# Blowups/Inflatables in rain?



## Ween12amEternal (Apr 15, 2006)

I have all mine on timers so they only run for about 6 hours every night from about 10/15 thru Halloween. Since we don't have very big ones, we use some large garbage can lids to stuff them under when it rains after they turn off. The next day, once it stops raining, I shake them out and pull any leaves off, and they're good to go for the next night. Have had pretty good luck with them being inflated in the rain, as long as it's not heavy &/or wind driven.


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## drzeus (Sep 11, 2010)

I store mine in tubs with lids on the off season. When inclimate weather is expected, I deflate them and cover them with the tubs secured down with tent stakes... Works well for us. The oldest inflatable is a tad bit moldy, but it may be due to me putting it away wet one year?


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## Tired_Yeti (Oct 27, 2017)

I'm currently running 2 of the 8.5 ft balloons and a smaller 4 foot balloon in a separate part of the yard.









Taking them down and putting them inside isn't an option because they're too large to handle quickly and they're too large to cover.

I've have them on timers but I've just been leaving them running during the rain. Seems like the only decent option at this point.

I am curious if I should expect any ill effects. Anyone have problems after their inflatables have been rained on?


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## Tired_Yeti (Oct 27, 2017)

Perhaps you folks with more experience using the inflatables can help me.

After exposure to the rain, I wonder if the balloon fabric stretched or shrank or anything. As I was taking my pumpkin patch down, I noticed a seam appeared a bit "leaky" or stretched. 
















Also, I found a small hole in the one balloon that was very neat and round like it had been made with a paper hole punch. It was near the opposite end of the 8.5 feet span of the balloons from the fan. Is this a pressure relief hole put in at the factory to keep the fabric from ripping under pressure?
I looked on the ground around my pumpkins and didn't see any sticks, pine cones, or acorns that would have fallen.
















Any ideas or suggestions?


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## SlayKnotV1 (Jul 6, 2012)

*I keep all my inflatables up when it rains. the only time I turn them off is when its really windy*


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## Matt12378 (Jul 9, 2017)

I have a lot of inflatables for Christmas Halloween easter st Patrick's day etc. If it's rated for outside use I always put them up unless it's windy. I had my Halloween inflatables up since September and I didn't have any real problems. If it's windy outside you should always turn them off I learned that the hard way. One 200 inflatable basically had a giant hole up the back of it. When it's time to take down the inflatables for the season I always wait for a sunny day and inflate them so as much water comes off as possible. You should never ever ever use plastic containers to store inflatables. Even after drying them in the sun and putting towels on them their still kinda wet I found. You should always use the cardboard box they came in to store them since even if their still wet the cardboard will absorb at least some of the water and not destroy the motor. I put a Christmas inflatable one year in a plastic container and even though I couldn't find any water on the inflatable at the time next year The whole inflatable was covered in mold and basically ruined because water stained in the container.


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## Tired_Yeti (Oct 27, 2017)

Thanks, Matt, I inflate them when it rains but not in the wind. I wait until a warm sunny day, hopefully with a LIGHT breeze, then wipe them with off completely with a dry towel. Then I store them in their cardboard boxes.

I hope I'm handling them right


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## Matt12378 (Jul 9, 2017)

Tired_Yeti said:


> Perhaps you folks with more experience using the inflatables can help me.
> 
> After exposure to the rain, I wonder if the balloon fabric stretched or shrank or anything. As I was taking my pumpkin patch down, I noticed a seam appeared a bit "leaky" or stretched.
> 
> ...


 Gemmy and other manufacturers sometimes do put holes in their inflatables like that. I just bought a Christmas inflatable and the propeller has one hole on each propeller to most likely relieve air pressure. So yeah the second hole might be from the factory. The first picture I wouldn't really worry about for example my brand new 9 foot tall pirate minion has the same sort of stretched fabric thing going on and it's been great nothing really wrong with it. I always kinda help my inflatables up in the rain also if I'm home because sometimes the rain gets in the head or hands of the inflatables and unless you basically make them rise yourself the water sometimes might just stay their for a long time. The stuff that I really hate about inflatables is ice. Ice will form on all my inflatables around Christmas and it's terrible you have to peel the ice off one sheet at a time or the ice may cut the inflatable.


