Types of Snowguns
Every snowgun does the same job: break water into droplets, seed them, and keep them in cold air long enough to freeze. They differ in how.
Air-Water Snowguns
An air-water snowgun, also called a compressed air snowgun or stick gun, uses compressed air to atomize water and make the nucleation mist. This is what nearly every home snowmaker runs.
Internal Mix
Air and water meet inside the gun, then leave through the nozzle together. The air shatters the water into a very fine mist. Internal mix makes strong nucleation and fine droplets, and it uses more air to do it. The SS - Nepaug IM and the nucleator in the SS - Garnet AI1 are internal mix.
External Mix
Air and water meet outside the gun. Water nozzles throw the bulk spray, and nucleator jets fire into it. Less air goes through the mixing, so it can run on less compressor.
Bulk Water Nozzles and Nucleators
Most snowguns have two kinds of outlets. Bulk water nozzles carry most of the water. The nucleator makes the ice-crystal seed cloud. Seed the bulk spray well and the big droplets freeze on contact instead of landing as rain.
Fan Guns
A fan gun uses a large electric fan to throw water and seed crystals a long way through the air. Fan guns are resort equipment: big, heavy, and power hungry. They make a lot of snow from a single spot.
Towers and Booms
Height is hang time. Mount an air-water head on a tower or boom and the droplets get more seconds in cold air before they land. At home, a few extra feet of height makes a real difference.
Which Is Right for a Home Snowmaking Setup?
An air-water snowgun with a good nucleator, run as high as you can mount it. It runs on a pressure washer or triplex pump and a compressor, and it is easy to fix. Compare the two Snowseed heads on the equipment page.