Defoamers

Foam in a recovery tank is not a cosmetic problem. It trips the float switch early, it carries into the vacuum motor, and it makes the tank read full when it is half empty — which is how a motor gets destroyed on an otherwise ordinary job.

It is also a symptom. Heavy foaming usually means residual detergent in the carpet from a previous clean, or a rinse that is not carrying its load.

The range covers Actichem Foamex in 5 litre liquid and 10 kg powder, and Bridgepoint powdered defoamer in 2.72 kg.

How to choose

Put the defoamer in the tank, not on the carpet. It works on the recovered solution. Applying it to the floor treats the wrong side of the problem.

Powder or liquid is a logistics choice. Powder costs less to freight and store; liquid doses faster and is harder to get wrong on a busy job.

Persistent foaming means a residue problem upstream. If every job foams heavily, look at the prespray-to-rinse pairing rather than adding more defoamer. Defoamer manages the symptom; the rinse fixes the cause.

Dose small and early. A little at the start of the tank works better than a lot after the foam has built.

Rinses are in Carpet Acid Rinses and Alkaline Rinses, presprays in Carpet Presprays, and machine spares in Portable Parts.