Replace Only The Thermostat or Only The Waterbed Heater Pad on a Waterbed?

Can I buy just the thermostat only for my waterbed heater? I am sure some nut job of a waterbed store would risk his or her business just to make an extra buck. However nut jobs like myself here at The Water Works Sleep Center are going to tell you the answer is No Way.

One of the first things the directions list in the “Do Not Do” part of the instructions of a new Waterbed Heater is to use the proper thermostat with the matching heater pad. This one seems real simple to me, electricity and water do not mix, so why take the risk with your life or one of your family members lives. A waterbed heater can be purchased new for a mere $70.00 to $80.00 and will last for about 8 years?

Reasons to use the correct waterbed thermostat with the correct waterbed-heating pad:

Risk of Fire
Risk of Electrical Shock
Death
The plug on the heater pad cord and the receptacle on thermostat usually are not the same
Waterbed heater pads have different wattage capacities 

Again this one seems like a no brainer to me, and I am not here to tell people what decision to make when solving waterbed heater issues. I hope the electricians out there will cut me some slack on this one and not call me out for trying to take your money. Howevery our concern is that the people reading this blog are consumers and sales people like myself, who have limited knowledge of electricity. We simply think that buying a new waterbed heater is the best, cheapest, and safest solution available to waterbed heater problems. So please be safe and purchase a complete waterbed heater, not just the waterbed heater or thermostat.