One of the most frequent queries we receive here at Bounce Away Castles is "can we place a bouncy castle on artificial grass?". The first reaction is "no," and it is generally accepted that this is the situation across the board for the whole inflatables hire sector. It is technically possible to set up a bounce house on synthetic grass, but doing so is not financially practical. The reasons why are provided in the paragraphs that follow.....
Outside, heavy-duty metal pegs buried deep in the grass are frequently used to anchor bounce houses in place. If this is not possible, we must install 163 kg on each of the anchor points for the bounce house in accordance with the legislation and "Best Practice" (en14960). Remember that a normal kiddie bouncy castle will have at least six anchor points (and sometimes as many as eight). Sandbags may potentially be used to provide 163 kilogrammes, but as they each weigh around 25 kilogrammes, we would need seven of them for each anchor point and 42 for a little kid's bounce house. To put this into perspective, a whopping one ton of sand is necessary to securely anchor a bounce house (or more if the bouncy castle has eight anchor points).
This suggests that we could only fill our van with one inflatable and the necessary number of sandbags in order to set up a single bounce house on artificial grass without exceeding the legal weight restriction that our vehicle is allowed to carry. Because of this, we wouldn't be able to finish more than one hire booking in a single day, which would cause the cost to skyrocket. This is just not a practical or cost-effective option, not to mention that it would take strength on par with Superman to load 42 bags of sand into the van, then back out into the garden, and lastly packing all the equipment at the other end.
It is occasionally possible to stake the castle down on artificial grass, but in order to do so, you must have standard earth beneath the artificial grass and not a concrete layer, as some people have, and be willing to have the stakes leave holes in the artificial grass or its liner underneath or be able to fold the grass back. But we generally do not recommend this approach.
We are well aware that some "less reputable" rental companies would gladly place just four sandbags on the ground to support the entire inflatable and reassure you that everything will be OK. Customers typically underestimate the real quantity required, and as a result, nobody learns until an accident occurs. Unfortunately, people often don't completely see the value of these laws until after they've had some sort of accident. If a youngster is on an unattended, untethered bouncy castle that has only been weighted with a few sandbags, the consequences are unthinkable. A strong wind blow might easily carry the inflatable away.
For the same reason, we are unable to set up on concrete since it is just not a safe surface for us to work on. You should be aware that sooner or later there will be an accident on concrete, and a child will pay the price. You are fully aware that some individuals can get away with doing it for a long time without their being any type of incident.
We acknowledge that artificial grass looks lovely, that there is no need to mow it, that there are no weeds, and that you can play on it all year long, but it is not the right kind of surface for a bouncy castle. Therefore, if you have AstroTurf or artificial grass in your garden, we highly advise that you consider renting a hall for your party. If that is not an option for you, consider using the garden of a relative, close friend or even a work colleague. This is due to the decreased likelihood that artificial grass and AstroTurf are secure enough for kids to play on. Simply said, it is not worth the danger to improperly set up a bounce house on artificial turf. The protection of your children must come first, above everything else.
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