With the development of technology and materials in the inflatable industry, various inflatable products are becoming cheaper and cheaper, even for the commercial-grade inflatables, most families can afford one bounce house for their children. Therefore, it’s very common to see parents set up a bouncy castle in the backyard. When setting up an inflatable bouncer, one of the biggest concern should be making sure this giant inflatable structure is secured to the ground completely so that it won’t be blown away.
The best way to secure a bounce house is using long metal stakes and hammer them into grass completely. However, the stakes that come with your bounce house are not always the best option. Let’s take a few more minutes to learn more different types of bounce house tie down options and accessories.
1. The most reliable bounce house tie down option
Although it seems there are many options in the backyard for tying down your jump house, the most reliable option is at least 30-40 inch long strong steel stakes. If all the steel stakes are pounded down at a 45-degree angle into the firm solid ground at every anchor points on your bounce house, then there should not be any problems. Check the location of underground pipelines like local gas, power or cable lines before anchoring your bouncy house to avoid hitting one by accident.
In addition to the metal stakes, another accessory for anchoring your moonwalk jumpers is the rope used to fasten the stakes and D-rings. The ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) says that there should never be more than one rope tie-down connected to a single anchor in the ground at any given time. They also require that any rope or tethers used for additional tie downs should be sufficiently strong enough to hold the structure with the recommended size of “½ solid-braided polypropylene with a tensile strength of 3700 or370 lb test rated”.
The stakes should always be pounded down at least 70% of the way down. And make sure to cover aboveground part with a sandbag or some kind of construction cone to prevent someone from tripping over it while they are running around the bounce house. Remember don’t use the short plastic stakes that come with some residential-grade bounce houses. The inflatable jumper is essentially a huge balloon waiting for lift-off with a strong gust of wind.
2. Best option for anchoring your bounce house on cement or asphalt
Sometimes when you have to set up your jump house on cement or asphalt, the stakes pounded into the ground is not a possibility, then the best tie down option are sandbags of the appropriate weight. Check your party bounce house manual first to find out the exact amount of weight at each tie down point so that you can choose the right size and filler for the sandbags. Most inflatable bouncers require a standard weight of 75 pounds at each anchor point, that means you can use more than one sandbag at each anchor point. Water bags and gallon buckets are the same option.
Make sure to tie your sandbags to the D-rings securely, and it’s highly recommended to put a tarp under your bounce house, no matter it’s set up on the grass or cement and asphalt.
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3. Are stakes and sandbags the only options?
So far, the most recommended two options are metal stakes and sandbags, the water bags and gallon buckets mentioned above are allowed. Additionally, the weights from your work out system or furniture can also be used. However, never use concrete or cement blocks or rough landscape rocks as these can easily wear down the material of your inflatable. Some people may choose to tie the tethers to large trees or other secure foundations in the backyard, these options are OK for additional security. But a truck or vehicle is not recommended because it can be very dangerous if someone is to accidentally drive off and take the inflatable with them along with the children inside.
If you need steel stakes for your bounce house, you can buy them from most hardware stores. The sandbags can be bought online or from your inflatable manufacturer. Sunjoy Inflatables can make strong sandbags with D-rings securely attached to anchor inflatable castles, slides or obstacle courses. Buy new and attractive commercial inflatables from sunjoy.
