Snow machines, which utilize various means in order to produce frozen precipitate similar to real snow, range in complexity from a simple two part assembly to a vast assembly run by computers. All snow machines regardless of design require two things: An adequate water supply and a temperature below freezing. If these conditions aren’t met then any time invested is a miscalculated effort.
The easiest snow machine to make is using a common garden hose and a nozzle to disperse water into the air. Going the next step and using a high pressure washing machine will mimic a real snow machine nozzle by injecting air into the system and further separating the water droplets and making them more susceptible to freezing. The higher this system is placed in the air, the greater time the separated water droplets have to freeze before finding their way back to the earth.
With the above snow machine, the only thing differing from a real snow nozzle is the injection of particulates into the works. Whether it is dust or ice crystals, these particles will form the core of the artificial snow – giving the water something to latch onto and crystallize to, rather than leaving it to the air to freeze into little granulated ice balls. Typically this process is done by running a second line up to the nozzle’s end, and injecting the spray with high pressure air filled with particles.
Unfortunately for any of these methods, real snow will not be achieved by this or other processes. Instead, the snow created will be tiny balls or chunks of ice. Ice in this manner is similar to snow except that it is more likely to turn into sheet ice under less compression. As a powder substance, this form of snow will also be slick and easier to drift into piles.
More complicated forms of snow machines can be made by using several hoses that fire against one another, these hoses carrying water and high pressure air, before being dispersed into the air and separated by using large fans. This method of snow distribution requires a power source and a lot of precise interactions of water and air, before finally blowing them out. Fortunately this design will allow the snow to form at a faster pace without staying in the air for a long time. Other designs require the water particles to be suspended for longer in order to freeze in a timely manner, otherwise super chilled water will be more likely to freeze on the ground as solid ice, and not as artificial snow.
