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Fitting a replacement waterbed mattress

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1. Apologies for the poor quality of this video, but we have created this video to help our customers to fit a replacement waterbed mattress.

2. This is a particularly good example of a waterbed mattress that needs to be replaced. It is about ten years old and has not had conditioner added regularly. As a result the PVC has become very brittle and actually cracked. The brittling effect of the PVC causes the mattress to tighten up and shrink. This puts a tension in the surface of the waterbed mattress reducing the comfort and support. It is rare that a  mattress would get this bad because most people would have replaced it before it got to this condition as it is no longer giving the superb comfort and support that it did when it was new

3. Having established that the customer needs a replacement waterbed mattress we will need to empty the old one. First thing to do is unplug or disconnect the waterbed heater.

4. High & Dry Waterbeds employ the services of Bed Tech Limited for all mattress replacements, installations and house moves. Obviously time is money, so by first filling the bath with lukewarm water we will save valuable time refilling the new mattress.

5. If you wish to swap the mattress yourself it is recommended that you use a suitable water pump. Your local waterbed shop should hire one with the hoses. Or you can siphon the old mattress using a garden hose, this can work well if you closely follow our blog guide titled ‘waterbed tips’.  https://bed-adjustable.co.uk/blog/2010/04/draining-your-waterbed-mattress/ The suction hose connects to the front of the pump and the outlet hose connects to the top. You must prime the pump before use, twist the suction hose into the valve place a heavy object over the valve to keep the hose under the water level. Put the outlet hose out of a window or down a drain.

6. In this particular case, with such a big split it is worth sealing the leak with tape or making a repair with a waterbed repair kit, otherwise the mattress will not vacuum pack completely.

7. Start the pump which should empty the mattress in just over fifteen minutes depending on the size of your waterbed. While this is emptying you have the opportunity to dry up around and inside the waterbed safety liner. As you can see this mattress has seen better days. Once it is completely empty, remove the suction hose, insert the plug and screw the cap back on to ensure the mattress stays tightly packed. Fold the old mattress as shown. It will still be heavy but hopefully be manageable. Remove the old mattress and mop up the last of the wet.

8. Remove the valve and plug from the new mattress before putting it inside the waterbed frame. This will allow air to be drawn into the compressed fiber. It will also allow any creases from packing to open out, making it easier to position the new mattress.

9. Position the new mattress as centrally as you can, then taking the bottom corner of the seam, tug it into the bottom corner of the foam frame. If you still have an old hardsided waterbed, the principal is exactly the same.

10. Pull the second, third and fourth corners of the replacement waterbed mattress into the bottom corners of the frame. Compare whether all four corners fit as snug as each other. If one corner is baggy and another is tight then the mattress is not central and will not fill properly. Do another lap repeating the process to make sure the waterbed mattress is central before filling.

11. It is not necessary that the replacement waterbed mattress has the same stability as the old one. You can read more about the mattress stability options on our website https://www.bed-adjustable.co.uk/waterbeds/accessories-mattresses-waterbeds.html or watch our youtube video https://www.youtube.com/BackcareBeds#p/u/1/zU8qmceyzaw

Before refilling the new waterbed mattress, you must first flush fresh water through the pump, This is because some of the water from the old mattress is still in the pump and could contain a high level of bacteria which you do not want in the replacement mattress.

12. Reconnect the pump, this time put the suction hose in the bath and push the outlet hose into the waterbed mattress. Prime the pump and switch it on. Turn the bath taps on to keep mattress filling.

13. As a result of the water replacing the air in the fiber layers, there will soon be a large pocket of air in the waterbed mattress. When the mattress is getting close to being full remove the air. You can see how to do this on our youtube video https://www.youtube.com/BackcareBeds#p/u/0/o1t8oXdtCUM continue filling the waterbed until it has the right amount of water to suit either yourself  or you and a partner. Guidance on this can also be found on our youtube videos.

14. Remove the last of the air and pour in eight ounces of specially formulated waterbed conditioner. As you replace the plug, push the valve down until the water comes to the top, so you do not trap more air. Push the plug in and screw the cap back on. Push the valve back into the bed. Zip the washable cover back on, And apart from needing a new washable zip top, it is like having a brand new waterbed.

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