Hot or Cold

[Glenn Taylor]

I am looking at purchasing a pressure washer for detailing and will be using foam cannon. Question is there anything I should consider or draw backs that you can bring to my attention?
Thanks for the feedback as always guys!!

[Kevin Cullen]

i have a cold washer. In the manual it states I can run up to a certian temp of hot water thru it so I just use a hose connector to join the hot and cold faucets together to give me warm water.

[PiPUK]

In my view, foam cannons are more fun than functional. They do the job well enough with light soiling but generally won't be strong enough when the going gets tough.

As for temperature, the general rule in chemical cleaning is that hotter is better. Just think about washing the dishes with cold water - way harder. Some products may well be tuned to working at lower temperatures but most will perform better at elevated temperature.

[Glenn Taylor]

In my view, foam cannons are more fun than functional. They do the job well enough with light soiling but generally won't be strong enough when the going gets tough.

As for temperature, the general rule in chemical cleaning is that hotter is better. Just think about washing the dishes with cold water - way harder. Some products may well be tuned to working at lower temperatures but most will perform better at elevated temperature.

The foam cannon def using for light soil, on vehicles that are on maintenance program.

Good example on temp, was thinking the same but was not sure if the detailing chemicals worked on same principle and if it would hurt LSP's

[Glenn Taylor]

i have a cold washer. In the manual it states I can run up to a certian temp of hot water thru it so I just use a hose connector to join the hot and cold faucets together to give me warm water.

This is a good thought, but will be moble.

[PiPUK]

Good example on temp, was thinking the same but was not sure if the detailing chemicals worked on same principle and if it would hurt LSP's

A very similar principle. As for the LSP, well you had to complicate it! :buffing:

The trouble is that most LSPs are surprisingly similar to oily soils which you want to remove. Over time we have LSPs which are much more resilient to cleaning chemicals than the oils etc., so we are able to remove the oils without taking the LSP with it. However, no matter what anyone tries to tell you, a product does not either remove or not remove LSP. It is not black and white but shades of grey. Unfortunately, as you have alluded to, all this means that the more effective your cleaning technique is, the more effective it is likely to be at removing LSP. So, at least in part, you are correct - elevating temperature is likely to have some impact on LSP fastness. On the flipside, this effect will be small with a good LSP (with a glaze it is a disaster) and by using higher temperatures, you can potentially take DOWN the concentration of chemical required to get a certain level of clean.

Anyhow, that is the nitty gritty and I personally would not worry myself. I will always recommend the use of hot washing when possible so go for it! :dblthumb2:

[Kevin Cullen]

Glenn, this could be mobile by filling your tank with hot water only if you don't have to go very far. You would have to watch your water temp of course. As for this example I was using the faucets in my shop, not for a mobile application.

[Glenn Taylor]

Glenn, this could be mobile by filling your tank with hot water only if you don't have to go very far. You would have to watch your water temp of course. As for this example I was using the faucets in my shop, not for a mobile application.

Sorry I should word things better. I was looking at buying either a cold water pw or hot water pw and was wondering what everyone thought of using hot water for washing cars. Pro's and con's.

My bad for not being clear.