Mattress Forum

I appreciate these comments and all of the comments from the members of this forum. We are so lucky to have this forum and be able to learn from the experiences and knowledge of others. I really appreciate you all!

I have a couple more questions or comments about waterbeds. I have read that the electricity required for warming the water is significant. As a "green" I'm concerned about electricity consumption due to the environmental costs and consequences of electricity production. So my question is: if you don't heat the water, are waterbeds with foam or other toppers between you and the water mattress "cold"? I've read some comments saying they tend to feel on the cool side. This might be all right in the summer, but what about winter? Has anyone succesfully overcome this with the use of toppers (latex, wool, other) or going with a particular manufacturer's covering?

Another question: how heavy are filled waterbeds? What kind of platform or foundation is required to support the weight?

Another question: with the softsided mattresses, does the foam structure surrounding them tend to break down over time? How durable are they?

Thanks again!

I set my waterbed heater between 87 -90 degrees.  I keep the blankets pulled up to help hold in the heat and insulate the waterbed.  I think it costs me around 14 to 20 dollars a month but it also allows me to keep my thermostat turned down in my bedroom, so my heating bill is lower.

No doubt a waterbed is heavy when filled but when it is drained it is lighter then a conventional mattress.  A hardside mattress requires a special frame that holds the bladder.

Newer hybrid waterbeds(softside) have largely done away with the need for a heating system and the decision of whether or not to have a heater is strictly one of a personal preference and comfort. 

The foam along the edge of my bed has not broken down.  The edge of the bed seems firm.  It sags in the middle.

Water weighs approximately 1 lbs per gallon.  According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterbed">wikipedia</a> waterbed of size 160 x 200 x 020 cm weighs about 1400 lbs/640 kg.  YMMV.

Given the number of choices on the market today, I would not recommend purchasing a waterbed.  Unless you have special needs that only a waterbed can satisfy, buy something else.

Sleepswithcats, do you think the sagging in the middle is due to the breakdown of the baffles (fibers) that make it a waveless bed? I read about the various systems and it seems to be a potential problem since there are not some really good solutions out there, or so it seems to me. Waves are a problem, too, of course, when you're tossing and turning, trying to get some sleep, or filling it to the point you get a very hard surface so as to avoid the problem of waves.

Again, many thanks! Better to know what you're dealing with in thoughts and words before you have to deal with the actual thing itself, particularly when they are so big and expensive.

Things I liked about our old softside waterbed:

• I thought it was really comfortable. 
• We could use normal sheets on it
• It looked like a regular bed / did not take up as much room as a hard-sided one
• Draining it was not all that hard, although a little time-consuming

Things I didn't like about our old softside:

• It was heavy / not very easy to move
• We did patch a few leaks over the years, although nothing major
• I slept a little hot in it.
• After we had gotten a new bed & moved this into the guest room, visitors would often complain about it (so your mileage may vary on a waterbed)

Thanks, Sleeps! just curious! And i appreciate you pointing out that a waterbed can weigh 3/4 of a ton. And here I thought Latex was heavy!