Archive for the ‘waterbed Tips’ Category

Fitting a replacement waterbed mattress

Monday, May 30th, 2011

Read along side our youtube video Link

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.
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Choosing the QUALITY of your waterbed mattress

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Choosing the QUALITY of your waterbed mattress

We all know that spring and foam mattresses give a relatively short period of supportive life before they begin to sag. A waterbed mattress however can last much longer, cost much less and give better support.

Standard waterbed mattress range:

*made from thinner vinyl than our deluxe range of waterbed mattresses.

*Cut smaller to reduce material cost.

*Made from a lower cost general purpose vinyl.

*Comes with a standard two year guarantee.

*Life expectancy, four years.

Deluxe waterbed mattress range

*£50 More expensive than our standard range of  mattresses.

*Made from thicker vinyl than our standard range.

*Generously cut to fit, ensuring perfect support.

*Made with vinyl specifically developed for waterbed mattresses.

*Comes with a standard five year guarantee.

*Life expectancy, eight years plus.

 

Why do we sell two qualities of waterbed mattress? (more…)

What to do if your waterbed mattress begins to smell

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

What causes a waterbed mattress to smell?

The following advice is based on approximately twenty five years of experience in the waterbed industry, in both the UK and California. Also input from other retailers, The British Waterbed Association and our customer feedback. We are not scientists, so if you are a water bed owner and have beneficial advice or something to add, rather than criticising this advice, please add your feedback.

Over the years a very small percentage of customers have reported a smell from the waterbed mattress. The smell can be described as stale straw. This does not sound too bad, but the smell fills the room and bed clothes. The smell is intolerable and the water bed is no longer usable.

This smell should not be confused with the smell of new vinyl which can be strong for the first few days, but gradually wears off. This is always the case.

 

A waterbed mattress is made from PVC (Vinyl). The filling to stabilize the movement is polyester fibers. Neither the  vinyl or water bed fiber can produce the smell described above.

 

The cause of the smell is bacteria in the water. When a waterbed is new, it is filled with water and eight ounces of specially formulated waterbed conditioner are added. This is twice the dose that is required every six months, but will give the water bed mattress a good clean start.

Two causes for the waterbed mattress to start smelling.

First, if the waterbed mattress is several years old and the owner has missed or been late adding the conditioner, then bacteria can start to grow in the water. A waterbed is temperature controlled making it an ideal breading ground for bacteria if conditioner is not added regularly. Also ensure that you take any air from the water bed mattress whenever you hear it as this is annoying and will also encourage bacteria to grow.

AirYou can visit our youtube video to see how to remove air from your waterbed mattress. (This is not a Hollywood production)
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Draining your waterbed Mattress

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Draining your waterbed Mattress

Although the following sounds like a major task, it can be easier to move a waterbed than an adjustable bed or ordinary divan bed.

Should the need arise to move your waterbed, you will need to empty the mattress enough that it can be lifted by an individual. First unplug the heater. Because all modern waterbed mattresses contain layers of fibre to reduce the motion of the water, a pump is recommended. Warning!!! The layers of fibre can slide if you lift the mattress while it still contains water. Always leave the mattress flat whilst emptying. If you must lift the head end, then grab the waterbed mattress and ensure you also have a strong grip of the fibre to ensure it will not slide. If the fibre does slide the waterbed mattress will be ruined. Using a pump will vacuum the waterbed mattress enough that the fibre can not slide even when lifted. There are several types of pump that will do the job. Your local waterbed retailer should be able to rent a pump or offer a drain down service. I have never personally used one, but several customers have told me about a pump that attaches to an electric drill with a hose into the waterbed mattress and a hose into the bath or out the window. Some have told me it is ok but slow, others that it would not suck the water from the fibre leaving it too heavy to lift. And other said the drill burnt out before the waterbed mattress was empty. You can always siphon the waterbed but heed the previous warning or you will need to buy a new waterbed mattress. The following has been written from personal experience. Siphoning the waterbed mattress is a last resort if you can not get a pump. If siphoning does not work, don’t blame us! Siphoning is only possible if you have a garden hose and the waterbed is high enough to drain downstairs, so flats and bungalows would be a problem.  First, with the plug still in the waterbed mattress, put your fists either side of the valve and push down and up the bed. Do this several times to create a well around the valve of water and no fibre. Lift the valve and remove the cap and plug. Slip the hose under the fibre so that gravity will pull the water down to it. Wrap tape around the connection between the valve and hose to make an airtight seal. Connect the other end of the hose to a tap and start filling the waterbed mattress, this will remove the air from the hose just the same as sucking on it. Just like when you used to steal the neighbours petrol! When the waterbed is filling, disconnect the tap and drop it to allow the water to run back and keep going. So long as air can not enter the waterbed mattress it will empty really well. Replace the plug quickly to prevent the fibre opening up.

