What To Do If A Pressure Washer Soap-Detergent Injector Stops Working

The soap/detergent injector on our Karcher pressure washer quit working a couple of years ago. The pressure washer itself works great.

We tried to trouble-shoot it. Tried to disassemble it. Attempted to blow out the lines with compressed air. No luck. But there is a solution.

Abandon your pressure washer’s detergent injector. Just give up? Yes. The detergent injectors on most consumer pressure washers are lame at best. They offer a weak soap steam and minimal suds.

For washing cars, boats, etc., there is a much more effective solution.

Get A Snow-Foam Cannon

Snow-foam guns are a separate accessory that can attach to most pressure washer nozzles. There are also types that can be fitted to a regular garden hose. They lather the vehicle with a thick, rich coating of soap that is vastly superior to the weak suds from a standard detergent injector.

These units consist of a small tank, a control valve and nozzle. The tank is filled with a couple of ounces foam concentrate such as AMSOIL High-Foam Car Shampoo (or similar) and then topped up with water.

 

How To Use A Snow-Foam Gun

Spray the car surface with high-pressure water to remove any loose dirt and grime.

Fill the snow-foam cannon tank with car foam concentrate and water.

Attach to pressure washer wand fitting.

Coat the car surface with snow foam and don’t be shy about it.

Allow the foam to dissolve dirt and grime for a few minutes.

Use a micro-fiber car washing mitt to gently scrub the surface. Rinse the mitt in a bucket of clean water regularly to remove dirt particles.

Remove the snow-foam cannon from the pressure washer.

Rinse the car surface of remaining soap.

Conclusion

We found that a snow-foam cannon is a massive upgrade over most pressure washer onboard detergent injectors.

This relatively inexpensive add-on can make your pressure washer complete once again.