How Much Water Does an Inflatable Water Slide Use?

An inflatable water slide uses what one garden hose delivers at the setting it runs on, for as long as it runs, plus the water that fills its splash pool. The water is not recirculated: the hose feeds a spray line at the top of the slide, the water runs down the lane into the splash pool, and whatever splashes out is replaced from the hose.

So the number depends on two things you control — how far the tap is open and how many hours the slide runs — and you can measure it exactly.

How a water slide uses water

1. The hose feeds a spray line along the top of the slide, which keeps the sliding surface wet so riders move.
2. The water runs down into the splash pool, which fills over the early part of the party.
3. Splash and overflow leave the pool onto the ground around it, and the hose keeps replacing it.

That is the whole system. It is also why your water source matters: low pressure from a well, or a very long hose run, changes how well the slide runs.

Measure your own number

Any figure you read online — ours included — is a guess about somebody else's hose and tap. You can get the real one in two ways.

• Read the meter. Note your water meter reading when the hose goes on and again when it goes off. The difference is what the slide used, plus anything else that ran in the house. Meters read in gallons or in cubic feet; one cubic foot is 7.48 gallons.
• Time a bucket. Open the tap to about the setting you expect, and time how long a 5-gallon bucket takes to fill. Five gallons in one minute is 5 gallons per minute.

Turning it into a number: a worked example

These figures are an illustration, not a measurement. Suppose the hose runs at 3 gallons a minute for a 4-hour party:

• 3 gallons × 60 minutes = 180 gallons an hour
• 180 gallons × 4 hours = 720 gallons, plus the fill of the splash pool

To turn that into dollars, look at your bill. Many utilities price water per 1,000 gallons; others price it per CCF — a hundred cubic feet, which is 748 gallons. At 720 gallons you are just under 1 CCF. Many utilities also base the sewer charge on metered water, so check both lines.

How to use less without a worse slide

• Ask the crew how low the flow can go. The lane needs to stay wet, not flooded.
• Turn the hose off during breaks. Nobody is sliding during cake, lunch or a wind pause.
• Stop when the party stops. A slide left running while guests eat is using water for nobody.
• Choose the size you need. A taller slide has a longer lane to keep wet, and big units like the Thunderhead 28 want good flow.

Where the water goes afterward

At teardown the splash pool is drained, and the unit is deflated, rolled and taken away.

On grass that means a soggy patch for a day or so — will a water slide damage your lawn covers what to expect. On concrete it runs, so choose the spot with that in mind; see water slides on concrete.

Watering restrictions

Some towns restrict outdoor water use during dry spells, by day of the week or by time of day. If yours does, check whether filling a recreational inflatable counts before the date, not on it.

FAQ

Does an inflatable water slide recirculate water?

No. It is fed from a garden hose; water runs into the splash pool, and what splashes out is replaced from the hose.

Will a water slide raise my water bill a lot?

It depends on your flow, the hours it runs, and your utility's rate. Read your meter before and after, or use the worked example above with your own numbers.

Can I use pool water instead of the hose?

We do not recommend it — see well water or pool water.

Does a bigger slide use more water?

A taller slide has a longer lane to keep wet. Your tap setting and how long it runs still decide the total.

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