Example photos of unique details.

Curtain walls

The curtain wall is built across the bowling lanes, right in front of the pinsetter machines. Some builders suspend it from above, while others create a header that spans the entire width.

At first, the opening is high enough to allow the pinsetter machines to roll down the lanes on a pallet jack. Once the pinsetter machines are in place, the builder extends the curtain wall downward to its final height 22 inches off the bowling lane. If the opening is too high, you'll see more of the pinsetter machine. If it's too low, a tall person's line of sight to the bowling pins could be partially obstructed.

Some of the bowling electronics will be mounted to the rear face of the curtain wall. This is the location where a quad receptacle is needed, as well as a hard-wired internet ethernet jack.

It's important to finish as much of the curtain wall as possible before the bowling alley equipment is installed to minimize dust and the risk of damage to the bowling equipment.

Electrical

A licensed electrician must connect power to all of the bowling equipment. Fusion Bowling provides some items, such as the 3-phase converter, fuseable safety disconnect switch, surge suppressor, and the bowling equipment of course. But the electrician mounts and connects those items. The electrician also provides junction boxes, drop cords, conduits, wiring, etc.

Flooring Transitions

Flooring must be installed AFTER the bowling alley. Doing so allows the flooring subcontractor to cover over the small gap along the perimeter of the slab depression, as well as to "float up" any low spots in the slab.

When Fusion Bowling's crew arrives to install the bowling alley, they will confirm the thickness of the flooring with the general contractor, and then set the bowling lane elevation accordingly to allow a flush flooring transition. Sometimes, however, the homeowner changes their mind and selects a different flooring with a different thickness. In those situations, a reducer trim will likely need to be installed by the flooring subcontractor.

The edge of the bowling lane material must be protected somehow. It's possible to not use a transition strip, as long as the adjacent flooring is "hard" (for example: tile, vinyl, or wood), and set 1/16th inch higher than the bowling lane elevation. However, some type of transition strip protection should always be installed when the adjacent flooring is carpet.

Pinsetter machines

Pinsetter machines are the #1 consideration when buying your home bowling alley. Brunswick manufactures two styles of pinsetter machine, both of which are sanctioned by the USBC and meant for the abuse of commercial environments. The Brunswick Boost™ machine has corded pins. The Brunswick GS-NXT™ uses free-fall pins.

Fusion Bowling recommends Brunswick Boost™ for homeowners because its simple mechanical design has very few moving parts (compared to any machine that resets free-fall pins). This means there are not many parts that can work themselves out of adjustment over time, which translates to a very high-degree of reliability. This is important for homeowners who, unlike public bowling centers, don't have a mechanic standing by 24/7.

Another important difference is the quiet operation of the Brunswick Boost™ pinsetter. It makes little to no noise, except, of course, when the ball hits the pins. This is in stark contrast to machines that use free-fall pins, which have 22+ pins that are constantly making noise as they cycle through the machine.

Other advantages of the Brunswick Boost™ pinsetter machines include cost (tens of thousands of dollars less expensive per pair), and greater flexibility during installation.