skierinvermont Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 So the last year or two I've tried making snow using a garden hose. It hasn't worked well in the past but tonight was the coldest I've done it and there were some faint signs of success. My set up is basically a 10 foot wooden poll that I've duck taped the hose to and a garden spray nozzle. I'm resting it against the railing on the back steps and extending it out into the air off the side of the steps so that the nozzle is a good 12 feet off the ground and spraying slightly upwards and to the side. I've got the nozzle on the finest setting which is basically a mist although some parts of the mist are not as fine as others. I'm using two hose segments which I'm running out of well in the basement. Apparently, pure water doesn't freeze until around -80F which is why real snowmakers mix something into their water that begins the crystallization process. Water needs something solid to begin to form its lattice structure on, or it won't freeze until -80F. I figure my water is not completely pure, it is well water so it is bound to have some minerals and things mixed in. So maybe it will freeze if it is cold enough. I had tried it at 20-25F a couple times before and all I produced was ice on the ground. The water doesn't freeze in the air but then freezes as soon as it hits. Then a week or two ago I did it at 16-18F and I noticed that some of the ice buildup on the steps was not clear hard ice, but soft enough that I could scrape it with my fingernails. Well tonight the thermometer is saying 0F (although I think it might be off a little and it is more like 2-4F) so it is much colder than in the past. Tonight I had a little bit of success. The first thing I noticed was that the finest mist that was getting blown around glimmered in the light so I was pretty sure that was frozen. Then when I came back a couple hours later there was some snow-like accretion on the railing to the steps which I could brush off lightly with my hands. The steps themselves were more icy but it was pretty easy to scrape the accretion off into a white snow-like powder. The pictures are below, so judge for yourselves. What formed under the main stream where the least fine mist was falling was ice as usual. I plan on trying again tomorrow night since I am hopeful temperatures will be an additional 4-8F cooler than they were tonight. I also plan on adding an additional hose length to my hose to allow the water to chill more outside before it is sprayed. I also plan to extend the poll an additional 5 feet if possible to get it higher up in the air and allow for more hang time. Here are the pics so far: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40/70 Benchmark Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 :weenie: :weenie: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthlight Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 :weenie: :weenie: This thread deserves about 500 of these Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40/70 Benchmark Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 This thread deserves about 500 of these 600 for making this thread at party-hour late on a Sat night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skierinvermont Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 600 for making this thread at party-hour late on a Sat night. well not quite a party but I have had a few in celebration of this epic success Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 well not quite a party but I have had a few in celebration of this epic success Man, this garden hose snowmaker accompanied by drinking is really the definition of EPIC FAIL Pictures do look cool though, and congrats on hitting 0F for the second time this winter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Considering the rate of snow produced.......... it seems logical to assume that, by Winter's end, the neighborhood mice MIGHT have a pile of snow to sled/ski on............!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I made snow with a cup of hot water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpickett79 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 im gonna try my luck with cold water (35f 'ish) in a mist spray bottle. i think the seperation of the water molecules via (spray bottle) will help. let's see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I don't think anything is added except compressed air Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeVries Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 :weenie: :weenie: But the guy put a lot of hard work into this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tropopause_Fold Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I don't think anything is added except compressed air yeah. in your backyard variety...all you need is a good air compressor, a garden hose and a simple brass plumbing "t" actually works pretty darn well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 yeah. in your backyard variety...all you need is a good air compressor, a garden hose and a simple brass plumbing "t" actually works pretty darn well Todd Gross FTW http://www.toddgross.com/todd_gross_new_england_we/2010/12/snowmaking-at-home.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skierinvermont Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 FAILURE the hoses froze. I added a hose length and fixed a leak from the night before. I think that slowed the flow down and added time for chilling. Even though it's still 5F warmer than last night, the hose froze solid. It also could have been some sand or ice from the night before clogged the nozzle. I'm really pissed.. I had it set up great tonight. I've got it nearly 20 feet in the air now because I added a 6 foot segment to the pole. The extra hose length was going to help the water chill more and it was supposed to be 5F colder than last night. I was feeling really confident about tonight but I guess I over did it. Sad thing is I could wait years or a decade even to see -5F here again. Hopefully we get another cold shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loafnut Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 FAILURE the hoses froze. I added a hose length and fixed a leak from the night before. I think that slowed the flow down and added time for chilling. Even though it's still 5F warmer than last night, the hose froze solid. It also could have been some sand or ice from the night before clogged the nozzle. I'm really pissed.. I had it set up great tonight. I've got it nearly 20 feet in the air now because I added a 6 foot segment to the pole. The extra hose length was going to help the water chill more and it was supposed to be 5F colder than last night. I was feeling really confident about tonight but I guess I over did it. Sad thing is I could wait years or a decade even to see -5F here again. Hopefully we get another cold shot. Its not going to work until you add compressed air to the hose stream. As was mentioned above, that's all the pro's use. Its not the temperature that is the problem. Get and air compressor and a T joint and you will be making much more snow at much higher temperatures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Sad thing is I could wait years or a decade even to see -5F here again. Hopefully we get another cold shot. 0z GFS has -20C 850s in here again next weekend, looks similar to 12z ECM. I bet you see 2-3 more extremely cold nights especially given your radiating ability in a rural area... