FAQs

A baffle is a word that describes a product inside of a water mattress that reduces the motion in a waterbed. The most common baffles are layers of fiber. The more layers of fiber the less motion there is. Some fiber layers are better than others are. There are many points that with, a little up front homework, you will have the most benefits.

It is a good idea to have more than one person to work this out due to the size of the mattress.

• Mattress must be drained with an electrical pump down to a weight of 50 lb. or less.
• Remove cap and insert (this will allow air into the mattress) or add air with use of shop vacuum.
• Begin at either the head or foot of the mattress, wherever the bulk of baffle has shifted.
• Grab baffle and vinyl at the same time, pick up as high as possible and shake mattress. (Gravity will begin to pull the baffle down).
• Follow the same procedure for all other sides (grab fiber & vinyl, pick up and shake).
• Fiber should feel totally flat before filling.

NOTE: The key to straightening baffles successfully is to have mattress drained thoroughly.

(Approximate weights 30 - 40 lb.)

A vinyl mattress containing water that is surrounded by four wooden boards, approximately 2" thick by 10" tall.

A Softside waterbed consists of a vinyl waterbed mattress surrounded by four foam sidepieces and covered in an upholstered fabric. This gives the bed a look similar to an traditional bed.

Vinyl mattress may be cleaned with a mild disinfectant or soap. Softside tops are not washable. If you have a zippered top that can be removed, it can be dry-cleaned. For non-zippered tops, spot clean only with light wetness (wetness can stain the cover).

Lukewarm water works best.

Before you start

• Place the heater under the liner and run cord to outlet, do not plug in till after the mattress is filled.
• Liner and mattress MUST be centered and with out any wrinkles.

Step 1 From the bathroom faucet, remove the aerator by unscrewing it. (If your bathroom faucet does not have an aerator, you will have to use your kitchen faucet or an outside faucet.)

Step 2 Attach the faucet connector you purchased with your waterbed maintenance kit into your faucet. Next attach in a garden hose to the faucet connector. Make a tight fit to avoid spray leakage (a towel placed over the faucet while filling will keep any leakage from spraying.) To help eliminate unclean water in your bed, flush running water through the garden hose for a minimum of 10 minutes before filling your bed.

Step 3 Attach the waterbed hose connector onto your garden hose. Insert it into your "popped-up" valve and attach the hose connector and valve securely together to avoid leakage. Wrap a towel around this connector to soak up any unavoidable leakage.

Step 4 Pour in waterbed conditioner. Fill your waterbed with mild to warm water [STOP AND READ THIS] approximately one quarter to one half inch below the side of the frame boards. Shut off the water and remove the hose.

Step 5 Remove the air bubbles inside the mattress. Do this by "pushing" them with a broomstick towards the valve which is "popped up". Remove all the bubbles or they will create a "sloshing" sound. You will have to remove air bubbles again in about three days and also occasionally thereafter.

Step 6 Insert the plug and securely screw on the cap. Plug in your temperature control system according to specific manufacturer's instructions and turn the thermostat to 85. Within 3 days, you can more accurately adjust up or down to your comfort.

Step 1 ALWAYS unplug your waterbed heater before draining or filling your waterbed. First, unplug your temperature control unit. The best and easiest way to drain the bed is to obtain a small electric draining pump (utility water pump can be rented from Home Depot), or, insert your garden hose with waterbed hose connector into the "popped-up" valve.

Step 2 Weight down the area around the valve with a few heavy objects. This step will help prevent air bubbles inside the mattress from getting into your garden hose and stopping the siphoning action you will create.

Step 3 Mount your drain pump to your closest faucet and attach your garden hose. Make sure your fittings are tight. With the "bell valve" in the "up" position, turn on the water to put more water in to mattress. This step pushes the air in your hose into your bed so you can create the continuous water siphon you need. (If you do not have a drain pump, see below for further instructions.)

Step 4 Once water is flowing into the bed for a few seconds, turn the "bell valve" to the "down" position, leaving the water flowing full blast. The water from your faucet flowing through your drain pump will suck the water out of your bed. This will take one or two hours depending on water pressure. Do not allow air to get in the hose.

Step 5 If you have a motion reduced mattress you must show special care while draining and moving your bed to prevent the interior baffles from shifting. HOLD THE BAFFLES IN PLACE IN THE MATTRESS AND LIFT UP ONE END. This will allow the remaining water to flow toward the valve.