Why did my waterbed mattress leak?

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Waterbed mattresses are made from PVC which is supplied to waterbed manufacturers in a choice of qualities mainly based on price. However, to say you get what you pay for is not always the case but a good indication of quality.

High PriceThere are many European waterbed manufacturers that have tried to reinvent the waterbed, give it all the bells and whistles and triple the price. The problem is that a waterbed works in such a natural way that over complicating it actually detracts from its benefits and life expectancy. This was proven over the last ten years with disastrous consequences of the companies that could not cope with the number of warranty returns.  

Low PriceThe internet has definitely driven down prices. Good for the consumer, or is it? When customers search on line for a lower priced waterbed mattress the cheapest retailer will get the order. How does a retailer manage to sell waterbed mattresses cheaply? Simply sell a quality that is not going to last. Give it a long warranty that you know it will never fulfill in the knowledge that you would have taken the money and run. Simply read the stories of complaints about any product sold on line. The problem is if someone has no intention of parting with your money you wont get it back.

Who do you trust?A waterbed retailer with a retail outlet as opposed to his front room. A Waterbed retailer that has been in busines longer than the warranty period offered on his waterbed mattresses. High & Dry Waterbeds, trading twenty one years. Offering a Genuine five year warranty and a mattress expected to easily outlast that. Not the cheapest, but the best waterbed mattresses available.

How to repair a leak in a waterbed mattress

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Reparability all comes down to the location of the leak and the condition of the waterbed mattress.

First, switch off the waterbed heater.

second, put a towel in each of the four corners to soak up the water. Depending on the severity of the leak, you may have to repeat this.
Third, ensure the safety liner is up over either the frame or side foams to prevent water from coming out of the waterbed frame.

Locating the leak.

Whilst drying in the corners of the waterbed frame try to see any water coming from the edges of the corner seams. These are the most vulnerable points of the mattress. Often the leak is very small and is like a tear drop of water that only leaks when pressure is applied. If you have no luck finding the leak widen your search.

Note. To dry the water you may pull the corner of the mattress back to reveal a layer of water. It is extremely unlikely that the waterbed mattress is leaking from underneath. This water is from around the sides, running to the lowest point. If you still have no luck locating the leak. Take a cardboard box and cut it into strips. Pull the waterbed mattress corner away from the frame and place the cardboard strips in between the mattress and the safety liner. Do this in all four corners then leave it whilst drinking coffee and looking for your waterbed repair kit. Upon your return, inspect the cardboard in the four corners. One will show an obvious wet spot. This will narrow your search. If the leak is on the seam around the neck of the filler valve, unfortunately this will not repair successfully due to being two different types of plastic.

Repairing the leak It is not normally necessary to empty the waterbed mattress, although a leak on the side is easier to repair if about one quarter of the waterbed mattress is emptied by simple siphoning. (See draining your waterbed) A waterbed vinyl repair kit is essential. Having found the leak. Pull the effected area back from the waterbed frame. Wedge something down between the waterbed mattress and the waterbed frame, to hold the leak area above the water line. Remove the waterbed mattress cap and plug. Lift the valve up allowing air to be drawn into the waterbed mattress. Replace the cap and plug, work the pocket of air towards the leak area, this will mean the leak is not in contact with the water. Take a hair dryer and gently warm the local area of the leak. This will soften the vinyl and dry any moisture. Assuming the leak is a small split of 3mm or 1/8th inch, smear glue from the waterbed repair kit generously on the mattress only in a circle of approximately 2.5cm or 1 inch. This will begin to dry quickly being warm from the hairdryer. Cut a small circular patch from the waterbed repair kit, approximately 1.5cm or 5/8ths inch diameter. Obviously bigger than the leak and smaller than the glue area. Place the patch over the leak and with your thumb nail squeeze out any air trapped under the patch. This is easy to see because the patch is generally clear. If the patch is textured place the textured side down. Once the glue is dry, smear some more glue around the edge of the patch to seal it down. Allow at least an hour for this to dry, try not to disturb the area whilst it is drying. Once dry, remove all towels, objects and cardboard from the safety liner. Spend time to pull back the mattress and dry as far underneath as you can reach in all four corners and around the sides. See (Identify the cause of a leak)