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skierinvermont Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 Its not going to work until you add compressed air to the hose stream. As was mentioned above, that's all the pro's use. Its not the temperature that is the problem. Get and air compressor and a T joint and you will be making much more snow at much higher temperatures. Yeah I know.. I just wanted to see if I could do it. Also don't want to spend any money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teleskier_vt Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 One thing you could try is hooking your hose to the hot water side of things. It seems a bit counter intuitive, but it might work better. Chemically speaking, snow is formed from water vapor turning directly into a solid, not just liquid water freezing. When you spray hot water into the air, you can get a brief shot of solubility increase in the slightly warmer air around the hot water, as the warm air dissolves more water vapor than cold air. As this now more saturated air quickly cools back off (solubility of water decreases), you may get some nice flake creation, all be it small flakes. So if you can quickly get water to get closer or into the vapor state, you will get some crystal growth, rather than just small frozen drops of water. The hot water and the really cold air helps accomplish this. Good luck, it looks like there will be some more cold weather coming for us Vermonters! Yeah I know.. I just wanted to see if I could do it. Also don't want to spend any money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper911 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Gotta hand it to you for trying! Here is another fun thing to do when it's this cold out: Get a bottle of bubbles (the kind with the ring thing inside.) Bundle up, go outside, and blow the bubbles high into the air. In a second or two, they will freeze solid (they turn white right before your eyes), and then they shatter and sprinkle the crystals down. I do this with my students and it is cool as hell. They talk about it for months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Analog96 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Gotta hand it to you for trying! Here is another fun thing to do when it's this cold out: Get a bottle of bubbles (the kind with the ring thing inside.) Bundle up, go outside, and blow the bubbles high into the air. In a second or two, they will freeze solid (they turn white right before your eyes), and then they shatter and sprinkle the crystals down. I do this with my students and it is cool as hell. They talk about it for months. How cold does it have to be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skierinvermont Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 One thing you could try is hooking your hose to the hot water side of things. It seems a bit counter intuitive, but it might work better. Chemically speaking, snow is formed from water vapor turning directly into a solid, not just liquid water freezing. When you spray hot water into the air, you can get a brief shot of solubility increase in the slightly warmer air around the hot water, as the warm air dissolves more water vapor than cold air. As this now more saturated air quickly cools back off (solubility of water decreases), you may get some nice flake creation, all be it small flakes. So if you can quickly get water to get closer or into the vapor state, you will get some crystal growth, rather than just small frozen drops of water. The hot water and the really cold air helps accomplish this. Good luck, it looks like there will be some more cold weather coming for us Vermonters! Excellent thinking! I don't think I will be able to get hot water but maybe I will stop trying to use more hose lengths to chill it. On the other hand, it may be that hot water works well because of the evaporation and then condensation of the hot water into crystals, and ice cold at 33F water works well because it's so cold that it is able to freeze before the ground, but 40F water is just no good because it doesn't do either. That would take some experimentation. Gotta hand it to you for trying! Here is another fun thing to do when it's this cold out: Get a bottle of bubbles (the kind with the ring thing inside.) Bundle up, go outside, and blow the bubbles high into the air. In a second or two, they will freeze solid (they turn white right before your eyes), and then they shatter and sprinkle the crystals down. I do this with my students and it is cool as hell. They talk about it for months. That sounds awesome! I have this thing that makes 10-20 foot long bubbles.. I should try it with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper911 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 How cold does it have to be? Single digits is best, and I always try to do it first thing in the morning when there is no wind. And also in the shade. I have done it with temps in the teens, with mixed results. It is really all about getting the right kind of bubbles, because some work better than others. I am always on the hunt for them, and I have found that they are more commonly available during the summer months. Definitely a great thing to do with kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Single digits is best, and I always try to do it first thing in the morning when there is no wind. And also in the shade. I have done it with temps in the teens, with mixed results. It is really all about getting the right kind of bubbles, because some work better than others. I am always on the hunt for them, and I have found that they are more commonly available during the summer months. Definitely a great thing to do with kids. Just tried it at 5.1F. Did not work. Does the bubble stuff need to be at a certain temp? I will try again later. I also teach middle school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eekuasepinniW Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sankaty Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Single digits is best, and I always try to do it first thing in the morning when there is no wind. And also in the shade. I have done it with temps in the teens, with mixed results. It is really all about getting the right kind of bubbles, because some work better than others. I am always on the hunt for them, and I have found that they are more commonly available during the summer months. Definitely a great thing to do with kids. Just tried this and it worked exactly as you described. So cool! Thanks for sharing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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