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## Detour (Oct 31, 2017)

Mine stay up 24/7 other than in high winds. One thing I did notice this year, that I haven't in past, is that having them deflated because of heavy winds during nearly 48 hours straight of rain actually caused water to puddle on top of them and when I re-inflated them, I had water inside one of them - specifically where the design has horizontal sections, and in smaller sections that make contact with the ground, but don't have the opening for the blower (I have that 14' long inflatable of the grim reaper driving a pumpkin carriage being pulled by a standing horse - and the harness and feet of the horse had standing water in them).

I think we've used this inflatable for 7 or 8 years - and we have it run in the garage for a few days before packing, just to make sure it is dry for storage.


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## Matt12378 (Jul 9, 2017)

Tired_Yeti said:


> Thanks, Matt, I inflate them when it rains but not in the wind. I wait until a warm sunny day, hopefully with a LIGHT breeze, then wipe them with off completely with a dry towel. Then I store them in their cardboard boxes.
> 
> I hope I'm handling them right
> 
> ...


 Great. I once inflated my stay puft inflatable in high wind and it almost blew away like a kite. I didn't do that again lol.


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## ChandraB17 (Nov 9, 2019)

Detour said:


> Mine stay up 24/7 other than in high winds. One thing I did notice this year, that I haven't in past, is that having them deflated because of heavy winds during nearly 48 hours straight of rain actually caused water to puddle on top of them and when I re-inflated them, I had water inside one of them - specifically where the design has horizontal sections, and in smaller sections that make contact with the ground, but don't have the opening for the blower (I have that 14' long inflatable of the grim reaper driving a pumpkin carriage being pulled by a standing horse - and the harness and feet of the horse had standing water in them).
> 
> I think we've used this inflatable for 7 or 8 years - and we have it run in the garage for a few days before packing, just to make sure it is dry for storage.


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## ChandraB17 (Nov 9, 2019)

Matt,
I’m new to inflatables and need a little help. I saw you mention that you have experienced water getting inside yours. My Santa has water in it and with temperatures getting really low I’m afraid it will freeze in it... how do I get the water out?


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## OlyGal (Dec 19, 2019)

I have about 17 large & 7 small airblown inflatables at Christmas, less at Halloween. I'm no expert at getting the water out but since I live in the USA 's Pacific NW, my inflatables are expert in taking water on! I'm experimenting now at keeping them drier during a rain, but if they do get wet I try to 1) pull the inflatable out of the puddle, off of the wet lawn etc. 2) look for small areas of any figurine that water can ball up in, like reindeer feet, balls on caps, etc., Isolate the water by twisting the area & squeezing like a sponge. 3) bring it inside and let it run for 24-48 hours. Be sure to know where your water is pooling & elevate that area by flipping the inflatable or propping it up on a bucket or other plastic item.
I just had the 110 fan of a large figure revive after going off in the rain, by drying the inflatable inside my living room. So one can get lucky!


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## scarenoob (Aug 17, 2017)

I leave them up. Years of using inflatables tell me that keeping them up is far better than down. 

Up = less water / dry quicker / less stress on fan / longer fan life.

Down = more water / soaking wet / high stress on fan / fan replacement is likely.

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## PanchoG (Apr 20, 2018)

I hadn't really thought about fan life - but I can see how filling a larger inflatable would stress the motor, especially if the inflatable is wet. Hmmm...may have to rethink my approach


scarenoob said:


> I leave them up. Years of using inflatables tell me that keeping them up is far better than down.
> 
> Up = less water / dry quicker / less stress on fan / longer fan life.
> 
> ...


this year.


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