We’ve used a variety of bounce houses and the blowers required to operate them. This post covered all you need to know about Does A Bounce House Use A Lot Of Electricity? Want to throw a bounce house party but aren’t sure how much it will cost to run the blower for the entire day?
The good news is that, despite its size and tremendous noise, the blower uses very little electricity to operate. A medium-sized bounce house blower will cost approximately $0.16 per hour.
Electricity is required to operate bounce houses. The blower requires electricity to keep the device inflated for the period of the bounce house rental. Smaller bounce houses that are inflated once and then sealed are an exception. These are usually smaller indoor units intended for young children.
Based on the scale of the motor, different types of blowers will require more or less electricity. You may use some easy math to figure out how much electricity you’ll need and how much it’ll cost to run a jump house for an hour or a day.
Does A Bounce House Use A Lot Of Electricity?
Bounce houses, popularly used for recreational activities, especially among children, do require electricity for their operation.
The primary source of power for these inflatable structures is the blower, which pumps air to keep the bounce house inflated.
Most bounce houses come equipped with a blower rated for 115 volts, suitable for standard residential outlets.
The electricity consumption of a bounce house largely depends on the size of its blower. For instance:
- Small Bounce Houses: Typically use a 1 HP blower consuming around $0.13 per hour.
- Medium/Combo Bounce Houses: Require a 1.5 HP blower costing approximately $0.15 per hour.
- Large/Obstacle Bounce Houses: Need a 2 HP blower or even multiple blowers, with an electricity cost of about $0.22 per hour.
Safety is paramount. It’s recommended to use a dedicated 20 amp outlet for the blower to prevent circuit overloads.
If the bounce house is situated more than 100 feet from an outlet, a generator might be a more feasible power source. Always ensure the generator can adequately support the blower’s wattage requirements.
Is It Necessary To Plug-In Bounce Houses?
To inflate, bounce homes must be plugged in. All bounce houses, except small indoor kids, and toy bounce houses, will include a blower that must be plugged in to maintain the bounce house inflated.
The blower for the bounce house will require constant power and will be running all day the bounce house is in use.
Whether purchased or rented, most bouncy houses will come with a 115-volt blower. An 115V blower can be plugged into a standard home household socket.
If there isn’t an outlet accessible, the next best alternative is to utilize a generator to provide the necessary voltage.
The majority of folks will plug into an outside outlet outside their home and have no problems doing so. Most rental businesses will only let you utilize the one 50-foot extension cord.
As a result, the bounce house must be set up within 50 feet of an outlet. Although a 20-amp outlet is ideal, one tiny blower can easily run on a 15-amp outlet.
You may have some leeway with the restrictions if you’re putting together your own bounce house, but there are some preventative measures you should follow.
For anything more than 50 feet, I recommend utilizing a 12-gauge extension cord and a 20-amp outlet.
For anything under 50 feet, 14-gauge extension cords will suffice. A dedicated 20 amp outlet is preferable, although few homes have one on the outside.
A dedicated outlet implies that it is the only outlet on the circuit and has its breaker in your panel.
You won’t risk overloading the circuit if you disconnect anything else on the same circuit as the outlet you’re using for the blower.
In essence, it will be a dedicated circuit (that breaker will only be powering the blower).
An outside outlet is usually on the same circuit as other outdoor outlets and some garage outlets.
If you run other devices on the same circuit as the blower, you run the danger of overloading the circuit and tripping a breaker.
An electric air compressor, an electric smoker, and a bounce house blower, for example, could overload a circuit and trip the breaker.
Usage Of Bounce House Electricity
Most bounce house blowers are rated for 115 volts and 7 to 14 amps. If you’re using a 2HP 14 amp blower, you’ll be maxing out the 15 amp breaker & risk suffering from tripped breakers all day.
Bounce house blowers are normally available in three sizes: 1HP for smaller bounce houses, 1.5HP for medium or combo bounce houses, and 2HP for large or obstacle course bounce houses.
If you notice, the larger bounce houses will require more air to keep them inflated.
More blowers or larger blowers will be required to push the appropriate volume of air into the larger bounce houses.
To calculate how much electricity you’ll need, multiply the voltage by the amps to get watts per hour, and then divide by 1000 to get kilowatts per hour.
How Much Does A Bounce House Cost?
The size of the blower determines the amount of electricity used by a bounce house.
A small 1 HP blower will set you back $0.13 per hour, a medium 1.5 HP blower will set you back $0.15 per hour, and a large 2 HP blower will set you back $0.22 per hour.
Renting a bounce house for a day is approximately $1.28.
In terms of electrical expenditures, a bounce house is relatively inexpensive. Another chart to help you quickly estimate how much the bounce house will cost per hour and per day.
These estimates were calculated using $0.14 per kilowatt-hour as the average cost of power in the United States and an 8-hour day running period.
Generators For Bounce Houses
If your bounce house is more than 100 feet from an outlet, a generator may be necessary to power the blower.
Many bounce house rental companies will allow you to hire a generator for an additional price. If you own your bouncy house, you will need to purchase a generator.
The trick is to ensure that your generator can fully power the blower without latency.
If you choose a smaller generator, the blower will have difficulty keeping the bounce house inflated, which could be unsafe for the children inside.
To figure out what size generator you’ll need, determine how many watts the blower requires.
If the wattage isn’t specified on the blower, multiply the voltage and amperage to obtain the wattage.
Can A Bouncy Castle Be Used In The Rain?
Another often asked question! The honest answer is yes… to a point. A bouncy castle, especially one with a built-in sower cover, can easily resist a shower.
No problem because all of our electrics are watertight. The issue is that if it’s going to be a long day of riding, would your kids want to be outside on a bouncy castle?
I believe it is unlikely. We also advise against castles during rainstorms because they might become slick when wet.
It’s always preferable to let the shower pass and towel dry the bouncing area before sending the youngsters back out to burn some more energy!
Conclusion
To conclude the query, Electricity is crucial. When it comes to huge bounce houses, it’s also important to know how much energy they demand to run securely and efficiently.
As a result, it’s a good idea to acquire your inflatable homes from reputable bounce house manufacturers who can provide you with the necessary information, instructions, and high-quality inflatables that are safe to use.
