Reasons to replace a safety liner

People spend thousands of dollars and fancy plush carpeting and its padding. Hardwood floors we really shouldn’t have to go into much detail as to why we wouldn’t want those to get flooded especially if you ever set a drink on a piece of wood furniture and it left a ring stain on it. Finally there are subfloors and the cost of labor to tear out, fix, or replace any of the previously mentioned. Purchasing a new liner is solid preventive maintenance and is always suggested and recommended by our sales staff to the customers at STL Beds when buying a new water mattress or a heater.  To replace these items the bed needs to be drained which makes it a perfect time to swap the old liner out for a new one. Unfortunately many of these consumers never give the safety liner a second thought until it’s too late and they have water all over the floor. We don’t believe it’s worth the aggravation and definitely will give the bed owner some peace of mind by changing out this twenty five dollar replaceable throw away liner which is the last and final safety net of a waterbed.

How long do liners normally last?

We consider safety liners a 5 year product at best. The corners tend to split and separate. Liners even start to break down along the sides and in the corners which in the case of a leak would easily allow the water to flow over the top. Dirty liner and hardware screw heads or metal burs can puncture them. Some do it your selfers will cover their hardware with duct tape and we don’t discourage it although is not something we do as part of a waterbed installation. Just don’t put it over your heater pad! A wood splinter from your decking is another culprit.

What are the types of liners?

Almost all safety liners made today for Hardside waterbeds are what the industry calls stand up liners.  Just lay them in the bed an pull them into all 4 corners, get most the wrinkles out of the bottom especially over the heater and your done. They are simple to install and take only a couple of minutes and one person. The old tack up and clip up liners are history. They took much longer to put in and used tacks are screws to hold them in position. Some times they would pull out and puncture mattresses making them counter productive.

Softside waterbeds use a fitted liner which over laps your foam rails like a fitted sheet. It usually has the same 5 year life expectancy.
Just remember if you over fill your mattress you are taking a very big risk. An over filled mattress that leaks can overflow the safety liner no matter how good your safety liner is so be sure to fill your waterbed mattress to the correct fill level.

Interesting STL Beds has at least one or two customers a month come into the store who have owned a water mattress  that is more than twenty years old. The truth is that it is possible  especially if you kept the mattress clean and heated. Normally they will last on average up to 10-12 years. Try getting that out of a coil spring mattress especially if you weigh over 200lbs these days.

2.    “Just fill the mattress till your knee will not touch bottom”

If one of my well trained sales people told this to a customer I would have to consider firing them. Unfortunately it happens, waterbeds are made to sleep on not kneel on. Manufacturers usually recommend fillling the bed to the top of the safety liner on a Hardside waterbed. I recommend about 3/8” below top of foam rails on a soft side waterbed.

3.     “Fill the mattress until it feels good”

This is wrong, when shopping for a water mattress, buy the one that feels the best in the store. If you over fill a baffled mattress you increase the ratio of water to baffling. That means the water just bypasses the baffling and increases the wave motion. It also makes the mattress  stretch and balloon  under the smaller person on the bed. We like say it feels like “sleeping on the hump on a camels back.”

4.    “Waterbeds to heavy to put upstairs”

If your house is built to code you have the same floor joist upstairs as down. The problem comes into play when someone takes out a load bearing wall or converts an attic with only ceiling joist to a living space. When in doubt ask a professional to look it over. Today the same goes for mobile homes. Most building codes are very strict on proper support. One third of the waterbeds we have sold went into mobile homes. Again if in doubt ask the mobile home dealer or the installer.

5.    “Waterbeds will make you sea sick”

Waterbeds are not like boat . The feel of laying on your back in a waterbed is significanly different from floating in a boat. A waterbeds waviness is controled by baffles which often have less disturbance than that of a regular coil spring mattress.

How to protect your waterbed from pets

One solution for hardside waterbed owners is to purchase a waterbed cover that fully incases your hardside waterbed bladder for the ultimate protection. These usually have a zippered top, which is removable. It completely zips to a side and bottom panel so your furry friend cannot puncture it. This quilted top cover is usually ¾” to 2 ½” thick or more so pet claws are commonly not an issue. A person only needs to unzip the parameter of the protective zippered cover to access the waterbed mattress inside for occasion maintenance such as adding conditioner.

