FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

Products

• How much snow do SAH™ snowmakers make?
• What else is Required to operate the snowmakers?
• Is a SNOWatHOME™ snowmaking system easy to set up?
• Is the SG4-LED UBuild Kit easy to assemble?
• What is the cost of adding a 220V outdoor power supply for the large pumps?
• Why doesn't the spray coming out of the bottom nozzle look like the others?

 

Weather

• What weather conditions do I need to make snow?
• I live in a warm climate and want to make snow. What are my options?
• What is "Wet Bulb" temperature?
• Does water temperature matter?

 

General

• What is going on with compressor ratings in the industry?
• What is the difference between internal and external mix snowmakers? Which makes more snow?
• Why can't you make snow by just spraying water in the air?
• What is different between making snow at home and making snow at ski resorts?

 

I want to sell SNOWatHOME products

• If I had a dollar for every person I told about your snowmakers...
• I own a retail store
• I want to become a Distributor

 

 

Products

 

How much snow do SAH™ snowmakers make?

The volume of snow produced depends on many variables. The two largest contributors however are the water volume and weather conditions. The only one you can control though is the volume of water you are pushing through your snowmaker. The higher the flow (GPM - gallons per minute) of your pressure washer the more snow you will make. With that in mind the SG4 works with pressure washers rated from 1.3gpm to 2.1gpm. The SG6 works with pressure washers rated from 1.3-2.5gpm and the SG7 is fully adjustable from 1.3gpm to 8.0gpm. Under good snowmaking weather conditions the SG4 combined with a 2.1gpm pressure washer can produce up to 60 cubic feet per hour, the SG6 with a 2.5gpm pump will make up to 80 cubic feet per hour and the SG7 with a 7.5gpm pump will make up to 225 cubic feet per hour. The best example we can give on how much snow can be made comes from photos our customers provided from past contests. Most entries show the result of one night of snowmaking. Buying Viewing the quick compare of the available SAH packages, you can evaluate which snowmaker and pump combination best suits your needs.

You will need a small, continuous duty, compressor for all three models. A compressor with the rating of 5.4CFM @ 90PSI will work with all our snowmakers. (See Compressor Ratings below) The SG4 works with pressure washers with a GPM (gallons per minute) rating of 1.3 to 2.1gpm. The SG6 works with pressure washers with a GPM (gallons per minute) rating of 1.3 to 2.5gpm. The SG7 is adjustable from 1.3 to 8.0gpm for high volume snow making. Click here for a quick compare.

Absolutely! Click here to watch our demonstration video to see how easy it is to set up a SAH™ snowmaking system.

In order to make snow you need freezing weather conditions, there is no way around this. Click Here to view our snowmaking weather chart and weather tool to determine if snowmaking is possible where you live.

I live in a warm climate area and want to make snow, what are my options?

Many warm areas still experience a few nights of freezing temperatures. As we say here at SAH, "It only takes one cold night to make a big pile of snow at home." We recommend using our SAH Weather Tool to determine how many nights you could have made snow in the past to see if it is possible to make snow in your area. Unfortunately any snow maker we talk about on the web site will not work when the temperature is above freezing. There are very few options when it comes to making real snow in warm weather. The only method we know of is basically a process of shaving ice. Click here to see a company that does this process.

Compressor Ratings have gotten very confusing lately with a shift in the industry trying to standardize market. With that in mind we don't feel we could explain it any better than this article by Richard J Kinch. Click Here to read his article.

What is the difference between internal and external mix snow makers, and which one makes more snow?

Internal mix snow makers operate by mixing compressed air and water inside the plumbing of the snow maker. This design does work but it has its drawbacks. One of the issues with this design is maintaining the air and water pressure balance to keep an even flow of water coming out of the snowmaker. This issue causes a reduction in efficiency. Another problem is the likelihood of having water flow back into the airline and doing permanent damage to your air compressor. Internal mix free plan designs can be found here.

External mix snow makers mix air and water outside the body of the snowmaker. This design eliminates most of the problems associated with internal mixing. External mixing completely eliminates the issue of water entering the air line because they are not connected. External mixing also utilizes the water and air more efficiently (less energy). The SNOWatHOME™ line of snowmakers and E-Type free plan design are all external mix designs.

Why can't you make snow by just spraying water in the air?

In order for water droplets to freeze in the air the droplets need something for ice crystals to cling to known as a "nuclei". When water is sprayed into a frozen environment typically you will find the water will not freeze until it makes contact with the ground. When a nuclei is added to the water droplet this creates the "trigger" or "seed" for the water to freeze before it hits the ground. The SG6 and SG7 snowmakers are equipped with their own nucleation producer. The bottom nozzle in conjunction with the compressed air creates the nuclei for the upper misting nozzles. It is possible however to make snow with water alone. Some very cold weather ski areas use a method of making snow with high pressure water and a nuclei additive to the water. These specialized snowmakers need conditions that are very cold, and the snow maker is kept high above the ground.

Making snow at home is more difficult for two reasons. The water supply that ski areas draw from is typically a shallow pond that is around 34 to 36deg. Simply put, the lower your water temperature the closer your water is to freezing. Home water temperature can be anywhere from 40 to 68deg. The SG line of snowmakers are specifically designed to operate with these higher temperatures. Second are the resources ski areas operate with. Air water guns use anywhere from 15 to 80 gallons per minute and require massive amounts of compressed air per snow gun to operate. The standard outdoor water spigot on a home produces under 10 gallons per minute and most homes do not have industrial compressors available. The SG line of snowmakers are specifically designed to operate with standard home water supply, small compressor and small and commercial sized pressure washers.

 

I am interested in selling SAH Products

 

If I had a dollar for every person I told about your snowmakers...

If you own our snowmaking equipment, no doubt someone has asked you where you bought it. No one can represent our products better than the people who actually use them. SAH has implemented an affiliate program as our way of saying Thank You. You can earn a commission on everyone you send to the web site to purchase our products not to mention save them money in the process!

Do you love making snow? Your attitude, just like the SNOWatHOME phenomenon is contagious. Visit your town offices. Wouldn't it be nice to have a town sledding hill for the kids over winter vacation? How about local businesses who may want to purchase one for promotional events. Are your local schools or Parks and Rec department interested in running a "Learn to Ski/Snowboard" program? Community Centers, Youth Organizations, Boys and Girls Clubs... the more you think about it, the more applications and potential customers you can find.

Find more information on our SAH Affiliate program here.

I own a retail store and would like to sell SAH products.

If you own retail outlet and would like to carry SNOWatHOME products, we have two options available.
- If you are unable to stock inventory, we have Affiliate programs structured just for retailers.View more information on our SAH Affiliate program here.
- If you would like to maximize your profit potential, we offer low minimum order quantities to get you started. Email affiliate@snowathome.com for a dealer application and more information.

I would like to become a distributor.

Please contact affiliate@snowathome.com for more information.

 

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