Brad Panovich shows you how to make it snow in your backyard

BEECH MOUNTAIN, N.C. — As a kid, I grew up loving snow. That's why I got into meteorology.

So about 11 years ago, I built my first snow gun, and then about eight years ago, I upgraded to my combo gun.

I've been able to make snow in my backyard for fun but also for the science of what it's like to make snow.

The combo gun combines air and moisture inside a chamber and by decompressing it, ice crystals form and then fall to the ground.

So here's the cool science part. We're taking air and water from my air compressor in a power washer and we're mixing it together in a chamber, but there are some key parts of the snow gun.

The top two nozzles are shooting out supercooled water from the pressure washer but it's the bottom nozzle that is the nucleation nozzle. 

The nucleation nozzle allows for the water particles which are cold and floating in an artificial cloud to collide and form ice crystals and fall to the ground as snow

Now as cool as this is, I wanted to talk to the professionals. The folks up at Beech Mountain have one of the most amazing snowmaking systems in all of the southeast. They just recently upgraded it, and I talked to their general manager about just how cool it is to make snow in the North Carolina mountains.

RELATED: Panovich: The truth about the white Christmas hype in Charlotte

"We have expanded our water-holding and our uphill capacity by close to 75% on the capacity up the hill, and the water holding's probably not that large, closer to 25% or maybe even a little bit more than that, [like] 30," Ryan Costin is the general manager at Beech Mountain Resort said.

Unlike me who has to move everything around manually and watched the weather diligently, they have their whole system completely automated. 

"There's set points on those guns, so soon as they have water pressure and they meet a certain temperature, they start to engage the water," Coslin explained. "The hydrant will automatically start to open with an actuator and the water starts going to the fan. They have an on-board compressor so they're generating their own air. We're not sending air to those units. And at that point in time, you know, then they're staged after they initially turn on with four different valve handles and as the temperature continues to go down, they start to ultimately receive more water at that point."

But waiting around for natural snow just doesn't cut it for the resorts in the southeast. They've got to take things into their own hands.

"You kind of see it through the mid-Atlantic as well," Coslin said. "We get the temperatures throughout the area. The issue really is kind of the temperatures lining up with the moisture at the same time. So what we're doing is supplementing the moisture."

If you want a great weekend project, here are the instructions on how you can build your own backyard snowmaker. It really is a cool project in a great science project to do with the kids. 

Parts List

• SAH™ Upper Misting Nozzles – QTY 2 available in Internal Design Nozzle Kit
• ¼” x 1/8” Bushing – QTY 3
• ¼” x 90 DEG elbow – QTY 2
• ¼” x 4” nipple – QTY 1
• ¼” x Tee – QTY 3
• ¼” close nipple – QTY 4
• 1/4” x 22mm p.w. adapter – QTY 1 available in Internal Design Nozzle Kit
• 1/4” mini ball valve – QTY 1
• 1/4” quick air connect – QTY 1
• SAH™ Air Nozzle – QTY 1 available in Internal Design Nozzle Kit
• Roll of Teflon tape
• Pressure washer extension hose with 22mm swivel connectors on both ends

Instructions

• To make building this design easier SNOWatHOME has put together an Internal Design Nozzle Kit. This kit was put together using our custom designed snowmaking nozzles.
• The package includes parts #1, #7 and #10 from the parts list. For more information on the importance of nozzle choice click here.
• You can purchase the remainder of plumbing parts listed above at most hardware or home improvement stores.
• Assemble the parts exactly as they are shown in the photo. All connections must have Teflon tape pipe sealer before final assembly.

How to operate it

1. First step is to check if the weather conditions are right for snowmaking. (Use SNOWatHOME’s Weather Tools)
2. Attach your SAH-SG2 Combo™ Snowmaker to something secure like a ladder or fence post. You can do this with large wire ties or metal hose clamps.
3. Connect the pressure washer hose to the 22mm pressure washer adapter on the snowmaker (At part #7) and to your pressure washer.
4. Connect the air hose from your compressor to the snowmaker using the quick connect fitting.(At part #9)
5. Connect a garden hose from your pressure washer to your water spigot.
6. Make sure the ball valve (part #8) on your snowmaker is closed and turn on the water.
7. Turn on your compressor
8. Turn on your pressure washer
9. You should now have high-pressure water coming out of the top two SAH™ Upper Misting Nozzles and air coming out of SAH™ Air Nozzle.
10. Open the ball valve slowly until you see a small amount of water enter the air stream. It is typical for you to get a pulsing flow, adjust the ball valve to get as steady of a stream as possible. Remember the valve should be opened a very small amount. You want mostly air coming out of the bottom nozzle.
11. If the weather conditions are right for snowmaking you should now be making snow

BRAD'S BLOG: Find out more about his process

Also, if you just want to go to the mountains and have them do it for you you can go to beechmountainresort.com they have sledding skiing great place to go get the snow even if we don't get some in Charlotte.