Do I really need a foamer?

[Setec Astronomy]

LOT’S of articles about it. They either recycle or have to have it sent to a sanitary sewer plant that treats it before being put back in our waterways.

Guessing recycling cheaper.

You realize that all the water that goes down the drains in your house, including the toilets, goes "to a sanitary sewer plant that treats it before being put back in our waterways" unless you have a septic system or live in a third world country. However, if you wash your car in your driveway, that effluent can go into a storm drain, where it goes directly "back in our waterways" with no treatment.

There are a lot of economic factors at play with how car washes "recycle" their water (the major reason for reclaim is the cost of water, but also there are regulatory issues regarding discharge of effluent), but reclaimed water is not just pumped up from the bottom of the bay and back onto the car, as has been alluded to. Here's a couple of links for those of you actually interested in the reality of reclaimed water at a car wash:

Car Wash Water Recycling System | Reclaim & Reuse Wastewater

Velocity VRC-35 35GPM Water Reclaim System for In-Bay Automatic Car Washes | Walkthrough - YouTube

[chilly]

I will concede that SOME wand washes that use recycling systems MIGHT have less than I deal water quality IF they don't keep up with maintenance; however, to basically make a blanket statement that they are ALL (inferred from context) a bad idea is not really helpful

I am sure there are just as many touchless tunnel washes out there that recycle water and are you going to condemn all of them as well?

[KirkH]

Just YouTube car wash reclaim tank

Car Wash Water Reclaim Systems | Simoniz

Car Wash Reclaim Tanks — Mitchell Concrete

To cut down on the amount of water used, a lot of car washes recycle water. The recycled water is normally used in the early rinses and to mix with the detergents. It may also be used in the high-pressure washer. It should never be used in the final rinse.

https://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-wash10.htm#:~:text=To%20cut%20down%20on%20the,used %20in%20the%20final%20rinse.

[KirkH]

I will concede that SOME wand washes that use recycling systems MIGHT have less than I deal water quality IF they don't keep up with maintenance; however, to basically make a blanket statement that they are ALL (inferred from context) a bad idea is not really helpful

I am sure there are just as many touchless tunnel washes out there that recycle water and are you going to condemn all of them as well?

I know my local coin ops are not doing much maintaining of their systems- they all look like crap and are falling apart!

I wouldn't trust them and i really doubt they are filtering out the oils.

[chilly]

I know my local coin ops are not doing much maintaining of their systems- they all look like crap and are falling apart!

I wouldn't trust them and i really doubt they are filtering out the oils.

We have those as well; however, we also have a few that are well lit, sparkling clean, and I would think the water is safe, but assuming is a bad idea

Other than taking a freshly polished and washed car to one, giving it a gentle rinseless wash in the bay just to make sure it's clean, and then hitting it with the wand and doing a detailed analysis of the paint, I am not sure how you could tell

I was thinking capturing a gallon of water in a jug and pouring it into a gallon glass jar and letting it settle might be an interesting experiment

[Desertnate]

Back to the foamer question...

I picked up an inexpensive foam gun to give it a try and I'm glad I didn't spend much money on it. After trying it out 5~6 times, I'll probably never use it again.

Since my cars are coated, the soap sheets off the car almost immediately, so there is almost nothing left behind when I go around with the wash mitt. My driveway doesn't have any shade and the wind is almost blowing, so having the soap dry on the paint is another problem, even on something as small as my BRZ. On our SUV, I don't even try to foam that vehicle, I'm guaranteed to have dried soap.

I'm honestly much happier doing traditional bucket washes. For me it's faster and easier.

[KirkH]

We have those as well; however, we also have a few that are well lit, sparkling clean, and I would think the water is safe, but assuming is a bad idea

Other than taking a freshly polished and washed car to one, giving it a gentle rinseless wash in the bay just to make sure it's clean, and then hitting it with the wand and doing a detailed analysis of the paint, I am not sure how you could tell

I was thinking capturing a gallon of water in a jug and pouring it into a gallon glass jar and letting it settle might be an interesting experiment

I think a simple pH test would tell you all you need to know.

[Setec Astronomy]

I wouldn't trust them and i really doubt they are filtering out the oils.

I think a simple pH test would tell you all you need to know.

I'm not sure how a pH test would detect the presence of oil or particulates.

[DanaDetailingPros]

I always have my IK Pro 12 filled with BH and almost exclusively use it if a car is in bad shape! I couldn't imagine not having it. Make life a whole lot easier when I use soap and bucket or foam cannon. Depending on my time restraint!

[craigdt]

You do not need a former.

We all did this for years without it.

They are fun, flashy, I have some, and they are cool, but I can't say it's faster or safer with it.