Where to find Replacement Somma and Land Tubes and Cylinders

Filling Free Flow Tubes or Cylinders:

1. Remove the pull caps and insert plug from the tube.
2. Fill each cylinder with warm or tepid water at a sink or bathtub.
3. Fill the Somma tube to the fill line noted on the cylinder that best suits your personal comfort requirements. We suggest you use less water and add more to discover you optimum comfort level.NOTE DO NOT OVERFILL CYLINDERS OR TUBES
4. After filling cylinders, be sure to wipe excess water off outside of cylinders.
5. Slowly lay cylinders down flat to force air out of them. This is called burping the air out.
6. Replace insert plug into the tube valve stem. Screw cap on evenly and tightly. Do not cross thread, then press down and invert the valve like a beach ball.
7. Next, place one cylinder lengthwise so it is running head to foot inside the foam safety lined tray. Lay it in the center of the tray.  Each subsequent tube should then be installed working your way toward the foam side rails. Make sure cylinders are snug, but do not overlap each other.NOTE VALVES SHOULD BE AT THE FOOT END OF BED
8. To prevent possible condensation, let the water in the cylinders reach room temperature before covering the tubes with the quilted zipper or shell top.
9. If you purchased the optional removable pillow top duvet, now you would place it on top of the completed mattress, attaching it to the mattress with the provided straps.

Filling Baffled or Foam Filled Tubes and Cylinders:

• You must be careful not to allow the insert to slide to one end!
• While filling tube hold insert firmly so it cannot shift.
• Fill each cylinder with warm or tepid water preferably in a bathtub or in foam safety lined tray where the tubes can be filled laying flat.
• If installing foam filled cylinders, carefully walk on cylinders with stocking feet to expel air from foam. Then remove cap and plug and repeat Steps 5 & 6.
• Again while transporting tube from the tub to the bed, hold insert firmly so it cannot shift out of place.

Care and Maintenance Instructions

• You can be assured of years of comfort and performance if you follow these simple suggestions.
• Use a mattress pad to protect the mattress and the duvet
• Always use proper supporting foundation under the mattress. For other applications such as platform beds etc. contact your local waterbed dealer.
• Add recommended dosage of waterbed conditioner or tablets.
• Be sure to burp or bleed your tubes to reduce noise and increase waterbed comfort.
• Keep bed clean and free of dirt.

These are general fill instructions. If you have never filled a tube waterbed please contact your local dealer for more helpful hints or follow the installation instructions supplied with or on your tubes.

This is the 3rd part of our 3 part blog series on repairing a waterbed mattress:
#1: When is it Ok to repair my waterbed bladder with a patch kit?
#2: How to correctly find the spot of a leak in a waterbed bladder mattres

We always recommend taking your waterbed mattress to a store and have it done professionally. For those risk takers, repair at your own risk.

How to repair the hole in a waterbed mattress using a vinyl repair kit. Only use a vinyl repair kit. Do not use a rubber repair kit; they do not hold and you usually only get one chance for the patch to stick.

• Assuming you have located the hole in your water mattress and circled it the first step will be to clean the vinyl mattress surface with clean water or alcohol.
• If the leaking hole is less than ¼ of an inch in size the leak may be repairable. The idea is not to have a huge patch so it will be pliable and flexible. If the hole is round (like a pinhole leak) cut the vinyl patch in the shape of a nickel or quarter. Buy cutting the patch in the way it will eliminate corners that can catch and tear loose causing the waterbed patch to not hold.
• If the leaking hole in the waterbed mattress is a straight line cut or tear less than 1/4 inch in size then cut the patch in an oblong or oval shape, again with no pointed edges that can catch on bedding.
• Apply vinyl adhesive to both patch and the mattress surface area to be repaired. Let vinyl glue start to set up and become tacky and even hazy in color.
• Put the waterbed vinyl patch on to the waterbed bed surface.
• Most patches should sit and dry for an hour or so to assure a good bond. Read the directions on the patch kit for exact dry time.
• Another thing we like to do is once the original patch has dried we will run a consistent bead of vinyl glue all the way around the patches edge. Again let sit until the patch is dry. This additional step helps to hold down the edge of the patch.
• Fill mattress to correct fill level and regularly check to make sure the waterbed repair kit has held and is not leaking. This can last for many years. We never recommend repairing mattresses that are between10- 12 years of age or older. Waterbed mattresses are very cheep to replace especially when compared to regular mattress and boxsprings.

