Active foam for touchless washing

The three products in this category and their differences

There are three products under “active foam” in the catalogue. Choose between them according to the equipment that will use the foam, rather than their strength.

ActiveFoam — a thick active foam for touchless washing. According to the manufacturer, it cleans strongly while being gentle on plastic and rubber, and retains its cleaning power in hard water. pH 12; dilution 1:100 – 1:200 for a foam generator, sprayer, pump sprayer and DOSATRON, and 1:10 – 1:20 for a foam lance or a PROMAX-type mixer. Pack sizes: 20 kg, 60 kg and an IBC.

PortalWash is designed for rollover and tunnel washes: its viscosity suits dosing equipment, and the product is gentle on the machinery. It also has pH 12; dilution is 1:70 – 1:200 for a dosing system, foam generator and sprayer, and 1:7 – 1:20 for a foam lance or a PROMAX-type mixer. Pack sizes: 20 kg and an IBC.

SunnyFoam — a yellow foam for touchless washing in a 20 kg pack; price on request.

If you need coloured foam for the customer area, also see the pink products in the touchless shampoos: PinkFoam and Miracle lose their colour after rinsing and do not stain bodywork, floors or walls.

Choosing for equipment, water and season

Equipment

Equipment matters most. A foam generator, sprayer and dosing system dilute concentrate themselves, so ratios are in the hundreds: 1:100 – 1:200 for ActiveFoam and 1:70 – 1:200 for PortalWash. A foam lance and a PROMAX-type mixer supply an almost ready-to-use solution, so their range is ten times more concentrated. The same number gives different results on different equipment: check the data sheet rather than carrying over the setting from the previous product. The catalogue's ratios are explained in the article How to dilute touchless shampoo: foam is included in the same table.

Water

In this category, only ActiveFoam explicitly mentions hard water: its manufacturer states that it works in hard water too. The other products do not claim suitability for particular hardness levels. If the water at your site is hard, start with a water analysis: choosing concentration blindly costs more than knowing the figures. Other catalogue products designed by their manufacturers for hard water are listed in the article Shampoo for hard water.

Season

Season affects both storage and the type of dirt. ActiveFoam and PortalWash data sheets specify storage at +5…+25 °C away from direct sunlight, with a shelf life of 3 years: neither a cold warehouse nor a drum in the sun is suitable. Winter adds salt and de-icing chemicals to road dirt; these have a separate category — active foam does not fulfil their role.

What spoils the result

• Hot bodywork and direct sunlight: the solution dries before it can soften the dirt.
• Dried foam. The data sheet says “leave for 2–3 minutes without allowing the solution to dry”: this is one combined requirement, not two separate ones.
• Rinsing too soon. Foam works through contact time and coverage: rinsing it off after a few seconds leaves the shampoo with the same dirt as before.
• Using the setting for the wrong equipment. Applying a foam-lance ratio in a foam generator is immediately noticeable: almost no foam forms.
• Foam instead of shampoo. Foam is the first stage, not the whole wash: touchless shampoo follows it.
• One tank for several products. The data sheets do not recommend mixing concentrates: each stage requires its own solution and ratio.

Where foam fits in the wash cycle

The sequence at the bay is: active foam softens the film of road dirt, touchless shampoo finishes cleaning the body, wax speeds up drying and, according to manufacturers' descriptions, protects against renewed soiling, while remaining water is removed with microfibre. The difference between the first two stages and why one cannot replace the other is explained in the article Active foam or touchless shampoo.

Choose pack sizes for the bay's volume: a 20–24 kg canister is the working format, while a 60 kg drum and an IBC suit a network or large site. The article explains how to compare value across pack sizes Canister, drum or IBC.

Questions and answers