Say you live in a warm state that never gets snow and your children are begging you for snow in the fall or winter. There has to be something you can do to create snow by yourself, right? Luckily, there is a way using a pressure washer or an air compressor.
A pressure washer is one of the best ways to make homemade snow. There are attachments that you can add to your pressure washer or you can just use an extremely fine mist nozzle. A pressure washer pushes water out at a speed that will make a decent amount of snow in a short period of time.
Homemade snow is basically just frozen water and will act just like real snowflakes that fall from the sky. You just have to make sure you have the right equipment and conditions. So, how can you make your own snow? Keep reading to learn how with some tips to ensure your success.
What You Need to Make Snow with a Pressure Washer
There are only a few things that you will need to make homemade snow. You will need cold water, a cold outdoor temperature, and a pressure nozzle that will disperse fine water droplets.
The temperature outside does not have to be freezing, but it should be below 37 degrees Fahrenheit.
The normal freezing point is 32 degrees Fahrenheit, so how can you create fake snow with a temperature that is higher than that?
The reason that you will still be able to create your fake snow with a temperature that is higher than 32 degrees is because you are using cold water which will drop the temperature just enough to work.
How to Make Homemade Snow With a Pressure Washer
There are four simple steps that you need to follow to make your homemade snow. The first thing you will need to do is make sure you have enough time to make as much snow as you need to cover your yard. You want to be sure that you have plenty of time to play with the snow before it starts to melt if the temperature rises.
Next, you will need to maximize the amount of air that is in the mixture to create your snow. It might take a few minutes of messing around with the pressure washer to determine how much air you need to create the snow.
After you have determined the right air to water ratio, point your sprayer nozzle up at a 45-degree angle. This will allow for maximum contact between the mist and the air. Finally, you will see your snow start to form!
Pressure Nozzle Options
While you can use a pressure washer to make your snow, there are other options available to you as well. You can even use a garden hose to make snow, but it won’t be able to make as much as a pressure washer can.
If you already own a pressure washer, this will be your best option for making your own snow. If you don’t have one, you can rent one for the time being or buy one if you think you will use it throughout the year. You will need either a fine mist nozzle or a snow nozzle attachment.
There is also a machine called a snow cannon. This is another great option to use when you want to make your own snow, but they are incredibly expensive to purchase. There might be an option for you to rent one somewhere.
Finally, if you don’t have access to a pressure washer, you can use a garden hose. There is a snow attachment for a regular hose that you can buy.
It is important to keep in mind that it will not create anywhere near as much snow as a pressure washer, but it will still be fun to play with in a pinch.
Nozzle Choice
The type of nozzle you choose to make your snow is really important. When it comes to making snow, you want the nozzle to be a fine mist, the finest possible you can find. This is because the fine mist is able to create the correct droplet size. Your snowflakes won’t be too small or too large.
We recommend using a foam generating nozzle like this one to help in creating snow from your pressure washer. This nozzle works great because it will create a mist of water, perfect for snow as long as the temperature outside is cold enough.
A fine mist also creates the proper spray pattern. Mist has the ability to spread out the water and allows for proper distancing between the droplets.
This means that the water has the proper density needed without reducing the rate of evaporation.
If you can find one, there are even snowmaking nozzles on the market that you can buy. They work similar to fine mist nozzles, but they often include nucleation and precision air nozzles to help maximize your success at creating your snow.
They also sometimes come with design plans so you can properly use all of the nozzles that are included in the snow making kit.
Tips for Making Snow with a Pressure Washer
The temperature of the water is important. You want to make sure you are using the coldest water that you have access to. If you live near a stream or a river, this water will be perfect. Fresh water is naturally colder than what you will get out of your faucet.
If you do not have access to fresh water from a river, you can try to put your water in the freezer to cool it down.
You will need to keep as close of an eye on the water as you can, because you don’t want it to freeze. You need to take the water out of the freezer before it starts to actually freeze.
You want to make sure your nozzle is producing the finest mist. This will increase the surface area of the water, allowing for higher odds of actually getting snow.
You might also want to consider adding a nucleating agent. This is what is used by ski resorts in the south to make their snow.
A nucleating agent is full of tiny particles in water, such as from a river, that helps form snowflakes. You can find a snow nucleating agent online.
Final Thoughts
If you have a pressure washer and you are wondering whether or not you will be able to make snow with it, you will be pleased to learn that the answer to that question is yes. A pressure washer is definitely capable of making snow and is even the best option for the job aside from an actual snow machine.
When you are trying to make your own snow, there are some things you need to keep in mind. You need to have the right type of nozzle, the coldest water you can possibly find, and the right temperature outside. You want the temperature outside to be no higher than 37 degrees Fahrenheit, or you won’t get the results you want.
There are other options for making snow that you have available to you like a garden hose or a real snow machine. A snow machine is going to be expensive, but you might be able to find somewhere to rent one. While a garden hose is capable of making snow, it won’t be very good quality snow and it won’t make near as much as a pressure washer.