Always be sure to follow patch kits instructions for proper water mattress repairs.

Have you ever had a waterbed leak? Did you repair it or just buy a new water mattress? Leave your comment below or email us.

This is the second part of our 3 part blog series:
#1: When is it OK to repair my waterbed bladder with a patch kit?
#3: Please save my carpeting! How to fix and properly repair a waterbed bladder leak
(part 3 will be linked after publication next week)

Unfortunately leaks happen and when they do and it is repairable do not put the job off.

The hole in a leaking mattress must be found:
First locate the leak in your waterbed mattress. Below are a couple methods to finding the frustrating hole in your mattress, but first be safe, you will need to unplug the waterbed heater immediately.

You must make sure you dry up every drop of water you can get to. If you do not you will get a false positive result. This means you think you found the leak, when in reality you have only located remaining water residue from the leak you are looking for.

Some people recommend filling the mattress with air. Once you have inflated the mattress apply soapy water by rubbing it onto the mattress surface or applying the sudsy water with a spray bottle and wait for it to bubble up. This can be an affective method to find a waterbed mattress hole, but is often messy and could cause fiber baffle shifting if not properly handled.

The preferred method is to leave the partially filled water mattress in the wooden frame. Be sure to dry it off with an absorbent towel making sure to dry up any water remaining on the mattress. Next place your hands in a position where your index fingers and thumbs are touching as if you were going to give CPR chest compressions. This is another affective way to find a leak. Start by pressing down on corners until your hands bottom out on the floor of the bed. Next do the same with seams then all remaining untested areas. When a leak appears it will generally be a little bead or welt of water. Not a gaping gushing whole.

Once you have located the hole be sure to mark the mattress. You can do this by circling the area with a permanent black magic marker. Many people find the holes only to lose them when they walk away from the bed.

Whichever method you choose to find the leak is up to you. Eventually you will need the water mattress to be completely drained before reinstalling. This will allow you to dry the underside of the mattress. Be sure to dry up any remaining moisture within the safety liner as well.

This is the first of a 3 part blog series:
#2: How to correctly find the spot of a leak in a waterbed bladder mattress
#3: Please save my carpeting! How to fix and properly repair a waterbed bladder leak
(These will be linked upon completion/publication of the series)

Here is an ugly scenario. Your waterbed mattress pops and the flood roars down the hallway sweeping everything away in its path. It’s the cataclysmic stuff movie scripts are made of. “The dreaded leak in a waterbed mattress.”

Don’t worry; in my 22 years of selling waterbeds I have never heard such a story. Leaks are not as common as you might think and most stay within the safety liner. If a leak happens, we recommend that you do not put off repairing the hole or even replacing your water mattress. If you do not, the water can sour and start to smell giving off an incredible stench or even worse escape your safety liner and cause minor or even serious water damage to your house. So when is it a bad idea to repair a waterbed mattress? Here is what you need to know.