Waterbed protection

An example of how well protective nightwear covers from companies like Land and Sky work is this story that happened to one of our customers about two years ago. The couple having bought their bed less than a year before the incident told us how their dog dug a 2” deep hole in her 3” cover. They had left the dog alone while they were out for the evening during a thunderstorm. The dog got scared and dug into the cover of their bed. Fortunately for them the dog never did get to the $500.00 waterbed mattress.

Another thing that helps to protect a waterbed from cats and dogs is the bed linens. They offer additional protection while protecting your mattress and greatly adding to the beds comfort. This is because a mattress pad adds thickness to the top keeping the mattress from your pets’ sharp claws. The comfort comes from more breathability while drawing moisture and heat away from your body.

Waterbeds that co-exist best with your pets

One waterbed in particular that can be great to have when you own a dog or cat is a softside waterbed, which already has the protective cover built in. The outside part of the bed also has a zippered top and encloses a protective 4-5” foam perimeter keeping the sides of the waterbed totally protected from sharp claws. They look just like a regular mattress and boxspring and best of all can be used with regular bedroom furniture. We recommend a good mattress cover also on a softside waterbed not only to offer additional protection from pets, but they go a long way to protect your bed from stains and smell due to dirt and body fluids like perspiration.

So as you can see there are many solutions to the so called “I can’t have a pet and a waterbed” comments so frequently thrown around. Our hope is that this dispels some of the stories about cats causing waterbeds to pop and explode.

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At STL Beds we commonly get asked, “How do you properly store a waterbed mattress?” To begin with, you must drain the waterbed properly and that means getting most of the water out of it. One way to do that is to use a venturi pump or electric pump.

There are various waterbed pumps available which are the best way to completely drain a waterbed mattress. First, burp the air out, connect the pump, and let it drain the mattress absolutely as far down as possible. If this is done the mattress should be vacuum packed looking like a package of beef jerky. The vacuum holds the baffling in the mattress in position so it will not shift around when handling and moving. As soon as you determine the mattress is drained, disconnect the pump and immediately cap and plug the mattress. Do not allow air to refill the mattress. It is vital to maintain most of the vacuum. Besides holding your baffling in place, it will decrease the chance of your mattress turning sour as air, water, and bacteria react to each other.

We recommend putting a bottle of waterbed conditioner, such as blue magic in the mattress several days or more before draining. It is always a good idea to clean the mattress with a good vinyl cleaner before putting it into storage. STL Beds is cautious about recommending the storage of water bed mattresses because the vinyl may become brittle with age and crack when you unfold it due to plasticizer migration. Always store in a dry dark location and be cautious of places like basements, storage units, or any outbuilding with great temperature contrasts and high humidity. This seems to encourage bacteria growth, mold, and mildew in or on the mattress.

Oh yes another thing you need to be aware of is predators, varmints, and critters like mice that are notorious for and love to chew on vinyl water mattresses, so try not to store your water mattress in a woodshed, garage, and barn. I have also seen the family cat I assume after the mouse, walk across mattresses left unboxed or unprotected. Their claws can leave holes in them as well, so the proper storage area is just as important as the proper storage technique. Wrap and protect your mattress to keep it from being exposed to the elements and the things that can and might damage your waterbed mattress while it is being stored.

Don’t forget your heater. STL Beds recommends storing the heater pad in a flat position. Do not roll it up, especially if it is getting old. It is not unusual to see waterbed heaters fail after being moved and handled, so remember to handle it with care as well.

At STLBeds we get asked the following questions probably more than any others so we decided to seek out the answer.

Does Walmart sell waterbed mattresses?
Does Walmart sell waterbed conditioner?
Does Walmart sell drain and fill kits for waterbeds?
Does Warmart sell waterbed heaters?

