# Use snow foam cannon for washing?



## barev (Feb 21, 2009)

Can anyone recommend using a snow foam cannon to clean a dirty, muddy mtn bike? It works wonders on a car and i think it can easily get into all the nook and crannies of a bike. 

Although the foam cannon attaches to a pressure washer, the force that water and soap exiting the foam cannon is quite low and I would not use the high power pressure washer to rinse the bike.

Please let me know your thoughts and if this is too risky of a proposition.


----------



## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

I, like every powerwashing thread, would lead off by asking: why?

By the time you haul out your powerwasher, fill it, add detergent, spray/scrub, etc, I'm done giving the bike a quick wash. If it's so filthy that it needs more, my experience is the 'Tim Taylor' method (ie, MORE POWER) doesn't do a job that I would be comfortable taking money for (my benchmark for 'good enough')...just adds another step to properly cleaning it.


----------



## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Not passing any judgement on whatever additional effort or hassles your choice of cleaning equipment impedes upon your free time...

from a technical perspective, it would prolly work just fine.


----------



## crfnick56 (Mar 7, 2012)

barev said:


> Can anyone recommend using a snow foam cannon to clean a dirty, muddy mtn bike? It works wonders on a car and i think it can easily get into all the nook and crannies of a bike.
> 
> Although the foam cannon attaches to a pressure washer, the force that water and soap exiting the foam cannon is quite low and I would not use the high power pressure washer to rinse the bike.
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts and if this is too risky of a proposition.


I'm on board with it being overkill to drag out the pressure washer to wash a mountain bike. However, the foam cannon would do just fine but I would suggest NOT using the power washer to rinse it off and just use the regular hose pressure to make sure you aren't blasting water into bearings and stuff. Check around online, but I know Chemical Guys sells a similar thing that attaches to just the garden hose. You don't get quite the same amount of foam but very similar and would probably be perfect for doing a mountain bike.


----------



## jokaankit (May 4, 2014)

I use a weed sprayer. It's got the right pressure and volume for the job. Also it doesn't require a running water line. I can wash the bike outdoors, while it's on the car, or in my garage. I do believe it conserves water as well. I can aim it exactly where I need the water. Another note if you have a carbon fiber bike, you can use a skin or tape. It requires less effort to keep clean than an exposed carbon frame, and there is less worry about keeping a clean frame.


----------



## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

jokaankit said:


> Another note if you have a carbon fiber bike, you can use a skin or tape. It requires less effort to keep clean than an exposed carbon frame


How's that?


----------



## jokaankit (May 4, 2014)

The tape protects the frame. You can use an aggressive brush on dry mud or sand and not worry about paint or raw carbon. I'm not certain about dirt clinging to the raw carbon pores and painted clear coat stronger, it is a theory though. The tape I use is "Gorilla clear repair tape". It isn't sticky like glossy screen protector rather it's like a glass finish. I would agree that a raw aluminum frame is easier to clean than one covered in a glossy heli-tape. You can also use non bike specific chemicals if the frame is covered as well.


----------



## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

I see...


----------

