Hippo Chow Down Operating Instructions

1. Attendant(s) MUST be present and operating the inflatable unit at ALL times!
2. The Hippo Chow Down may weigh over in excess of 450lbs. Caution should be exercised when moving/inflating/loading/unloading and handling the equipment. Always use heavy-duty dolly with steel fenders such as Monster Mover or over-size furniture dolly to move your inflatable and staff should always wear back belts.
3. Set up your Hippo Chow Down on an incline of no more than 15 degrees.
4. Be sure the area that you will be setting up your inflatable is free of all debris including any rocks or sharp objects. Grass is best for set up as long as there are no rocks, debris or sharp objects.
5. Lay out a ground tarp first to protect the inflatable.
6. Footprint of inflated Hippo Chow Down is: 30'x30x6'
7. Required clearance from adjacent obstacles is five feet (5') around with an additional 15' clearance from utility lines.
8. Required area for inflated Hippo Chow Down is: 40'x40'x11'.
9. Unroll the inflatable and attach (1) 1.5hp inflation blower (producing minimum 650 cubic feet per minute - Reverse air louver assembly) to the inflation tube. Tie off any un-used air tubes and be sure that all zipper / flaps are closed. 1
10. The Hippo Chow Down is to be anchored by at least (6) anchor / tether points. Anchor the inflatable before inflating. Using (6) 5/8"x18" ground stakes perpendicular into the ground at 90% depth. Hard ground anchoring should be 100lb minimum of sand or water bag at each anchor. See “Anchoring for soft and hard ground surfaces illustration in manual. (Stakes provided)

11. You are now ready to inflate the unit.
12. Plug your inflation blower into the closest properly grounded (GFCI) 110v outlets only after you carefully read the blower manufacturer's safety instructions. Turn the switch to ON position and wait approx. 7-10 minutes until inflatable is fully inflated and the equipment and all parts have been inflated and examined for potentially unsafe conditions prior to children or adults on the game. This unit requires continuous air pressure. Do not turn blowers off while patrons are on the inflatable.
13. Next attach bungee cord(s) onto backing plate behind where the player will stand.

14. Run bungee cord through the hole on the back wall of Hippo Chow Down and connect it to the backing plate with carabiner provided. The hole has Velcro around the outside of the back wall so the backing plate will stick to it.
15. Now attach Hippo Chow Down art panels provided to cover the backing plates. Art panels should be affixed in accordance with the correct colored lanes.

16. Next attach belt harnesses to the bungee cord by using the Carabiners provided.
17. The bungee cord is 5/8" in diameter and (1) cord per lane is used. When children are playing, you may attach and additional 18" long 5/8" bungee cord (provided) to extend the cord so that children can reach the pool of balls.

18. Next dump 20 of the balls provided into the ball pool.
19. The Hippo Chow Down should not be operated in wind speeds in excess of 15 MPH. Deflate immediately if wind gusts develop.
20. Do not secure the inflatable to a vehicle (or any object) that could be inadvertently moved while the Hippo Chow Down is in operation.
21. The trained operator(s) should now perform a complete and thorough inspection of the attraction.
22. It is strongly recommended that any parts of the inflatable showing any signs of wear or distress (worn seams, tears in the vinyl, broken zippers, frayed bungee cords, broken buckles on harnesses etc.…) be given special attention to, and immediately sent back to Inflatable 2000 for repair or replacement at owners expense (rubber balls are not covered under warranty).

Trained operator(s) should be present at all times. Under no circumstances should or any inflatable be left unattended! During operation of the unit, the trained operator(s) can stand anywhere around the unit, as there are no obstacles disrupting the view of the unit. The trained operator(s) should point out and make customers aware of the posted warning sign on the front or side of the inflatable. Operator(s) should keep all spectators at least 3' away from attraction.

