Bounce House Power Requirements
What are the bounce house power requirements?
Inflatables need to be connected to a dedicated or semi dedicated electric outlet. For most homes this means an outlet on the outside of your home such as deck or garage. While we recommend a 20 amp dedicated circuit, it is often possible to run 1 small blower (1HP) on a 15 amp Circuit. (See below for explanation of why)
What is a dedicated circuit/outlet?
A dedicated circuit has its own circuit breaker in your electrical box. It is intended for use with only one appliance/product. No additional appliance/product should be plugged into it making it dedicated to that single appliance. Dedicated circuits ensure that appliance/products that draw a lot of energy are able to run properly without overloading your system and tripping or blowing a fuse.
Can’t we just add more extension cords so I can place my inflatable further away?
No, this is unsafe and could damage the blower or even worse - start an electric fire. (See below for explanation). If you need to place an inflatable more than 50' from an electrical source you must use a generator.
Do you supply an extension cord with the rental?
Yes, but no greater than 50 feet. We do not supply extension cords with over the counter inflatables. If you are using your own extension cord we recommend a 12 gauge or a 14 gauge as long as it is no greater than 50 feet from the outlet.
What size generator should I use to power up my blower(s)?
We recommend using a minimum of 2000 watts per an average sized blower. If you need to connect more than one unit, then you will find it useful to use this formula to calculate running watts from the labeled amps on the blowers:
For Example: The average small blower uses 7.0 running amps.
Therefore 7.0 (amps) x 115V (volts) = 805 watts to run continuously with back pressure (this is achieved when the inflatable is completely full of air (blown up) and the blower is just maintaining the pressure or air lost from the seams.)
However on start-up, it will use up to 17 amps (17 x 115V = 1955 watts) , which is just under a 2000 watts generator.
Note: The start up is high because it needs back pressure from the inflatable to insure continuous low amp draw; otherwise the amps stay high at 17 on free flow.
For Example: The average small blower uses 7.0 running amps.
Therefore 7.0 (amps) x 115V (volts) = 805 watts to run continuously with back pressure (this is achieved when the inflatable is completely full of air (blown up) and the blower is just maintaining the pressure or air lost from the seams.)
However on start-up, it will use up to 17 amps (17 x 115V = 1955 watts) , which is just under a 2000 watts generator.
Note: The start up is high because it needs back pressure from the inflatable to insure continuous low amp draw; otherwise the amps stay high at 17 on free flow.
How much electricity will a bounce house rental use?
Very minimal, as illustrated in the example below:
Most Blowers are running at 115Volts at 7.0 Amps.
(115V X 7.0 Amps) =805 Watts / hour, which means that it consumes approx 0.805 KWT (Kilowatts) X (an average rate of say $0.16/ hour of electricity) = $0.13/ hour cost of electricity.