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Everyone will have their own preferred method of inflating their paddling pool but some are obviously quicker than others so if you want to know how to blow up a paddling pool, read on!
The best way to blow up a paddling pool is by using an electric air pump. You can also blow up an inflatable pool using a hoover, hairdryer, foot pump, hand pump, bicycle pump, your mouth, and with a plastic bag.
Quickest Way To Blow Up A Paddling Pool
Using an electric air pump is the quickest way to blow up a paddling pool as it takes no effort and will have your pool inflated in a matter of minutes.
Electric pumps are the easiest and quickest way to blow any inflatable pool. Is our favourite method of inflating our paddling pool and the pubs are so expensive that over the long term you will be glad that you bought one.
Electric pumps are extremely portable and can be plugged in pretty much anywhere. We take inflatables on holiday each and every year and always take our electric pump with us to inflate them. We certainly have had our money’s worth out of our pump over the years. A simple pump can cost as little as £10!
One of the best things about an electric pump is the fact they not only have an inflate point but also have a deflate point and come with a variety of adapters that will fit the majority of paddling pools and inflatables. Simply connect your adapter to the inflate point to blow your paddling pool up and then to the deflate point to remove all the air. Check out the best electric pumps for blowing up paddling pools.
After you bought an electric pump you really will wonder why you hadn’t bought one before.
Other Ways to Blow up an Inflatable Pool
We’ve already covered the quickest way to inflate a paddling pool but for those who don’t own or don’t want to use an electric air pump, we’ll list below the variety of different ways to blow up and inflate paddling pools.
Blow up a Paddling Pool with a Hoover
Blowing up your paddling pool with a hoover is easier said than done. If you own an older style hoover then you’ll probably find it much easier than if you don’t.
Many older hoovers once had a reverse function which easily allowed you to blow air out of the hoover. Unfortunately, as time has gone by this function has been removed from many modern hoovers and vacuum cleaners.
Without the blow function, it is possible to adapt your hoover with a plastic bottle and a great deal of tape to enable it to blow up you’re paddling pool but to be honest by the time you’ve spent a while adapting your hoover you could quite easily have blown it up with your own mouth or with a hand or foot pump!
How to Blow up a Paddling Pool with a Hair Dryer
To inflate a paddling pool with a hairdryer, take a 500ml plastic bottle, the sort that you get Coke, Fanta or Pepsi in, and cut it in half. Using the neck end of the bottle, tape the widest section of the bottle to the end of the hairdryer and turn it to cold. Put the opening of the bottle over the pool air valve and turn the hairdryer on to see your pool inflate.
Step-by-step guide to inflating a paddling pool with a hairdryer
- Find a plastic 500ml drinks bottle or water bottle
- Cut the bottom from the bottle and dispose of it in the recycling
- Take the lid off the bottle
- Place the cut end of the bottle over the end of your hairdryer
- Sellotape the bottle in place
- Turn hairdryer to the cold setting
- Put bottle opening over a paddling pool inlet
- Turn the hairdryer on and inflate the pool
Please remember when you cut the plastic bottle in half be sure to mind your fingers as the plastic can be quite sharp.
How To Blow Up An Inflatable Pool Without Electric Pump
Maybe you don’t have an electricity point near to your garden or maybe you just don’t want to use an electric pump to blow up your paddling pool.
The best thing about foot pumps, hand pumps and bicycle pumps is that they are very portable and can be used pretty much anywhere.
Whatever the reason, there are plenty of other ways that you can quickly and easily blow up your paddling pool.
Inflate a Pool with a Foot pump
To blow up the paddling pool with a foot pump simply add the correct adapter to the end of the pump. Insert the adapter into the paddling pool valve and pump the foot pump with your foot in order to inflate each part of the paddling pool in turn.
Foot pumps generally coming in two different varieties, firstly there are bellows type foot pumps and secondly, there are the type of foot pumps used to pump up the car tyres.
Bellows foot pumps are often used with things like inflatable toys and air beds. They can come in a variety of sizes and a fairly cheap. Bellows foot pumps usually come with adapters that will fit paddling pools and will pump up a small to medium size paddling pool fairly quickly.
Car foot pumps usually come in either single or dual cylinder models. They are considerably more durable than bellows for pumps and are therefore generally more expensive. Car foot pumps also come with a variety of adapters and are my preferred method of blowing up our paddling pool without an electric pump. This is because the air they produce is somewhat more than the bellows foot pumps and they tend to last a lot longer.
Inflate a Pool with a Hand pump and Bicycle Pump
Hand pumps and bicycle pumps take a lot more effort to inflate the paddling pool. Simply connect the adapter to the paddling pool in let’s and use the pump in order to pump up the pool.
Hand pumps and bicycle pumps come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Many small bicycle pumps are great for inflating small paddling pools however for larger inflatable paddling pools it will take considerably longer. It will also take a lot more energy due to the amount of air you need.
The best type of pump within this category are the floor-standing bicycle pumps. They are really easy to use and will inflate any size pool fairly quickly. They also take a lot less energy to use and are also easy for children to use allowing them to pump up their own pool.
How To Blow Up A Paddling Pool Without A Pump
To blow up the paddling pool without any sort of pump either do it manually by using your mouth and breath or by using the plastic bag method.
How to Blow up a Paddling Pool with Your Mouth
To blow up the paddling pool with your mouth simply take a deep breath, place your lips around the inlet valve and make a tight seal. Then blow all of the air out of your lungs and repeat until the pool is inflated.
Although this seems fairly simple and straightforward be prepared for a lot of hard work. If your paddling pool is small then you should be able to complete this in a fairly short time and without too much effort. However, if you have a medium to large-sized paddling pool this will take a considerable amount of time and also leave you feeling exhausted unless you are super fit.
If you’re adamant that you do not want to use a pump of any description then this is probably the best method for you. We would always recommend you use a pump of some description to save you time and energy.
How to Blow up a Paddling Pool with a Plastic Bag
Take a plastic bag or rubbish bag and open the end, fill the bag with air and then close your hand around the neck of the bag. Place the end of the bag over the inlet valve and squash the bag down and force the air into the pool. Then simply repeat this process until the pool is inflated.
This is a clever tip the many people use however again it will take quite a long time to inflate your paddling pool. It is less exhausting than inflating the pool with your mouth however it will still take some time to complete the task.
Finally if you like this article don’t forget to take a look at out others on How to Clean a Paddling Pool?, How to Empty a Paddling Pool? and How to Fix a Hole in a Paddling Pool.