Rules of Safety

• No sharp objects.
• No glasses or other eyewear.
• No shoes.
• No food, chewing gum, or drinks.
• No jumping or flips.
• No climbing on the sidewalls.
• No fighting or rough play.
• Do not participate if you have physical injuries or major medical conditions. These include but are not limited to:
  • Broken or sprained bones.
  • Current or previous injuries to the back or neck.
  • Chronic joint conditions, such as the knee.
  • Respiratory conditions such as asthma or bronchitis.
  • Other major medical conditions, especially heart or lung conditions.
  • Pregnancy.

Participants should be instructed to leave the unit in a calm and controlled manner if these situations occur:

• Deflation due to unit puncture/damage or power failure.
• Inclement weather (due to risk of thunderstorm and lightning).

The total deflation time on this unit is approximately five minutes. Should such an event occur, the trained operator(s) should advise the participants on an orderly exit and disallow new participants from entering the attraction until it is fully reinflated.

Ready to Play?

With a trained operator at the unit, they will instruct riders to step into the attraction.

• Each player must put on the waist harness snugly which is attached to the bungee cord behind him or her and buckle the harness closed.
• When all (4) players are harnessed in, the attendant blows their whistle or gives the “Go” signal for the players to start the game.
• Each player races to the center pool of balls in an attempt to grab as many balls as they can and bring them back to their individual mesh sack, drop them in and race back to the center ball area for more balls.
• The game is over when the pool of balls is empty and the player determines the winner with the most amounts of balls in their mesh sack.

Rolling Procedure

Step 1: Before breaking down any game, you should remove all accessories that may be applicable to game. Also be sure to use a quality broom or vacuum to clean the surface of the game and free of any debris. Check to make sure that no sharp objects have fallen into the seams of the game, i.e. pens, pencils, cell phones etc.… Items such as these can cause minor / major damage to the game during the rolling process.’

Step 2: Unplug the blower. As the game begins to deflate, go around and open all of the deflation flaps that may be located on sides or back of game. Allow the game to deflate to its natural state. Walls may have a tendency to fall outward. Depending on the inflatable, it could take from 5-15 minutes to deflate completely.

Step 3: Folding the game… You will need a second or third person to help fold and roll the game. At this point, you will want to fold the game in thirds. Each helper will grab a corner and at the count of 3, you will both fold the game over. You may not get a perfect fold, so walk the game (shoes off) and try to line up so that both ends match. Repeat the same procedure for the other side. To help the air out of the inflatable, be sure that the blower tubes are facing out and walk the inflatable towards to blower tube to walk the air out if possible. Depending on the game, the game should be approx 3’-4’ wide X whatever length applies.

Step 4: Rolling your inflatable… As noted above, you want to roll the inflatable so that the inflation tubes are extended out making it easy to walk the air out of the inflatable so the inflatable becomes pretty flat making for an easy roll. Roll your inflatable from the front to the back of game. 2 people should roll the game tight much like a sleeping bag. If you have a third persons help, have the third person walk inside of the roll, again helping the air escape and smash down any bumps of vinyl to ease in the rolling process. Be sure that your roll is straight on both sides and tight. As you get towards the end of the roll, take the game strap and place it as far under the rolled inflatable as you can reach so that when the game is completely rolled, one helper can grab the end, another can grab the other end. Game straps may have an “Alligator” mouth or a D-ring to bring through to tie the game strap to the inflatable.

Step 5: With both persons helping, stand game on end. Place the storage bag over one end of the game and work down as far as you can to cover the entire inflatable. Rotate the game 180 degrees and pull the bag up over the top of the game. Tie the bag closed. Lay the game onto a four-wheel dolly and roll it backwards to the storage area.

Notes

If there are any signs of wear on your inflatable such as seam wear to your vinyl, frayed bungee cords, zipper damage, please contact United Inflatable Rides, who will send the inflatable in for immediate repair.

Your inflatable is made of a PVC coated vinyl, is Flame Resistant and meets or exceeds National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) test method 1 and test method 2. The Flame Resistant material used will not be removed by washing.

Your inflatable can be washed (while inflated) with water and a mild cleaner/ degreaser. Allow unit to dry completely before packing up so mildew / mold doesn’t occur. Harsh cleaners or bleach should not be used.

Your inflatable is Flame Retardant and Phthalates free.