[garyhumphreys]

Do you seem to be getting full vac power?

[james roffey]

Vac power was reduced when it foamed up as i supect the air by the air intake was being cut off by the foam, i do have the 3 vac version.

This made me think about Alltecs ultimate master which is supposed to have it's own
defoamer built in.

[CleanerCarpets]

James i am sure its sucking in air from outside the dirty tank - check the lid seal

[Neil Williams]

James i am sure its sucking in air from outside the dirty tank - check the lid seal

Rinse waste tank out and fill your waste tank up with just water. Put a bag over your lid and make the edge of the bag air tight with tape, seal the end of your vac hose. Turn the machine on and look for air being drawn into the machine, either the bag will be sucked towards any gap in the lid or you will see air bubbles being drawn into the waste tank if the waste tank is clear (like the scorpian is).

[james roffey]

I have just inspected the lid, the foam circular seal was slightly creased and i think it is possible that air may have been sucked in but it would be tiny, could this really be the cause, i will have to order a new seal in the morning, i suppose i could get one from the local DIY store just not sure i will be able to bend it around the underside of the lid without creasing.

Regarding whether i can hear air being sucked in through the lid,when it's running, the Airflex sounds like a jet engine at take off, so no way of knowing, the bag over the lid sounds a good idea may give that a go in the morning, many thanks for all your help guys hopefully this is the cause.

[C Phillips]

To add to new look cleans advice put some washing up liquid in tank ( not much) with the water, place clear perspex over tank where the lid should be, start vacs if there is air coming in it will be seen by the rising bubbles and this will show you where the leak is.
I am sure that there must be a small hole etc below the water line to cause this much foaming.

Chris

[Nigel_W]

James,

It has to be something like an air leak. I am using an Airflex Turbo and I have no foam problems even though I am not using any defoamer.

Nigel

[james roffey]

If the tank has a hole in it surely if i fill the waste tank with water and leave is overnight on some newspaper it will leak, i am more inclined to think that the lid seal is the culprit bearing in mind that this is very near where the faom was forming, but what puzzles me is when i took the hose of the wand foam dripped out

[C Phillips]

James have you tried leaving it overnight with paper under machine ?  I had a hairline split on my scorpion a while ago, did not leak on floor but boy it foamed up, especially doing upholstery. made the job impossible.
I have never used de-foamers in any machine until then and even then  it would not stop it .

Chris

[Colin Day]

I still think that the hoses you have are too small in diameter...

I know you dismissed my logic earlier, which is why I deleted it... But I'll try to explain!!!

You have a lot more airflow and I believe that your machine is trying to suck up more solution than your waste hose can effectively manage. This is resulting in a lot of turbulance in a confined area hence the foam is being produced. I suppose your hose could effectively be choking and this won't do your motors any good at all...

But, if any other Airflex Triple Vac users use the 1.5" hose and it "isn't" happening to them, then my theory can be almost certainly dismissed.

Another reason may be a split in the hose

We're only trying to help James

[richy27]

agree with colin ref 2 inc hoses.

lid seal strip off all the black sealer i put a ring of soft silicon where seal was using a gun left over night to dry. works a treat

[james roffey]

Colin i did not dismiss your idea, i was told from the horses mouth i did not need 2 inch hose so i had no reason to not accept his opinion as definitive.

Personally i will get 2 inch hose sooner rather than later as the cost is minimal, and your logic is sound the larger the diameter for the air to flow then this will minimse foaming, i suspect the cause though lays elsewhere, the lid or split in the tank or hose, i have not had this problem on every job though so its odd.

Regarding people helping i am always surprised and thankful that people give there time to help out, i just got a little irritated that people were asking questions that if they had read my post properly would not have asked questions i had already answered.

Had a bad day making icecreams with the airflex, indicators on my van packed up, went to look at fuse box, and it was different from the instruction manual so no way of knowing which fuse relates to which, bloody French.

Just after that stupid women who has re booked a big job twice :  cancelled

[Fintan_Coll]

Often when cleaning a carpet that was cleaned by some other cleaner previously foam will appear in the waste tank because of what was used and obviously was not rinsed out properly. However a few capfulls of defoamer usually cures the problem. But as you seem to be getting foam on every job, yes maybe two inch hose might help, then on the other hand it might not. Can you run the Airflex with just two vac motors to see if this helps.

[james roffey]

agree with colin ref 2 inc hoses.

lid seal strip off all the black sealer i put a ring of soft silicon where seal was using a gun left over night to dry. works a treat

Sorry to sound a  dense but "soft" silicon as opposed to silicon i have in my garage for around bathroom is this the stuff you mean or something different

[Colin Day]

" Just got a little irritated that people were asking questions that if they had read my post properly would not have asked questions i had already answered."

Don't you just hate it when that happens?

You can't beat a forum for trouble shooting and hopefully your problem will be resolved soon.

But if you're still having problems with the foam... I'll have a Flake in mine

[james roffey]

And on that happy note colin thanks for that i needed a laugh i am signing off, beleive it or not my son got me an ice cream it's in the freezer and i'm gonna put me feet up and eat it, its not an ice cream its a "FAB" wow i remember them when i was a kid, i bet it's smaller now.

[Simon@arenaclean]

Hi James.

I've got the Airflex and I've had no problems with foaming with any products. I use 1.5 vac hose and 2" and whilst I agree with Colin it will increase airflow I don't think it's the cause. Check that the Hose barb on the lid is tight and if you have ever removed it ensure the 'hard' gasket is on the inside and the softer one on the outside, if these are fitted the wrong way round under working conditions the seal would not be tight allowing air in. Your a studious fellow and I'm sure you've got it right so only a suggestion, just check your dilution rates. I have not had M/S or Nemisis ever foam but Ultrapac will, even so 2 scoops of defoamer in a little water pulled through the pipes does the trick.

[Derek_Walker]

If you find there is no problem with the machine, it may be that you were just unlucky enough to come across alot of foam in the carpet. Customers will not always be forthcoming in what and how much cleaning fluids they have used in the carpet. With three vacs running I presume you will get alot more turbulance than with two. Next time it happens try running it with two vacs and see what happens.

[David_Annable]

Hi

Cant anybody near you lend you a length of 2" hose to see if there is any difference?

Dave

[Joe H]

With the amount of foam James is getting I am pretty sure he can discount hose size.

His machine has been designed to take 1.5" or 2" hose. This means someone can jump from a smaller machine to this Airflex and save the immediate cost of buying new hose.
This point has been discussed fully with James on another forum and he knows he can work with 1.5" and get 2" at a later date. Somewhere in one of his posts on here he has said he will get 2" hoses because he know he will get a performance gain.

His problem is not to do with hoses. Its got to be air leak somewhere.

UPR will cause foam, Nemesis should not be a problem.