Inflatables are usually filled with air, and then … that’s it. You blow them up, and they stay inflated. You probably noticed the blower if you’ve ever seen a bounce house. Why does it have to keep running?
Well, bounce houses are a special kind of inflatable. They need to have a constant stream of air, or they collapse. If you think this requires a decent amount of power, you’d be correct. But how much power? A lot, right?
You might think that bounce house blowers must run on wall juice. But the power requirements aren’t as high as you’d think! You can get a generator for bounce house use.
The question then becomes, “what size generator do I need for a bounce house?” If you plan to use a bounce house for an event or your business is the bounce house, this is the information you need. Let’s explore!
How Long Will a Generator Power My Bounce House?
If your bounce house blower runs on a wall outlet, you don’t need to worry. But a generator for bounce house inflation purposes will eventually run out of fuel. We’ll go into more details, but let’s consider one rule of thumb.
With the average fuel tank and the power requirements, you can rely on your generator for about an hour and a half. With more powerful generators and smaller blowers, you can get six or seven hours of energy.
Yes, there are generators with larger fuel tanks for long-lasting power. No, you should NEVER refuel a generator while it’s running.
Bounce House Electricity Usage
You may wonder, “how many watts does a bounce house blower use?” (We’re impressed you think about power in watts, by the way.) To answer this, we need to know what size blower for bounce house inflation is required.
Small Bounce House
A 1-horsepower (HP) 7 amp (A) blower will push over 1100 cubic feet per minute (CFM). This will use about 800 watts per hour.
Medium Bounce House
A 1.5HP, 9A blower will push around 1300 CFM. This will use over 1,000 watts or 1 kilowatt per hour.
Large Bounce House
A 2HP, 14A blower will push over 1400 CFM. This will use over 1.6 kilowatts per hour.
Some bounce houses can require even more power. This is when two blowers come in handy. For an extremely large bounce house, you might need two 1.5HP blowers.
Now, what kind of generator will you need? The minimum power output should be 2,000 watts. This will run one blower for as long as it has fuel. If you need to run two blowers, you might need to step up to a 4,000-watt generator. This leaves you enough headroom to plug in lights, charge phones, or run a small stereo at the same time.
What It Costs to Run a Bounce House
Let’s assume we’re using a 2000-watt generator with a 1-gallon fuel tank. The bounce house is medium-sized, so it uses a 1-kilowatt blower. The average 2,000-watt generator uses ¾ of a gallon of fuel every hour. This will give you about an hour and twenty minutes before the tank is dry.
The average price of gas per gallon is around $4.70 at the moment. So it’ll cost $4.70 to run a bounce house for an hour and twenty minutes. This is an estimate, of course. Actual costs will vary between generators and blowers of different sizes.
Best Generators for Inflatables and Bouncy Houses
A major consideration for bounce house generators is noise. Engines are loud! There may be enough noise from the crowd at birthday parties and grand openings to mask the engine sound. Wouldn’t it be nice to have one that isn’t loud, though? All of the generators we’ll mention here are fairly quiet (as far as generators go).
Honda EU2200i
This 2,000-watt generator from Honda is light and portable. It’s also possibly the quietest generator available. The EU2200i has a carbon monoxide detector that will shut off the generator if levels are too high. The price is $1,179.
A-iPower SUA2000iV
Another 2,000-watt generator, but this one is much more bank account friendly at $400. It also has a long runtime of seven hours at a 50% load!
Champion Power Equipment Digital Hybrid Inverter
If power is what you need, you’ll love this 4,000-watt generator. It’s a little louder than the others but is still tolerable. Additionally, it can run for up to 17 hours, thanks to its Economy Mode. It retails for $1,091, but sales can bring it down into the $650 range.
Ego Nexus Power Station
The ultimate in quiet and environmentally friendly models. This 2,000-watt generator is completely electric! It will last from two to five hours. You can also swap out the batteries for different power needs. The price is $999.
You can also run your bounce house off the 115-volt outlet in your minivan or pickup truck. You’ll use a lot of gas and possibly cause your battery to die, but it is an option.
Floatie Kings Generates Custom Inflatables
No matter how your business inflates its inflatables, they should be worth the air. Floatie Kings specializes in custom inflatables and custom bounce houses! Want a maze? You bet. Custom giant inflatable waterslide? No problem. Custom inflatable tunnel? Cool. A bouncy house? We wouldn’t have brought it up if we couldn’t do it.
Whatever your inflatable dreams are, Floatie Kings is here to make them happen! Get your branding off the ground with a custom inflatable today!
