Questions on soap injectors for pressure washers

[PineRidge]

I am interested in installing a high pressure soap injector on our gas powered pressure washer. Our washer runs about 2600 PSI at just under 4 GPM

The pressure washer came with a soap injector but it is the type that only sprays the soap when you use a low pressure nozzle and quite frankly it would be nice to be able to apply soap at full pressure and upstream from the water pump, which would also make the pump seals last longer.

A friend of mine has one of the special wands that injects soap at high pressure but he's always having a problem with the wand injecting soap correctly (plugs up, fouls up) so this is another reason that the independent injector looks like a better option to me.

Anyone have any first-hand experience with these injectors that might guide me in this purchase?

Thanks for your help.........

 

[Junkman]

I have found that a bar of soap usually works best. I like Dove with the 1/4 cup of cold cream. It works best with warm water. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MadReferee]

I am also looking at an upstream soap injector. The Suttner unit that Northern Tool sells looks good. Suttner, a German company, is a major worldwide supplier of pressure washer components, primarily for the car wash industry. Their USA facility is located in Dubuque Iowa.

I have seen these units for less than the $29.95 that Northern is asking.

Here is a link to the instruction sheet for the unit that Northern sells.

Suttner upstream injector

 

[kensfarm]

I'm wondering if one of those "Miracle Grow Feeder" containers on the water hose line would work. I've hooked it up on a hose line to feed water sprinkler's before. The container is kinda small.

Opps.. guess that would be for downstream.

 

[PineRidge]

MadReferee maybe I got my upstream/downstream confused here. Our pressure washer already has a soap injector that injects soap but it moves through the water pump which can't be good for the pump. The garden hose actually attach's right to it.


Was hoping to find an injector that is mounted downstream? from the pump so the chemical doesn't flow through the water pump and soap still comes from the lance at high pressure. Currently to get ours to function you need to use a black (chemical) tip on the lance. This dramatically lowers the working pressure at the lance tip so you need to soap up the item being cleaned, let it soak, put the regular nozzle back in the lance which shuts off the soap and increases the lance pressure to rinse.

Grease and oil are easier to remove using a lance capable of discharging full water pressure with soap at the same time.

 

[MadReferee]

Pine,

The problem with downstream (after the pump) injectors is that they rely on a pressure differential in order for the soap or chemical to be siphoned (injected) into the stream. The pressure differential is created by using a large orifice spray nozzle to lower pressure. That is why you only get chemicals/soap when you reduce the pressure with the larger nozzle.

An upstream (before pump) injector uses the same principle but with the much lower hose (usually from the house) pressure. Yes, it means the chemicals/soap goes thru the pump, but that is the only way, short of a mechanical injection system, that will work with the gas/electric engine powered home pressure washers and be relatively inexpensive.

Now when you get to the big commercial pressure washers (ie. $2500+) then they normally use a mechanical injector which is typically after the pump.

 

[PineRidge]

Mad let me know how you make out with the Suttner unit as I just might go the same route if it works for you.

 

[DaMadman]

yeah me too, my low pressure soaper doesn't work on my nearly new power washer. I only used the dang thing twice, put it away for the winter and the next season the soap dispenser would not work at all, unfortuently it was a month or two out of warranty. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[PineRidge]

As a follow-up to my original post I took the good advice from MadReferee and purchased a Suttner upstream soap injector for our power washer.

You may remember that I just wasn't happy with the setup for dispensing soap while pressure washing. The way the pressure washer came to us whenever you wanted soap you needed to use a chemical tip in the end of the lance. At that point the pressure washer delivered soap but at reduced pressure. I guess the idea was to soap up the item, let it sit, pop in the high-pressure nozzle and rinse the soap and grime off which just didn't work for us.

The Suttner unit solved that problem and was easy to install. Screw it on the end of the water supply hose and connect the other end to the power washer.

With the plunger in the up position the pressure washer works like normal.

When you are ready for soap you drop the chemical line into your soap solution, align the notch up with the shoulder bolt and depress the plunger down and turn it clockwise to lock "on". You are then spraying soap solution at high pressure just like the car wash.

There is an adjustment that you can make to use more or less soap (see picture 5).

When you no longer need soap you turn the plunger to line up the notch with the shoulder bolt. Pull the plunger up to the "off" position.

The Suttner ST-64 soap injector seems to work well so far and the pressure washer is much more effective being able to dispense soap under full, high pressure. If this injector continues to work with little or no maintenance then it will be well worth the purchase price of 29 bucks.

If you have a pressure washer and want or need the ability to inject soap at high pressure then you might want to check out a Suttner injector for yourself.

 

[_RaT_]

Injecting soap (basically a water wetter) downstream to allow for high pressure washing with a detergent makes little sense to me. The wettng agent needs time to do its work. 3000 PSI and no time to allow the detergent to do what it does makes little sense. Your washing machine works much the same way, the longer the contact with "dirt" the better the washing is. Apply the detergent, allow it to sit and wet the foreign matter then power wash. It really works much better that way. The instantaneous application of detergent and high pressure is in my opinnion quite inefficient and wasteful.