snow making machine

[doc henderson]

OK I do not have the answer but used to think about this when my kids were little, and we had no snow.  I do not have close up knowledge of these machines, but thought someone here might.  I used to read about the cup of hot water thrown into the air, and it froze.  I have a great pressure washer and wondered about spraying water in the air nearly atomized this winter, and maybe adding compressed air to give it more loft, and make it freeze.  I figured @mike_belben  will have made one already.  might be fun to think about.

[Southside]

Easiest, most reliable, snow making machine I know of is made by Suunto.  The MC-2 and M-3 models work great.  Just follow the instructions provided by the red arrow and you will see snow.  :D

[Jeff]

Doc, please come shovel my driveway. It will clear your thinking.

[doc henderson]

let me get the door on my cat 277 and make sure the heat is working! I will be right over. Thanks!  I remember seeing them run on the ski slopes in Colorado, and they do not look complicated.  pressure washer, fan, compressed air?  Cheers!

[Jeff]

Be sure to add the freezing rain add-on. Just not the same without it.

[PoginyHill]

Depends how much volume you'd like to make. There are small units that need some compressed air and have a self-contained water pump - but make maybe 5gal bucket per hour. The units you see at ski hills need a tremendous amount of energy. High pressure water pressure (I can't specify the number, but similar to a pressure washer as you mention) and an ungodly volume of 100 psi air to atomize the water so it forms crystals before hitting the ground. There is a reason they are so noisy. Probably need 3-phase power at your house.

[mike_belben]

no idea.. never once seen one. id guess its a water cannon with an extended mast to get the height, and impingement nozzle to atomize.. all mounted on a turret maybe??


procon beverage pump will charge plenty of nozzles from a rainwater tote using 110vac.

  i made an alcohol injection rig for cooling a turbo diesel out of a carb jet squirting from a windshield washer tank across the 4" air inlet right at a phillips screw driver tip that i welded into place so that the tip of the screwdrivers was almost blocking the singular jet squirt square on.  it broke the stream up into 4 feathered vanes and atomized very well into fine mist just ahead of the turbo. 



what about using nozzles and jets from an ag sprayer on a plenum in front of a carpet dryer or box fan to give a realistic dispersal?  its about $40 for 4 at rural king. 

[doc henderson]

I may or may not actually get to try it.  depends on work and the weather, and it sounds cold.  I thought about it when the kids were little.  still occasionally wonder.  maybe this year will try snow in addition to Walnut syrup.

[mike_belben]

beware the brown snow cone.  

on no thats just walnut juice youre good. i think. 

[Jeff]

I'm ready to build a snow unmaking machine aready. Trying to get into a vehicle to get...

[Southside]

The Suunto units have that feature also. Just use the black arrow. 

[doc henderson]

I thought the black arrow made black Ice?  ! 

[Andries]

So that's what the black arrow is for,  and that explains all the black ice on the highways up here.

[PoginyHill]

Depends how much volume you'd like to make. There are small units that need some compressed air and have a self-contained water pump - but make maybe 5gal bucket per hour. The units you see at ski hills need a tremendous amount of energy. High pressure water pressure (I can't specify the number, but similar to a pressure washer as you mention) and an ungodly volume of 100 psi air to atomize the water so it forms crystals before hitting the ground. There is a reason they are so noisy. Probably need 3-phase power at your house.

Some background. Log preservation is a big deal for hardwood mills to prevent staining, checking and other storage-related issues. We've done many experiments covering frozen winter-bought logs with snow then a foot or more of mill chips then using them in the summer when log purchases tail off. This method works outstanding - logs are still frozen in August. This was particularly useful for basswood that processes best cool (up to 40F). Over the years we often lacked either logs or snow to preserve winter-bought logs for summer usage. We had the bright idea of making our own snow when we had logs, cold weather, but not enough snow. For various reasons, that effort was abandoned.
Anyhow, long way around to show what we used to make snow. These units require about 100gpm of water at about 300 psi. The units pictured below need to be fed that water, they don't generate that on their own. The do have an onboard air compressor to supply the air. A water pump to supply the unit would be about 40hp and the units themselves are 40hp each. The colder it is, the better they work. These are older units and work best below 20F. Newer ones work ok in the mid-to-upper 20's I think.
Water is injected in the center and air nozzles are around the circumference.
Sorry, @doc henderson , I'd offer them to you, but they were sold long ago.



 

 

[jb616]

we have a natural one and we call it "Lake Michigan". Every time we get a cold wind from the West or Northwest here blowing across the "warm" lake, we get snow in the winter. They call it lake effect. Sometimes up to 3 feet. Just like Buffalo NY gets it from Erie. 

[mike_belben]

careful yall dont rile up the black ice matters lurkers in the back row and get this one sent to the no no thread shed.  ;D

[snobdds]

I helped a buddy in Breckenridge one fall do snowmaking.  The machines are simple; power and water.  

The water doesn't need to be highly pressurized, but high flow.  Most of the water lines there just used gravity to provide the pressure.  The water is distributed in a round copper tube with holes every inch around the circumference of the fan.  The water just gets blown into frozen air and freezes.  It's not so much as snow as it is ice.  Which ski resorts love because it creates a long lasting and durable base.

Just get a hose and a garage fan and let er' rip.

[WDH]

With the Suunto, just follow the black arrow that points at the N. 

When the grits run out the farther you go, you know that you are getting close.

[Hilltop366]

Doesn't matter if you follow the S or the N either way you will get snow and when you get near the middle you pick up some grits for traction on the ice.

[Ron Scott]

SMI snowmakers made in Midland, Michigan are state of the art snowmaking machines. Many are pumping snow right now getting our ski areas ready to open.

https://snowmakers.com/smi-research-development.html

[doc henderson]

Ron, I do not plan on buying one of those, but the section on snow making may help me make something for fun.  Interesting, they talk about wet bulb temps, cold and dry are perfect conditions.

[snowmountain]

Ron is spot on with the SMI fan guns. They are the best. I spent 5 years welding/fixing/making snow at a smaller hill. We probably ran 80 or so guns. They were 10-15-20 hp 3 phase. You absolutely had to have water pressure. On the base of the hill the pipelines carried about 600 psi. On the top only 100. Below 100 psi the water failed to atomize and made ice. It was pretty fun. When the whole place was running we probably had 3000 hp 3 phase going  24/7. Making snow is expensive! Maybe 15-20 years ago there was a guy in Connecticut running around with a proper fan gun and would blow snow in rich folks yards. Crazy.

Jack

[chet]

DIY $50 snow maker @doc henderson       Not that I would ever need one in these parts  :D

Dollar Snowmaker (How to build) - YouTube

[PoginyHill]

I ran across these pictures today, so thought I add them to the topic. This was a test before we purchased the large units pictured earlier. I think the name on the snow maker is "Snow at Home".  As I recall it requires a pressure washer and some compressed air - not sure how many CFM.



 

 

[Hilltop366]

Seen this on youtube.


Backyard Snow Gun Build - YouTube