Cheap Bouncy Castle Hire
You have landed in this page as you have searched for cheap bouncy castle hire, but have you really thought about what you are asking for?
A reasonably priced bouncy castle is usually between £60-£100 to hire, but this does depend on the size and style you want, and what area of the country you are in. When you hire a cheap bouncy castle, you are going to be cutting back on some of the features and benefits that are offered by the professional bouncy castle companies, but you could be putting your child’s safety at risk.
What can you cut back on to get a cheap bouncy castle?
Insurance
You could hire a cheap bouncy castle from a company that doesn’t insure their bouncy castles, or may have say 10 bouncy castles and only tells their insurance company that they have only 2, that will save that company £100’s each year and they will be able to hire you a cheap bouncy castle. However, imagine if the unthinkable happened and you needed to claim from this company’s insurance because they may have cause injury to someone, or damage to your property. Insurance companies are very clever and if they can find a reason not to pay out on a claim, then they won’t. So that piece of paper to say that company is insured becomes null and void and you will not be able to make a claim through the insurance company. Of course, you could try and sue the bouncy castle owner through the courts, and you may win, but then it will come down to their ability to pay and we have all heard of these stories where claims are settled by repayment of £10 a month over many years.
Don’t cut back on insurance, this is essential, ask the bouncy castle company to prove they have all their stock insured, after all you wouldn’t hire a car without insurance, would you?
Quality
Not all bouncy castle companies are the same, you can get your budget range and you get the high-quality range, some companies have a standard bouncy castle, while others have a bouncy castles with slides attached, while some have large obstacle courses, but they both do the same job, which is to entertain children but are completely different. It’s a bit like cars – you can buy or hire a cheap car, a cheap basic model that does the job and gets you from A to B and it’s just a car, doesn’t turn any heads but it serves its purpose. Or you can hire a prestigious model that looks flashy and you will impress everyone with the quality and look of that car, people are impressed and ask you where you got it from and all want a ride.
Some bouncy castle companies only buy budget castles. They buy from the cheapest manufacturers or buy second hand units that are a bit tired, these usually come from the more professional companies who are selling off their old bouncy castles rotating their stock to make sure they are offering their customers only the very best inflatables. This gets expensive to keep buying new stock all the time and making sure you are only hiring top of the range bouncy castles and the price has to reflect this, so they won’t be hiring cheap bouncy castles to their customers.
Testing
The bouncy castle industry is self-regulated, anyone can buy a bouncy castle and start renting it out the next day without any thought for how safe it is. A good bouncy castle company like Rock It Inflatables will have all their inflatables tested every year. It’s not compulsory to test a bouncy castle but the insurance becomes invalid if the bouncy castles are not tested, so while a company may have that piece of paper saying they are insured, this is worthless unless each bouncy castle carries a valid certificate of safety which is issued annually by a RPii inspector once he is satisfied that the bouncy castle is safe and fit for use.
By testing the bouncy castle, the inspector will be looking to make sure it is safe for the child to use. It needs to be the correct pressure, the vents can’t let too much air out, so it becomes soft when used, or the stitching can’t have become loose over years of use or damaged as this will make the bouncy castle loose pressure as well.
The correct amount anchor points must be in fixed to the castle and be able to withstand enough pressure to hold the bouncy castle in place in moderate winds, or when a group of children are playing and leaning on the sides so it won’t tip over.
The bouncy castle inspector will also look at the design and make sure there are no entrapment's where children can get caught up and injured, or cause suffocation. Unfortunately, there are still some dodgy manufacturers who will knock out cheap bouncy castles and not follow the latest EN14960 which is the British Standard for making and using bouncy castles in the UK. Some bouncy castle operators will import from China to save a few pounds, but unfortunately their saving may be putting your child at risk if they haven’t bought a castle that is EN14960 compliant and will fail the RPii test.
A good bouncy castle company should display their safety certificates for each inflatable on their website for everyone to see, or at least have them available for inspection if asked. A professional bouncy castle company will have registered their tests with PIPA which is an organisation that keeps a record of tested bouncy castles for anyone to look up online at any time.
