How to foam Power Clean?

[Heijneker]

I'm currently using OPC as a pre-wash before an ONR wash and polish. Using the IK Foam Pro 12, which is about a year old, I foam it 5:1 with the orange (biggest flow) tip. I air it up using a compressor.

It produces awesome foam and cleans amazingly well, but it constantly cloggs up the filter. I can't even finish a car, before it start sputtering and I need to clean the filter. A large part of the filter turns black, which is pretty easily rinsed out.

How do I prevent this from happening and get consistent performance for longer time? I really like the foam, because it gives me slightly longer dwell time in direct sunlight.

[Ron@Optimum]

sorry, no help from me - don't own a foamer and have never used one...plus I haven't heard of the particular problem you're having.

[Mr.Outback]

Just curious...  Is air compressor oil-less or oiled?  If oiled, oil might be getting into the foamer causing filter issues.  Could also be dirty air from the compressor.  I've used ONR with a hand-pumped  IK 2 sprayer with no buildup issues

[Heijneker]

Thanks for the responses! Good to hear this isn't a common problem.

@Mr.Outback that's some very smart thinking!! It's a very big compressor and it's definitely not oil-less, probably not filtered either. I work at a dealer and use their air-lines. This sounds like a real possibillity, thanks!

Tomorrow I'll clean it thoroughly and pump it up by hand. Let's see how that works and I'll update here once I know more.