The thing that makes trampolines such good entertainment is the bounce it delivers. It can make you feel like touching the skies. But I like the exhilarating experience it gives.
It makes you sweat, and in the process, you can blow off some steam. But that all gets disturbed if you don’t reach high enough, which results from poor bounce from the trampoline. It gets you thinking; why is my new trampoline not bouncy?
You want to bounce, but it doesn’t just have enough elasticity to push you to good heights. A trampoline that isn’t bouncy is suffering from a manufacturing defect or something else happened while you were setting it up and using it. The most likely cause would be the springs.
There could be many different reasons why a trampoline isn’t bouncy enough. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the possible causes behind a dysfunctional trampoline and ways to solve them.
What do You need to Know About Trampolines?
Before you can understand what makes your trampoline bounce poorly, you need to know the mechanism behind the bounces.
When it comes to a trampoline, it’s the springs connected to the mat, and the frame is responsible for all the bouncing. It’ll dictate the quality of the bounces.
The mat is made from a non-stretchable fabric whilst the frame provides the spring a base to work with.
Each time you jump and land on the fabric mat, it transfers the pressure to the springs, and they get stretched. Due to its nature, each spring will try to snap back into shape, thus propelling the jumper upwards.
How to Figure out What’s Causing the Poor Trampoline Bounce?
The first determining factor would be the age of the trampoline. Is it the first time you’re using it? Or has it been in your possession for a while? Both could be considered brand new if the shine on the product hasn’t worn off yet.
This point is important since it helps greatly to troubleshoot faster. We’ll analyze the problem from both conditions and let you decide what avenues to choose for solving it.
An Untouched Trampoline
If it’s a completely new trampoline and still it’s not delivering the bounce you wanted, the issue might be with the spring quality or the trampoline size. Or it could be worse; a combination of those two.
- You Bought an Oversized Trampoline
During manufacturing, the trampoline is fitted with springs according to the weight capacity intended for the model. It means that the springs will only react when enough pressure is put on the mat.
So, it’s very likely that the trampoline you bought is a mismatch with your kid’s weight. If the kid’s weight isn’t enough to budge the spring, it won’t stretch enough to give that thrust you want.
It’s not uncommon to buy the biggest trampoline thinking it’s a good investment. However, trampolines have age and weight categories as well as amateur and professional categories.
I reckon if you jumped on the trampoline it’d give a pretty good bounce.
What’s the Fix?
Since you bought it only recently, you should still have a warranty remaining. Or you might be even inside the return period. See if you can exchange the product for a smaller one or return it and get your money back.
You can also opt for selling it to one of your neighbors who need a large trampoline for their family.
- Spring Quality Issues
Springs can make or break a trampoline. Depending on the spring, its strength and recoil ability vary.
The basic factors that determine a spring’s recoil ability are its wire diameter, coil width, and the quality of material used (most often the material is steel).
You’ll find mainly two types of Spring Coils.
- Standard China Coil Spring
This is the most basic type of coil spring you’ll see in trampolines. These have 3.1mm wide wires and 26mm wide coils.
In terms of strength and recoil ability, it will perform best if used in 8’ and 10’ round trampolines. They are the best for younger kids that are 10 years old or under.
But if the bounce isn’t important, they are fine for larger trampolines too. For example, if it’s parkour or cheerleading practice.
- Heavy-Duty Coil Spring
This is one of the better-quality springs used in both amateur and professional categories.
These come with 3.4mm wide wires and 26-32mm wide coils. You could say that how can a slight difference of a few millimeters make such a huge difference in strength and recoil ability?
The slightly thicker wires make the spring a lot stronger and allow it to recoil back into shape quickly.
These are made to be installed in larger trampolines since they can handle a lot more weight than the standard ones. 12’ round trampolines are a good candidate for these springs. Even rectangular professional trampolines use these springs.
What’s The Fix?
The solution is exactly the same as the one before. Return or exchange the trampoline for a more suitable one.
If you can’t return it, it’s a good idea to change the springs to heavy-duty ones.
The Trampoline Has Been in Use
If the trampoline has been used for a while and then lost its quality of bounce, it’s because of spring quality deterioration.
- Rusty Springs
Rust can be deadly towards trampoline springs. Since most of these are made of metal, you’ll have to be on your toes always. The better ones come with galvanized steel protected against oxidization. Even these could deteriorate due to some reason.
If the spring is rusting, it means the metal is slowly thinning out. At one point, the springs will lose the strength to extend and recoil back.
What’s the Fix?
Since the trampoline is already experiencing poor bounce, it means the spring is a lost cause. The solution is to replace the affected spring.
There will be other springs with not as bad condition. Either replace them or treat them with an anti-rust solution.
- Missing Springs
This is another pretty common issue faced by trampoline owners. When springs are missing from a trampoline structure, it’s bad for the bouncing experience. But it’s worse for the rest of the springs since those have to share the extra burden which can be sometimes beyond their limit.
It can even damage the mat. But the good news is that the solution is easy.
What’s the Fix?
If you’re lucky the springs would have fallen nearby and you could just clean them and put them back. Otherwise, you’d have to buy new ones.
- Over-Stretched Springs
When springs are constantly stretched over their limit, they start to give up by losing their elasticity. They don’t have the same recoil ability so they don’t fall back into shape as fast as they used to.
The wires in the coils are supposed to stay close to each other. If you see the wires have large gaps between them, it’s a sign that the spring is giving up.
What’s the Fix?
The fix is to replace the affected springs. Unfortunately, in situations like this, if not treated, the number of bad springs will increase.
How to Make the Trampoline Bouncier?
Make sure you’re buying a trampoline of the right size, and with quality, springs will certainly make your bouncing experience better. But there are a few other tricks you can opt for to give the trampoline bouncing a slight boost.
Note: Using the tricks could very well shorten the life of your springs.
- Set the Springs in X Shape
For this trick to work, you will use the existing springs you’ll divide them into pairs. And each pair will be installed in an X shape with each spring being a straight line of X.
This means the springs will be stretched more than normal and thus providing stronger recoil.
- Set the Springs in V Shape
Similar to the previous one, you’ll use your existing springs to set it up. This time you’ll use less number of springs. And you’ll be installing them diagonally one by one.
In this case, as well, you’ll force the springs to overstretch and increase their recoil ability. As it’ll hold the mat tighter, the jumpers will bounce higher.
Final Words
Those who have the question; why is my trampoline not bouncy? I think we’ve addressed all the possible causes, and we’ve covered all the avenues to solve this little problem of yours. It all boils down to choosing the right trampoline with the best quality materials. And using the trampoline with discipline can go a long way to protect your investment.
Last Updated on March 10, 2023
