Foam Cannons and Foamers

Foam sticks where plain spray runs off. That extra dwell time is what lets the chemical do the scrubbing instead of your arm. Sun Brite Supply stocks PA foam cannons and Suttner foamers in Gaithersburg, plus the injectors and bottles that keep them working. Tell us your machine's GPM when you call 301-519-9274 and we will point you at the right foamer the first time.

How a Foam Cannon Actually Works

Every foamer on this page uses the same trick. Water rams through a small orifice, creates a vacuum that pulls soap up from the bottle, and the mix slams through a mesh screen that whips it into lather. Three things control foam quality: enough flow through the orifice, a soap that wants to foam, and a clean screen. When any one of those slips, you get runny suds. Most bottle-fed cannons want at least 1.5 GPM and around 1,100 PSI to foam at all, and they make noticeably thicker foam above 2,000 PSI.

Bottle-Fed Cannon or Downstream Foamer

The PA style foam cannon carries its own quart or liter bottle, so you mix strong soap in small batches. That suits truck washing, detailing, and small house sections. The Suttner ST-75 works differently. It has no bottle. You pair it with an ST60F downstream injector that pulls chemical from a bucket or tank, and the ST-75 head foams whatever comes through the line. For house washes and fleet work where you go through gallons of mix, bucket feed beats refilling a bottle forty times. The food grade ST-75 versions use materials approved for kitchen and food plant sanitation work.

Match the Foamer Orifice to Your Flow

The ST-75 comes with either a 5.0 or 10.0 orifice, and this choice matters more than anything else on the page. Run the 5.0 on machines in the 3 to 5 GPM range. Run the 10.0 on 8 GPM machines. Put a 10.0 on a 4 GPM machine and the pressure drops so low the foamer barely draws. Put a 5.0 on an 8 GPM machine and you choke the pump into bypass. Match orifice to flow and the foam turns thick and slow-sliding, which is exactly what you want on a tall wall.

Foamers Side by Side

From the Field

The spare bottles on this page are here because bleach eats foam cannon parts from the inside out. Guys run house wash mix through a cannon, toss it in the truck wet, and a month later the seals are shot and the bottle threads are white and brittle. Rinse the whole unit with clean water at the end of the day, every day, and a cannon lasts years instead of a season. Weak foam almost always comes down to one of three cheap fixes: a crusted mesh screen, a plugged suction tube, or soap mixed too thin. Try those before you buy a new foamer. And if you are foaming more than a bottle per job, stop fighting the bottle and move to an ST-75 with a downstream injector.

Related Collections

• Soap and foam tips and foam nozzles
• Chemical injectors for downstream feeding
• X-Jets, X-Jet kits, and M5 X-Jets
• Soft wash equipment and house washing chemicals
• Degreasers and chemical additives that boost foam
• Pump-up sprayers for chemical-only work
• See foamers in person at our Gaithersburg pressure washer store

Frequently Asked Questions

What size pressure washer do I need to run a foam cannon?

Bottle-fed cannons start foaming around 1.5 GPM and 1,100 PSI, and foam gets thicker above 2,000 PSI. For the ST-75 foamer, pick the 5.0 orifice for 3 to 5 GPM machines and the 10.0 for 8 GPM machines.

Why is my foam cannon putting out watery foam?

Check three things: a dirty mesh screen, a clogged or cracked suction tube, and soap mixed too weak. Warm water in the bottle also foams better than cold. If all that checks out, your machine may not have the flow the orifice needs.

What is the difference between a foam cannon and a downstream injector?

A foam cannon carries soap in its own bottle and mixes at the gun. A downstream injector pulls chemical from a bucket into the hose, and a foam nozzle like the ST-75 whips it into foam at the tip. Bottles suit small jobs, bucket feed suits house washes and fleets.

Can I run bleach through a foam cannon?

Yes, and most house wash crews do, but rinse the cannon with clean water after every use. Sodium hypochlorite left sitting in the unit destroys seals, springs, and bottles in weeks.

What soap makes the thickest foam?

Use a detergent built to foam, not dish soap. House wash surfactants and foam boosters are designed for it. Mix per the label, and go slightly rich rather than thin.

Do you stock foam cannon replacement parts?

We carry replacement bottles, injectors, and complete heads. If yours quit foaming, bring it in or call 301-519-9274 and we will figure out whether it needs a two dollar part or a new unit.