power even at 1:150. The exact range is on the data sheet of that particular product — the figures for the product next to it, even from the same manufacturer, will not do.
How much chemistry does one car use?
A useful guide is about 35 ml of concentrate per passenger car. For a monthly figure, multiply by the number of cars a day, by the number of bays and by thirty. Three bays at twenty-five cars each come to about 79 litres of concentrate a month. In winter allow another twenty to thirty per cent.
What happens if you add more concentrate than specified?
Three things at once. Consumption rises in proportion — a double overdose eats a month's supply in two weeks. Excess alkali is harder to rinse off and dries into a whitish film. And alkali at high concentration does cumulative damage to aluminium, chrome, fasteners and welded seams.
Why has the foam gone thin when the product is the same?
Most often it is under-dosing, and it rarely happens all at once. A clogged injector, a dried-out valve, a stretched tube — the doser starts delivering less concentrate gradually. That is why the concentration is checked on a schedule rather than when customers complain. The second common cause is hard water: part of the active ingredients is spent binding the salts.