Electricity is required to operate bounce houses and the blower requires electricity to keep the bounce house inflated for the period of its use. Electricity and blower in bounce houses are very vital and it is necessary to be informed about them.

Depending on the scale of the motor, various types of blowers will consume more or less electricity. You can use some simple math to figure out how much electricity you’ll use and how much it will cost to run a bounce house for an hour or a day.

Related: Useful benefits of bounce houses for kids

Electricity And Blower In Bounce Houses

Plugging in bounce houses

To inflate, bounce houses must be plugged in. All bounce houses, except small indoor kids’, and toy bounce houses, will have a blower that must be plugged in to keep the bounce house inflated. The bounce house blower will require constant power and will need to be running the rest of the time the bounce house is being used.

Most bounce houses, if either purchased or rented, will include a 115-volt blower. A 115V blower can be plugged into a standard residential household outlet. If there is no available outlet, the next best course of action is to use a generator that produces the required voltage.

Most rentals will only let you use the one 50-foot extension cord that they provide. As a result, you must place the bounce house within 50 meters of an outlet. A 20 amp outlet is recommended, but one small blower can operate perfectly well on a 15 amp outlet.

You may have some leeway with the rules if you’re building your own bounce house, but there are some preventative measures you should take. For anything longer than 50 feet, it is recommended to use a 12 gauge extension cord and a 20 amp outlet. 14 gauge extension cords will suffice for anything less than 50 feet.

Electricity And Blower In Bounce Houses: Using Electricity

The majority of bounce house blowers are rated for 115 volts and 7 to 14 amps. You can see why we recommended a 20 amp outlet above; if you’re using a 2HP 14 amp blower, you’ll be maxing out the 15 amp breaker and risk having to deal with tripped breakers all day. Bounce house blowers are typically available in three sizes:

• 1HP for smaller bounce houses
• 1.5HP for medium sized or combo bounce houses
• 2HP for large or obstacle course bounce houses

Electricity And Blower In Bounce Houses: Using a Blower

In general, a blower rated for 115 volts and 7 to 14 amps is required to properly inflate a bounce house. Larger bounce houses may necessitate a second blower and an extra circuit to keep them inflated. To keep bounce houses inflated, 1 to 2 horsepower blowers are commonly used.

A 1 or 1.5 HP blower should suffice for most residential bounce houses. When it comes to higher-tiered, more expensive commercial bounce houses, you’ll need to consider getting 2 HP or even multiple blowers.

Cost Of Running A Bounce House

The amount of electricity used by a bounce house is determined by the size of the blower. A small 1 horsepower blower will cost approximately $0.13 per hour, a medium 1.5 horsepower blower will cost approximately $0.15 per hour, and a large 2 horsepower blower will cost approximately $0.22 per hour. A bounce house costs around $1.28 per day on average.

Related: Bounce House Electricity Usage: A Complete Guide

Use Generators for Bounce Houses

If your bounce house will be more than 100 feet from an outlet, you may want to consider using a generator to power the blower. Many bounce house rental companies will rent you a generator for an additional fee. However, if you own your bounce house, you will need to purchase a generator on your own.

The key here is to ensure that your generator can completely power the blower without difficulty. If you use a relatively small generator, the blower will struggle to keep the bounce house inflated, potentially endangering the jumpers inside.

A 4000 Watt generator works well for most blowers, including 2 HP blower units.

Electricity and blower in bounce houses plays a key role in the extent of fun and excitement at the party. Ready to rent? Give us a call.