Don’t cut back by hiring a bouncy castle that doesn’t have a valid test certificate. It’s easy nowadays for companies to prove their inflatables are tested, so ask for proof.
Safety
It’s all very good getting a bouncy castle tested but then you need to ensure that the operator is following safety guidelines and setting up the bouncy castle correctly and safe for the children to use. Some bouncy castles companies will set a castle up anywhere, squeeze it in any space and on any surface but there is a lot to consider before you erect a bouncy castle.
First of all, you need the space. A 12ft x 12ft bouncy castle will need an overall area of around 16ft wide by 20ft in length. You need extra space round a bouncy castle, so it can be anchored down securely, the fan at the back of the castle needs to extend out about 4 foot and then you need room to put a safety mat in the front for the children to get on and off.
The area needs to be fairly level otherwise it could put strain on the anchor points which could become loose over the time of hire, or even damage or rip out the anchor point all together and the castle could then tip over.
The type of surface a bouncy castle can go on is extremely important. You need to be able to get a good secure anchorage on every anchor point on the inflatable for it to be safe and compliant to the EN4960 standard that all reputable companies should follow. The best way to secure a bouncy castle is by using the correct specification stakes that are provided with all new bouncy castles and hammer them firmly into solid ground, for example a grass area, until they are flush with the ground at the correct angel. Each anchor point needs to withhold a force of 163kg when outdoors and for indoor hires in a hall, use enough weight to keep it in situ as deemed safe by the operator to maintain stability, this is usually done by using 25kg sand bags on each corner of the inflatable or more in some cases.
Time needs to be taken to make sure the fan that is putting the air in the castles in securely attached to the air inlet pipe otherwise the castle could lose pressure and could cause injury to the users.
All electrical cables and fans need to be PAT test (Portable Appliance Test) on a regular basis, and when using a cable for outdoor hires the operator needs to ensure they are using the correct cable and connection for outdoor use in case it rains, and water gets in to the socket. Extension leads needs to be fully unwound otherwise it can overheat and cause a fire.
Never cut back on safety. Ask the right questions when hiring a castle and check that they have set it up correctly and not taken any short cuts. Your child’s, and your guests safety is paramount, only hire from a reputable bouncy castle company.
Condition
If you are going to the expense of putting on a party and you want a bouncy castle to keep the kids entertained, then you want something that looks good too. The last thing you want is an old smelly bouncy castle with rips in the rain cover, patches on the bed and visible repairs, and with faded or dodgy artwork that is past it’s sell by date.
Some bouncy castles companies are just part time only in it just for the money. They will cut corners and just want to throw you down a bouncy castle, stake it down, take your money and leave. They will return take the castle away and put it back in the van ready for the next hire. Unfortunately, these type of hire companies don’t care about the condition of the castle and as long as it blows up when they plug it in then the job is done. A good company makes sure the castle is cleaned before every use. Sometimes this is done on site before they allow the children to jump on it and other times this is done back at the lock up during the week. If a castle has gone away wet or damp, then unless it is dried and aired for several hours then it can go mouldy and smell so you need to make sure the company you are hiring from has a good cleaning process, so they are going to hiring you a castle in good clean condition.
Getting bouncy castles out midweek and giving them a good clean all takes time and this is reflected in the price, so if you are hiring a cheap bouncy castle say between £30-£50, then the chances are that that company is only hiring bouncy castles out for a bit of extra income, which we call in the industry the “beer brigade” they won’t have given a second thought to the condition as long as they have supply you with any old bouncy castle.
Make sure the company you hire from only has good quality clean inflatables for hire, if they cut back on the quality and condition what else are they cutting back on?
So, do you still want a cheap bouncy castle?
Rather than looking for a cheap bouncy castle, look for a good deal instead. Find a local reputable company that may be offering some special offers for bouncy castle hire or some discounted packages which give good value for money. They may offer you a good deal on a last-minute booking, or if you pay in full up front, rather than cash on delivery, it’s worth asking. A cheap bouncy castle may not be a bargain after all.
Sue Hems
Top Bouncologist
Funology Department
For Rock It Inflatables Ltd
<< Return to news