I can only speak about the WalMarts in the St. Louis Missouri market, the answer is no. At the time of publishing I have not seen Blue Magic Waterbed Products on their shelves. As a matter of fact, I personally have not seen them on the shelves for a few years now.

Good News:
There are still a good number of online retailers and brick and mortar stores here in the Saint Louis Mo area that are selling Blue Magic Water Bed products including:

The Bedroom Store
STLBeds (Our Favorite of course!)
Waterbed Doctor
ABC Waterbeds
Waterbed.com
airbediq.com
Ebay
Mattress Outlet
Mrwaterbeds

Along with many many more simply Google Blue Magic and Waterbed or Water Bed

As much as I hate to admit it, Wal-Mart dominates or should I say dominated the replacement waterbed parts and accessories business. They did this by selling the highly popular line of Blue Magic Waterbed Products. Blue Magic for years was and is quite frankly still a favorite of water bed shoppers simply because so many people recognize the name of this one time giant of the waterbed industry. Blue Magic is still a giant, just a giant of a much smaller waterbed industry.

I have spent some time looking on line, but have found very little information concerning Blue Magic. If you visit their old URL or website address http://www.bluemagic.com/ (what used to be the Blue Magic website) it apparently no longer exists or has not been indexed by the search engines for some reason. Perhaps someone could fill in the blanks, and tell us what has happened to the old website.

Maybe we’ll never know the answers, but nonetheless Denny Boyd owner of several wholesale and retail companies involving bedroom furniture and specialty sleep products bought the rights to the company’s’ name and their patents after Blue Magic filed for bankruptcy several years back. Why this happened is anyone’s guess, my guess is that they weren’t making any money, duh.

So I am going to throw a couple questions to our readers and e-mailers.

What do you think is the reason many of us cannot find Blue Magic Products at Wal Mart?

Our readers and STLBeds would love to here from you if your Walmart is currently selling waterbed parts and accessories.

First off what is a baffle? It is a term used to explain waterbed mattresses inside wave control and support systems. Some are better than others so be sure to speak with a sales associate or continue to follow our blogs.

Most water bed mattresses use layers of fiber which are inserted to not only reduce motion but when strategically placed will add extra support for the body. To eliminate stress on the vinyl bladder many systems are not tethered or tied to hold them in position. Even models that are tethered in place can shift so do not be fooled. A simple pickup of one end of the mattress to assist and speed up the draining process can cause the baffled insert to slide out of position.

Fiber baffling shifts typically in 2 ways
•It gets accordioned to one end
•Bunches up in a big ball, wad, hump, or pile somewhere inside the water mattress.

You can drain the mattress with an electric pump, drain and fill kit, or gravity siphon. The mattress must be flat and light. You can even finish draining with a wet dry shop vac. To straighten a bunched up fiber or baffling system the mattress must first be drained thoroughly and completely to the comparable weight when purchased new approx. 50-60 pounds or less. Ideally two people will make the job easier due to the size and weight of these mattresses.

Once the mattress has been completely drained, remove the cap and plug or remove your draining device. This allows the air to reenter the mattress. You may need to add additional air by way of a shop vacuum or blow dryer. You will then need to locate the ends of the fiber layers either at the head or foot end of the mattress. Grab the vinyl and grasp the end of the fiber and lift as high as possible. This will allow gravity to do its work and the fiber should stretch back into its original position.

If the fiber is balled or wadded up in a big pile the job is one that may never bear the results you are looking for. This means the layer of fibers have not only shifted out of place but most likely have come apart and folded over and knotted amongst themselves. This can sometimes be straightened by using the valve as a periscope to look inside the mattress. Pieces, layers, and corners must be located and pulled back into their original positions. The more layers the more complicated this can be. To do this grasp the vinyl and the locate corners and edges of the inserted baffling. The insert should feel and look totally flat before filling the mattress up back up. This method of repositioning is slower and more tedious and usually bears results that are much less than acceptable to sleep on. If baffle delimitation has occurred and the layers have separated from one another inside the mattress, honestly you are looking at the need to purchase a new mattress.