1. Do not repair waterbed mattress corners even if they have been reinforced.
   If the hole in your waterbed mattress is located in any of the construction seams or a corner do not attempt to repair. Waterbed seams and corners are not glued shut. A patch kit will not permanently fix your leaking waterbed mattress and is more likely to become a catastrophic failure causing serious water damage.
2. It is only ok to repair a waterbed with a vinyl repair patch kit.
   A patch kit includes a piece of vinyl and vinyl adhesive. Do not use rubber cement or superglue to fix the hole.
3. Do not attempt to fix seams on a waterbed mattress.
   See # 1
4. Waterbed mattresses should not be repaired if they are old.
   Unlike a fine wine vinyl breaks down and deteriorates as it ages. The normal life on a free flow mattress is only a couple years. The life on a quality baffled mattress is 10-12 years. This is best determined by talking to a sales professional. Tell them how old your mattress is and whether you own a Free Flow, Semi-Waveless, Waveless, Ultra Waveless, or Super Waveless. Different mattresses have different life expectancies. Ten to twelve years for any waterbed mattress is very old, do not repair it replace it.
5. When waterbed vinyl discolors it is a sign of a water mattress that should not be repaired.
   When this happens it is a signal of weakening vinyl. This could be due to age or body oils that have contacted the vinyl over and over again which hint to the signs of plasticizer migration. Use an absorbent mattress pad to protect from such problems.
6. Vinyl that has a waxy, hard, non-flexible or pliable feeling to it may be breaking down and should not be repaired.
   This is the same thing that happens when a plastic milk carton is left in the sun. The plastic becomes brittle. Waterbed mattresses are subject to the same hardening that can cause a mattress failure. Another example is old vinyl cars seats when they start to get brittle and crack apart.
7. Do not try to repair a hole that has already had a patch on it or you have attempted to repair but failed.
   This is by far the biggest mistake people make. They just do not get the idea that this is a patch and that it is going to hold back a couple hundred gallons of water. The reward of a successful patch that will enviably fail anyway is not worth the risk of damage to your house or personal property.
8. If the leaking hole or cut in the waterbed is more than ¼ of an inch in size the leak should not be patched.
   Holes or tears in the waterbed that are bigger than a quarter of an inch flex too much. The patch will not be flexible enough or small enough to flex properly and will ultimately fail causing another leak maybe bigger than the first one.
9. Too many holes in a mattress are a disaster waiting to happen.
   Use common sense here. If the area looks like Swiss Cheese buy a new bladder.

1. Change your sheets at least once a week
   Absorbent and breathable sheets not only feel good, but they can minimize perspiration stains on a mattress while allowing your body to breathe properly throughout the night. Absorbent fabrics offer additional protection to the mattress from sweat and all the icky stuff. We recommend cleaning bed sheets a minimum of once a week to reduce mattress smell.
2. Use a stain resistant mattress pad and clean it at least once a month
   Today a person can buy a breathable mattress pad that will protect the mattress from stains such as perspiration, body oils, and bodily fluids while meeting the terms of the factory mattress warranties. Use of a good mattress pad can minimize mattress smell.
3. Vacuum your mattress at least once a month
   By frequently vacuuming a mattress and boxspring with a vacuum cleaner a great deal of the dust, dirt and allergens can be extracted if done regularly. This can also help keep the mattress from smelling.
4. Turn your mattress end-to-end 180 degrees
   Most people wear their body weight from the shoulders to the hips, if you do not spin the mattress from end to end the area where you sleep will work harder than the foot end of the mattress causing uneven wear. Mattress rotation will not stop body impressions, however it will minimize them. The rotation of your mattress gives the layers of foam and upholstery a chance to recover.
5. Consider having it professionally cleaned
   On site mattress sanitizing or cleaning is available simply Google those terms or look it up in you local phone book.
6. If applicable, turn the mattress completely over
   Most mattresses today cannot be turned over.  If you are lucky enough to still own a two-sided mattress turn it over once a month. This will give the foam and materials a chance to bounce back. For most folks the old days of flipping a mattress are nearly gone.
7. If you have a flexible boxspring rotate it 180 degrees
   Turning a boxspring end to end promotes even wear and can extend the life of your mattress. Note many boxsprings today are not flexible and most people believe simply turning the boxspring from head end to the foot twice a year may attain additional life from a boxspring.
8. Purchase a new mattress more frequently
   • Know when to recognize the useful life of the mattress and boxspring has been exhausted. Although the more costly route both, one sided and two sided beds in a new fresh state can give your body great support and a healthy sleeping environment. Unfortunately a mattress does wear out which contributes to loss of support for the back and reduced comfort. Not only that but mattresses do get dirty which contributes to an unhealthy sleep environment.
   • A one-sided mattress will generally last around 6 years while a two-sided mattress tends to last longer in excess of 8 years. Keep in mind warranty is not an indicator of how long a bed should last. A person needs only to dollar cost average their purchase to realize what a true value a mattress and boxspring really is.
   • Not sleeping in the same mattress for 20 years can do more for your repertory health than you might think, ask your physician.

Did we miss anything? How do you do to keep your mattress clean and comfy? Leave your comment below or email us.