Help with determining snowmaking water cost and other costs for a backyard terrain park this winter

Honey_Badger

Honey_Badger

Member
i have decided to start snowmaking this year for a backyard terrain park, and i was wondering how to reduce the water cost. i read something about getting a second meter for water, but i don't really understand how it works exactly. for information I live in Washington DC and here is the link to the water cost:https://www.dcwater.com/customercare/rates.cfm

i will be using two snowmakers (http://www.snowathome.com/our_products/SNOPRO_Snowmaker.php), two 1.58 gpm pressure washers and two air compressors because i want to be able to output a good amount of snow so that i wont have to rely on the weather which is very unpredictable. (http://www.homedepot.com/p/AR-Blue-Clean-1600-PSI-1-58-GPM-Electric-Pressure-Washer-with-Total-Stop-System-112/203230213) so it is 189.6 gallons a hour for both snowmakers. i believe that i would need certain hoses so that they don't freeze, where is a good place to buy them cheaply? i also have a friend in on this , but he is wanting to spend the least amount necessary. so all money tips are welcomed.

if this is the wrong place to post please tell me, i am still pretty new here. thanks!
 
no one on here can answer this for you unless they have done this is your neighborhood. You need to call up the water provider and figure out if you need a new tap on the main, if you can tee off the existing service, how much the new service fee will be, how much annual water costs will be, does the water company do construction or is it on the developer, lead times for the construction, estimated daily water usage, is recycled water available etc, etc.

All of this varies by water company/municipality and sometimes even by neighborhood. you need to do your own due diligence. Or you could pay me to do it, i do it for a living actually. I charge $45/hour (with no overhead or insurance).
 
13505958:californiagrown said:
no one on here can answer this for you unless they have done this is your neighborhood. You need to call up the water provider and figure out if you need a new tap on the main, if you can tee off the existing service, how much the new service fee will be, how much annual water costs will be, does the water company do construction or is it on the developer, lead times for the construction, estimated daily water usage, is recycled water available etc, etc.

All of this varies by water company/municipality and sometimes even by neighborhood. you need to do your own due diligence. Or you could pay me to do it, i do it for a living actually. I charge $45/hour (with no overhead or insurance).
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thank you for the info. i did not specify enough my bad. what i was wondering is what is the difference between the different water sources(water rate, sewer rate) and which source would outdoor water(like for a hose) come from? i am guessing it is sewer rate but i am unsure. thanks for the help man.
 
13505961:Bootyhunter said:
thank you for the info. i did not specify enough my bad. what i was wondering is what is the difference between the different water sources(water rate, sewer rate) and which source would outdoor water(like for a hose) come from? i am guessing it is sewer rate but i am unsure. thanks for the help man.
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Your house will likely have 1 domestic water connection, on 1 meter. Look at your water bill for the rate. Maybe you have a separate unmetered irrigation connection. Sewer has nothing to do with it. youd be pulling from the domestic connection most likely, or maybe from the unmetered irrigation connection, or metered irrigation connection.

Id need to see plans for your house or go out and take a look around to tell you what is going on.

Basically, look at your water bill to figure out your rate, then figure out your monthly water usage from snowmaking equipment + upfront cost of equipment and boom you have your numbers.
 
13506412:b_rend said:
If there is a pond or lake near your house you could use the water from there.
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no there is not sadly T___T i live in DC in the suburbs.

13506422:Mr.noodle said:
Connect a hose to your neighbor's faucet thing out side there house so then it's free
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that made me laugh good one, but then i would be in for some legal trouble.
 
shit is expensive. I know at my local mountain its like $2500 as soon as they flip the switch for the guns, but a backyard setup is a much smaller scale.
 
There's not really special hoses to use to keep from freezing up. You'll just have to drain your lines when you're done blowing. The biggest thing with snowmaking is the wet bulb temperature and wind direction. Where Im at theres usually a quick spike at night in the temps and the winds are always shifting. Always a good idea to check on your guns. If you shine a light on your plume coming out and theres a rainbow, its either too warm to blow, or theres too much water in your mixture. I could nerd out on snowmaking if you want me to. Drop me a PM if theres anything else you want to know.
 
13506653:humpty said:
shit is expensive. I know at my local mountain its like $2500 as soon as they flip the switch for the guns, but a backyard setup is a much smaller scale.
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If snowmakin was that cheap your lift ticket would cost $30
 
Honestly I would recommend making a good drop in regardless of what you're doing. Unless you have a huge hill and are just trying to coat it. Even then, a little speed a the top never hurts. If you're building any kind of jump, some sort of frame even just burying some logs, etc wouldn't hurt.

Even if you're making snow, on the scale you're trying to make it, don't rely on it. Obviously you need snow to ski, but try to keep it as much for the surface as possible.

Anything you need to fill in, to flatten out a spot, or build up like jumps or drop ins, will waste snow fast.

If it's not that expensive, and you're able to get the yield to do it, by all means make a fuck ton of snow and build a mountain in your yard.

I'm just saying look into keeping as much built as you can. Also in that situation, you can have a totally framed out setup, that you only need to coat. You can blow your snow in a thick pile, tarp it off against whether, and then shovel whatever you need onto your drop in as you go. IF you get rained out or a gnarly warm spell, just snag some snow from your pile versus having everything you've made exposed.

Again, if you have an awesome natural landscape for building, or can blow a ton of snow, that's cool, just giving my 2 cents on what I would shoot for if I were in your shoes.
 
How do you plan to work the snow? Man made piles get hard as fuck, and even if you manage to spread it out, you'll be skiing on ice in a matter of days if you don't groom it.
 
How do you plan to work the snow? Man made piles get hard as fuck, and even if you manage to spread it out, you'll be skiing on ice in a matter of days if you don't groom it.
 
13507162:theabortionator said:
Honestly I would recommend making a good drop in regardless of what you're doing. Unless you have a huge hill and are just trying to coat it. Even then, a little speed a the top never hurts. If you're building any kind of jump, some sort of frame even just burying some logs, etc wouldn't hurt.

Even if you're making snow, on the scale you're trying to make it, don't rely on it. Obviously you need snow to ski, but try to keep it as much for the surface as possible.

Anything you need to fill in, to flatten out a spot, or build up like jumps or drop ins, will waste snow fast.

If it's not that expensive, and you're able to get the yield to do it, by all means make a fuck ton of snow and build a mountain in your yard.

I'm just saying look into keeping as much built as you can. Also in that situation, you can have a totally framed out setup, that you only need to coat. You can blow your snow in a thick pile, tarp it off against whether, and then shovel whatever you need onto your drop in as you go. IF you get rained out or a gnarly warm spell, just snag some snow from your pile versus having everything you've made exposed.

Again, if you have an awesome natural landscape for building, or can blow a ton of snow, that's cool, just giving my 2 cents on what I would shoot for if I were in your shoes.
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yeah thank you so much for the advice. im thinking of building a wooden skateboard-like jump to put snow on top of.

13507184:Jibberino said:
How do you plan to work the snow? Man made piles get hard as fuck, and even if you manage to spread it out, you'll be skiing on ice in a matter of days if you don't groom it.
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i am probably gonna use a asphalt lute to groom it. thank you for the input.
 
13507532:californiagrown said:
How much are you estimating the equipment costs to be?
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i decided on getting just one snowmaker and it's around at least $700 for the equipment. for the water with a 1.58 gpm pressure washer to use it for 8 hours at night for 20 nights would cost $62.49. also how would i install a freezeproof faucet? would i have to knock through the wall to sauter?
 
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