I used 3 "Amazing Snowman" snowmachines in 2007. Here is the recipe I used for creating home made snow juice, instead of buying the expensive stuff. As always, use common sense here.. And use at your own risk. I take no responsibility for any damages to property, machines, lawn, individuals, animals, lights, wiring, eletricity or persons. Use the following at your own risk. 8)
I tested a few recipe's, and this is what worked for me:
8 oz dish soap
8 oz 70% Alcohol
1 gal Distilled Water {{ MUST USE DISTILLED WATER }}
There are several recipe's floating around... Here is what I have found with my machines.. Some people use Mr bubble bath soap... That didn't work well for me. Made alot of mess and residue, the "snow" didn't fly up as much, or as far away from the machine. Dish soap worked best for me. I used Ajax brand, only because it was the cheapest at Walmart.... 64oz for like $2.97.
I also tried the Lander (Walmart) brand bubble bath, and got even worse results. I'm assuming its because they contain moisturizers and lotions, which weigh down the foam? I dunno... The dish soap left almost zero residue, and worked out well.
I tried without the Alcohol, and the foam seemed a lot heavier and less "fluffy" -- Maybe I'm crazy? But its really cheap at 32oz for $1.50'ish, so it was no big deal to add it. Plus I do feel it actually did something. Some people say you need to use the green alcohol...? I saw NO DIFFERENCE between the wintergreen, and the clear... except smell and price. Otherwise they seemed exactly the same to me in the end. *Warning: too much and it will stink up your yard...
The important part is the distilled water. Tap water, even filtered, has impurities in it, that over time will almost certainly hurt your snow machine, its pump and any parts that come in contact with the liquid solution. The distilled water is only $0.65 a gallon at Walmart, and will help keep your machine running longer without the need for major service. USE DISTILLED WATER.
I ran though many GALLONS of this stuff during the 2007 season - about 1.5+ gallons per night, and no problems to speak of. The machines like it better when the solution is warmer vs when its colder... I tried some cheap submersible aquarium heaters from Walmart - they prevented the solution from freezing, but never "warmed" it up.. Maybe the larger heaters would work better? Food for thought. It was well documented on another forum, that around 40 degrees F and below, the snow machines don't seem to pump the solution, or turn it in to foam quickly enough. Many people use heaters of one sort or another. I tried some 2-5 gallon aquarium heaters to heat my 1 gallon containers for each of the 3 snowmen, but I personally don't think the solution ever got "warm" vs "not freezing" when we got to near and below 32F. If I tried the heaters again, I'd probably try the 10 gallon variety and see what happens.. FYI.
NOTE: I did NOT invent this recipe, and take no credit for it. Since I do NOT know who originally figured out the recipe, I will simply thank ALL those that came before me. It was their hard work and efforts that made this possible... Like many others in the DIY community... their labors, and efforts are what make many of the things we do today - possible. THANK YOU.
I tested a few recipe's, and this is what worked for me:
8 oz dish soap
8 oz 70% Alcohol
1 gal Distilled Water {{ MUST USE DISTILLED WATER }}
There are several recipe's floating around... Here is what I have found with my machines.. Some people use Mr bubble bath soap... That didn't work well for me. Made alot of mess and residue, the "snow" didn't fly up as much, or as far away from the machine. Dish soap worked best for me. I used Ajax brand, only because it was the cheapest at Walmart.... 64oz for like $2.97.
I also tried the Lander (Walmart) brand bubble bath, and got even worse results. I'm assuming its because they contain moisturizers and lotions, which weigh down the foam? I dunno... The dish soap left almost zero residue, and worked out well.
I tried without the Alcohol, and the foam seemed a lot heavier and less "fluffy" -- Maybe I'm crazy? But its really cheap at 32oz for $1.50'ish, so it was no big deal to add it. Plus I do feel it actually did something. Some people say you need to use the green alcohol...? I saw NO DIFFERENCE between the wintergreen, and the clear... except smell and price. Otherwise they seemed exactly the same to me in the end. *Warning: too much and it will stink up your yard...
The important part is the distilled water. Tap water, even filtered, has impurities in it, that over time will almost certainly hurt your snow machine, its pump and any parts that come in contact with the liquid solution. The distilled water is only $0.65 a gallon at Walmart, and will help keep your machine running longer without the need for major service. USE DISTILLED WATER.
I ran though many GALLONS of this stuff during the 2007 season - about 1.5+ gallons per night, and no problems to speak of. The machines like it better when the solution is warmer vs when its colder... I tried some cheap submersible aquarium heaters from Walmart - they prevented the solution from freezing, but never "warmed" it up.. Maybe the larger heaters would work better? Food for thought. It was well documented on another forum, that around 40 degrees F and below, the snow machines don't seem to pump the solution, or turn it in to foam quickly enough. Many people use heaters of one sort or another. I tried some 2-5 gallon aquarium heaters to heat my 1 gallon containers for each of the 3 snowmen, but I personally don't think the solution ever got "warm" vs "not freezing" when we got to near and below 32F. If I tried the heaters again, I'd probably try the 10 gallon variety and see what happens.. FYI.
NOTE: I did NOT invent this recipe, and take no credit for it. Since I do NOT know who originally figured out the recipe, I will simply thank ALL those that came before me. It was their hard work and efforts that made this possible... Like many others in the DIY community... their labors, and efforts are what make many of the things we do today - possible. THANK YOU.
Us texans have to settle for the foamy soapy stuff 