How to Make More Snow Without Sacrificing Snow Quality

Once you have the basics of snowmaking down, the next question is often simple: How can I make more snow?

Increasing snow production isn't just about buying a larger snow gun or turning up the water. The amount of snow you can make depends on several factors, including your water supply, the capacity of your snow gun, and the equipment you use to deliver that water.

GPM Is the Key to Snow Production

One of the biggest factors affecting snow production is water flow, measured in gallons per minute (GPM).

In general, the more water you can successfully process through a snow gun, the more snow you can produce. This is why larger snow guns, such as the Cold Front, are designed to handle significantly more water than smaller systems.

However, your snow gun can only make use of the water that you can actually supply to it.

Start With Your Water Supply

For most homeowners, the first limitation to consider is the water supply available at the house.

An average residential home can typically provide up to about 6 GPM of water. That is enough water to take the Forecaster snow gun to its maximum capacity.

If you're using a Forecaster and have access to around 6 GPM, you've already reached the point where your home's water supply can support the full capacity of that snow gun.

But what happens if you want to make more snow than that?

You need more water.

Making More Than 6 GPM

If you have a Cold Front or want to operate multiple snow guns, you may need more than the 6 GPM that a typical residential water supply can provide.

At that point, increasing your snow production requires finding an additional water source.

One option is to team up with a neighbor. If two homes can each provide around 6 GPM, you could potentially have access to approximately 12 GPM of water.

Other setups may have access to a different water source capable of supplying the additional flow needed for higher-production snowmaking.

The important thing to understand is that water supply becomes the limiting factor. If you want to make more than 6 inches of snow per hour but only have enough water for 6 GPM, adding a higher-capacity snow gun won't solve the problem. You need to increase your available water supply first.

Match Your Water Flow to Your Snow Gun

Every snow gun has a range of water flow that it is designed to handle.

The Forecaster can be expanded up to 6 GPM, making it a great option for homeowners who have access to the typical maximum residential water supply.

The Cold Front is designed for significantly higher water flow and can handle up to 10 GPM.

This gives you room to increase production as your water supply and equipment allow.

The key is to match the snow gun to the amount of water you can actually provide. A larger snow gun does not automatically produce more snow if there isn't enough water available to run it at its intended capacity.

Using Multiple Snow Guns

Another way to increase total snow production is to use multiple snow guns.

Instead of trying to push all of your available water through a single snow gun, multiple snow guns can allow you to cover a larger area and increase your overall production.

For example, if you have access to enough water to support multiple systems, you can run more than one snow gun at the same time. Train systems can also be expanded as you add additional equipment and increase your available water supply.

This can be especially useful when your goal isn't just to make more snow, but to build snow over a larger area.

More Water Means More Potential Snow

The relationship between water flow and snow production is one of the most important concepts to understand when expanding a backyard snowmaking setup.

If your conditions are right and your equipment is properly matched to your water supply, increasing GPM gives you the ability to produce more snow.

That's why it's important to think about your setup as you expand.

If you're currently making snow with a Little Cloud, moving to a Forecaster can increase your production. If you've reached the Forecaster's 6 GPM capacity and want to go further, the next step isn't simply a larger snow gun—it may mean finding a way to supply more water.

Once you have enough water available, a Cold Front or multiple snow guns can take advantage of that additional flow.

Plan Your Expansion Around Your Water Supply

The easiest way to think about increasing snow production is to start with the water.

Before upgrading your snow gun or adding another system, determine how much water you can actually provide.

• Up to about 6 GPM: A typical residential water supply can support a Forecaster at full capacity.
• More than 6 GPM: You'll need an additional water source or another way to increase your available flow.
• Up to 10 GPM: A Cold Front can take advantage of higher water flow.
• More than 10 GPM: Multiple snow guns or expanded train systems can allow you to put additional water to work.

The goal is to make sure your water supply, snow gun, and supporting equipment are all capable of handling the amount of snow you want to produce.

If you want to make significantly more snow, solve the water-supply limitation first. Once you have enough water available, you can choose the snowmaking equipment that will put that water to work.