If you live in the St. Louis Mo area and have had this happen, we can provide the service of fixing a messed up baffling system or giving you an honest evaluation of the damage. Call us at 636-296-8540 to schedule an appointment and get rates or visit STLBeds.

Need to know how to use a drain and fill kit?

If you recently drained your waterbed mattress and you were left with a large wad of baffling bunched up in the middle or it has shifted to the end of the bed, you may very well ruined you waterbed mattress. The shifting of the fiber or baffles is caused when a waterbed mattress is drained incorrectly. The material can accordion to one end or if handled improperly can bunch up and ball up in a big mass or hump.

In order to fix the baffling you must first know how these mattresses are put together. Most of us realize that a free flow mattress is nothing more than a big rectangular vinyl balloon filled with water. When we add fiber, baffling, or pod baffles, and coils we are creating wave breakers. Whichever baffling system is being used, the principal idea is the same, stop the motion and increase mattress support while giving you a more relaxing night of rest on your waterbed.

We will not go into each baffling system specifically because we are talking about all wave control systems that are free floating, meaning they are not attached to the vinyl mattress. This may not mean much to you at the moment but if you would picture 10 sheets of notebook paper lying in your hand with your palm up. You will notice the pieces of paper are stationary and stay in place, however if you were to slightly tilt your hand more and more the pieces of paper would shift out of place. A fiber filled mattress uses sheets of fiber that act much like the notebook paper and will shift out of position also. The problem is that the fiber acts like a giant sponge and most people do not get the bed drained enough before handling it and this is where the shifting problem evolves.

The draining process is key to being able to move you baffled mattress properly. Overlook this step and you may very well be purchasing a new mattress. The most important thing to know about these waterbed bladders is that they must be vacuum packed. The vacuum not only squeezes the excess water from the baffled insert collapsing the top and bottom of the mattress around the inserted baffling. When drained it looks exactly like a package of beef jerky that has been vacuum-sealed. When the top and bottom of the mattress collapse around the baffling it locks the inserted materials into place keeping everything in its original and correct position. When lifting one end of the mattress and it is not possible to vacuum seal it, you must grasp the baffling through the vinyl to help hold it in position.

Follow our up coming blog, How to fix a baffled mattress or How to Straighten Out a Baffled Mattress. Coming Soon
Not sure how to drain a waterbed correctly, click on the link and STLBeds can walk you through it.

There are several brands of Water bed Chemicals, Treatment, & Conditioner For Waterbedson the market today, after a quick Google search we found a few familiar brand names water bed treatment is sold under:

Click Photo for Pricing and to Buy Water bed Chemicals, Treatment, & Conditioner For Waterbeds

·Blue Magic
·Aqua Fusion
·Aquacide
·Aqua Blue
·Sapphire

This liquid for waterbeds goes under a variety of names including waterbed conditioner, waterbed treatment, chemicals for a waterbed, or simply the blue stuff. The truth is they are all pretty much the same. Blue Magic was once sold in department stores like K Mart, Venture, and Wal Mart and of course could be found in every waterbed store from California to Florida  carried it as well. With the disappearance of waterbed stores and Walmart no longer carrying it this solution to waterbed smell has become hard to find these days. Blue Magic is based out of St. Louis Missouri and still makes most of the conditioner sold today.

So why add waterbed conditioner, how often do I need to add this treatment, and does it really stop a waterbed from smelling? Those are the questions we are answering in today’s blog.

Waterbed conditioning treatment is added to the bed for several reasons and yes smell is the biggest one. Without conditioner waterbeds can smell badly and normally do when not added regularly. We often compare it to the oldest mustiest smell you can imagine or an old used wet washcloth left balled up in the sink overnight. The smell is the result of algae growth and the bacteria that grow in the stagnant warm water found inside our waterbeds. The conditioner is essentially a biocide that helps keep the bacteria and fungi from growing inside of a waterbed mattress.

Blue Magic Waterbed Conditioner and others like it also help to reintroduce additional plasticizers back to your vinyl water mattress and helps slow down the reduction or the loss of plasticizers, which results from heat and age. Think of it like an old set of vinyl seats in a car or a milk jug that has been in the sun too long, when a watermattress vinyl loses plasicizers, the mattress can become brittle and over time could develop cracks and leaks which is the proverbial nail in the coffin for a water mattress. These vinyl plasicizers help to keep your water mattress supple and pliable.

