To make real snow, you will need an air compressor and pressure washer (with most setups). To reduce your overall cost, it’s best to purchase these items at your local hardware stores such as Home Depot, Lowes, or online. Backyard Snowstorm’s equipment recommendations are based on personal use and high customer ratings.
Both air compressors and pressure washers come in residential and commercial grade quality. We recommend residential grade equipment if you plan to make snow a few times a year. Commercial grade equipment is best for marathon snowmakers hoping to make snow heavily during the season.
Pressure Washers
Pressure washers are required for the Forecaster, Cold Front, and Snow Cannon Snow Guns. Here are the most important factors to consider when choosing your pressure washer:
- GPM Rating - The GPM rating will indicate how much water will flow through the pressure washer. With snowmaking, more water will equal more snow produced!
- Quality - Pressure washers can be low or high-quality depending on the type of motor and pump used. Higher-quality equipment will last longer and handle more snowmaking use.
- Noise - This is something to consider depending on your setup. Induction motors are nearly silent compared to residential brush motors. We would always recommend Induction motors if you're worried about noise!
- Power Type - The two main types of pressure washers are electric and gas-powered. For home snowmaking, we recommend electric for most setups.
Top Pressure Washer Recommendation
Our top pressure washer recommendation is the IDM 2.1 GPM pressure washer. This pressure washer is commercial grade and designed for marathon snowmaking sessions. It features an induction motor (nearly silent) and a triplex pump rated for commercial use. It's also the largest pressure washer that will work on standard 120V USA outlets. This unit will make ~2" per hour in a 15'x30' area with the Forecaster Snow Gun.
Residential Pressure Washers
These electric pressure washers will work great to get started! Residential pressure washers will be less durable than commercial grade pressure washers but should last for 1-2 years of use. These options are usually only 1-2 GPM at 110V. If you pair these cheaper units with a train system you can still get high output at a lower cost. Visit our Train Packages for more info.
Commercial 120V Pressure Washers
These pressure washers will be the highest quality pressure washers that can still run on a standard USA 120V outlet. Commercial pressure washers are our recommendation for the best snowmaking experience. The heart of the system is water so investing long term in your pump is the best call. These pressure washers will last for years of heavy use and simplify your system long term.
Commercial 230V+ Pressure Washers
230V pressure washers open up higher GPM ratings and can produce more snow for you're setup. These pressure washers are typically between 2-5 GPM and are almost always commercial grade. If you're serious about snowmaking and want to invest in a heavy duty setup, these pressure washers get the job done.
Air Compressors
An Air Compressor is required will all snow guns. Here are the most important factors to consider when choosing your pressure washer:
- CFM Rating @ 90 PSI - The most important factor is how much air the compressor can output. This rating is essential to check and needs to be above 5 CFM @ 90 PSI. You can use a larger compressor, but it will not improve quality or performance. Our recommendation is a compressor between 5-7 CFM @ 90 PSI.
- Noise - This is a consideration depending on your setup. However, compressors that reduce overall noise are great for snowmaking so your neighbors stay happy!
- Quality - Compressors also have different quality grades. For the most part, residential compressors that meet the CFM requirement will work great. If you want to upgrade to something that will stand the test of time, then induction motor and cast iron pumps are a good option.
Residential Air Compressors
These air compressors are rated for residential use and work great! Our team recommends these compressors and we use them regularly to make snow. Residential compressors are slightly less durable than commercial compressors, but they last for a few years.
Commercial Air Compressors
These air compressors are rated for more heavy duty use and will stand the test of time. Usually these options are oil lubricated and have more industrial components.
Hoses + Fittings
If you use your own or other equipment models, you will need to make sure you have the hoses and quick connections needed to connect this equipment to the Forecaster or Cold Front Snow Gun. These snow guns come built with a standard 3/8" male quick connection water inlet. The air compressor connection is a standard 1/4" industrial male quick connection.
Backyard Snowstorm recommends rubber hoses for best use in cold temperatures. A rubber garden hose, air hose and pressure washer hose are preferred for ease of use in these conditions. Backyard Snowstorm packages includes rubber hoses for this reason, and an adapter fitting pack to connect to any of the recommended pressure washers on this page.