Adding such a treatment to your bed can reduce minimize deterioration. There are basically two different waterbed conditioners available in stores today. One is a conditioner designed for free flow waterbed mattresses the other is for fiber filled baffled mattresses which requires a stronger conditioner. Be sure to read the bottle of treatment for proper dosage amount.

Just before press time we Shopped the Net and found most of waterbed conditioner offered like Blue Magic, Aquacide, Aqua Fusion, Aqua Blue, and Sapphire costs anywhere between $3.00 and $18.00 and will condition a mattresses anywhere from 4-6 months to 8-12 months. By adding conditioner to your mattress when recommended you will not only have a better smelling water bed mattress, but one that will last longer as well. If you sell a brand of water bed conditioner not on this list or currently buy a brand not on this list let us know and we will add it for our readers.

Hope you found this STLBeds article helpful. Leave us your experiences and opinions below.

Since many of you have never assembled a waterbed yourself, we thought that you might want to weigh waterbed assembly options for your self to decide if it is worth the time, money savings, and risk to do it yourself.

Professional waterbed set up
We recommend having a professional install your waterbed especially if you have a hardside waterbed. It typically takes a professional waterbed installer only 30 minutes to install a softside and while 60 minutes is the norm for putting  together a wood framed waterbed. Set up includes the unboxing, the carry in, and the complete assembly less the fill time. Having a professional set up and install your waterbed cannot only save you time, but they can also eliminate problems and failures often associated with improper installation by do it yourselfers. Problems associated with putting a waterbed together wrong could lead to a voided manufacturers’ warranty, or even worse failure, maybe even an all out collapse of the waterbed.

Installing a waterbed yourself
Many people, who like to do things for themselves and save money, opt to put their new water bed together. Minimum time for the do it yourself waterbed set up is 60 minutes for a softside and 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours to set up a wooden framed waterbed. This time is from the carry in, to the start of the filling process.  The new modern softside waterbeds are not so time consuming or difficult to install for the first timer. The 1970’s styled hardside waterbeds are often more frustrating for the not so mechanically inclined.

If you have doubts about your construction abilities, have a professional do the initial setup, for no other reason to secure warranty and waterbed integrity. Watching someone who installs these daily may give the untrained waterbed setter upper some clues or the entire picture for a better understanding of what really needed to be done for a proper waterbed setup.
Need help getting your waterbed together? Contact a professional or call 636-296-8540 for answers.

Adding more water to a waterbed to make it firmer:
This method will make a firmer surface feel in your waterbed, however it can cause other problems that may not make worth your while. Vinyl stretching, fatigue cracks, and out right failure of the seams or corners are just some of the problems that result from an overfilled waterbed. Many people often complain that they feel as though they are rolling off of the water mattress when they are overfilled, along with complaints of increased motion. This extra motion in the waterbed mattress is due to the increase of water to baffling ratio.

Firmer mattress from proper fill level:
The firmest and best support comes from a correctly filled baffled mattress. This is how the mattress was designed to work. It’s really just this simple, X amount of baffling is designed to work with Y amount of water. This this combination equals the best all around support, best wave control, and firmest support. Correct fill level also extends mattress life expectancy and protects the waterbed heater. Contrary to many thoughts out there the baffling or fiber system inside a water mattress controls the bed’s overall firmness much more than simply adding more water to the bed. The more fiber or baffling the mattress has the greater the firmness and more supportive the waterbed will be.

So what do I do to get a firmer waterbed?

We think it is more important to purchase a firm quality waterbed bladder in the beginning. as apposed to trying to make a mattress into something it cannot be, by adding more water. Adding additional water to a waterbed we believe is a risk that should not be taken.Knowing  How to properly install a waterbed mattress is the the key to acheiving the perfect waterbed firmness.

If you have questions about how much water to put in a waterbed give us a call at 636-296-8540 or Contact Us by email.