Step 6 FOLD YOUR MATTRESS CAREFULLY. DO NOT LET THE BAFFLES SHIFT OUT OF PLACE. If any shifting does occur, you should reposition them before refilling your mattress.

Step 1 ALWAYS unplug your waterbed heater before draining or filling your waterbed.

Step 2 Attach your garden hose onto an outside faucet (the hose can go up through an open window).

Step 3 Turn on the water for fifteen seconds. This pushes the air in the garden hose into your bed so you can create a continuous water siphon.

Step 4 Turn off the water. Disconnect the hose from the faucet and let it drop to the ground. As long as the end of the hose is lower than your waterbed, gravity will siphon the water out.

• If a cap becomes loose or stripped, replace with a new cap, or add a piece of electrical tape around the valve which could provide a tighter fit.
• If the valve stem threading is stripped, a new cap will not help. This would not be considered a manufacturers defect. This is a result of excessive force when removing or tightening the cap.

If you are moving long distance or will have the mattress stored for a while:

• Drain the waterbed mattress flat using a small electric draining pump (utility water pump can be rented from Home Depot).
• Treat the mattress with a double dose of a quality waterbed conditioner such as AquaFusion Conditioner to protect the mattress from bacterial growth.
• Place a blanket on top and underneath the mattress.
• Fold the mattress in half and then in half again or fold the mattress in from the top to the middle then from the bottom to the middle.
• Place the mattress in a cardboard box for protection while moving
• When setting the bed up, fill the mattress and include a double dose of a quality waterbed conditioner such as AquaFusion Conditioner to protect the mattress from bacterial growth.

Drain the waterbed mattress flat using a small electric draining pump (utility water pump can be rented from Home Depot).

• Place a blanket on top and underneath the mattress.
• Roll the mattress from one end to the other
• The mattress can be placed in a cardboard box for protection while moving
• Set the bed up and fill the mattress immediately. Include a double dose of a quality waterbed conditioner such as AquaFusion Conditioner to protect the mattress from bacterial growth.

You can fold your Hardside or Softside water mattress. You will need to drain as much water as possible using a small electric draining pump (utility water pump can be rented from Home Depot) out of your mattress. After the water has been taken out, fold the mattress in threes lengthwise and then fold in half. Wrap the mattress in a blanket and move to your new location.

If the mattress is not drained:

• Absorb any water in the cavity with a large bath towel.
• Place paper towels around the suspected area, i.e., corners and bottom seam.
• Lay on the bed 2 to 3 minutes to apply pressure.
• Check the paper towel for location of the leak.
• Circle the leak with a magic marker.

If the mattress is drained:

• Blow the mattress up with air using a shop vac or vacuum that reverses air. Add enough air that the mattress is double in height.
• Place weight on the mattress, take a soapy cloth or squirt bottle with dish soap and work around the areas suspected, i.e., seams and corners. Bubbles will appear in the defective area.

• If the leak is in the seam: Seem leaks that are more than ¼ inch cannot be repaired. Seem leeks of any type is an indication that the mattress needs to be replaced. Please call 800-755-7667 for help in selecting a new mattress or warranty service.
• If the leak is not in the seam, and is a small cut or pinhole, a patch or a drop of glue will repair the leak.

It is not necessary to drain the mattress.

1. Remove the cap & insert to allow a small amount of air into the mattress, then replace the cap & insert.
2. Push the air bubble up to the defective area. Make sure the area is dry.
3. Add a drop of glue if the area is small, or use a patch if it is a small cut.
4. Place vinyl back on water.
5. Avoid pressure on the mattress for 4 - 5 hours.
6. Remove air bubble out of the mattress.

Odor problems are typically caused from bacterial growth on or inside a mattress. This problem can occur from several factors:

• Not adding conditioner prior or immediately upon filling the mattress. Bacteria will begin to grow by the million-spore count in just a few hours.
• Using a garden hose from outside can collect bacteria at the very end of the hose, which will flush bacteria into the mattress. If this occurs the conditioner will not be strong enough to fight the growth.
• Water with high bacterial and/or mineral content is usually the most recurring problem with smelly mattresses, i.e., well water. It is our recommendation that two bottles of conditioner be added at the time of fill, and conditioner added every four to five months. Purchase a quality conditioner such as AquaFusion, purchasing conditioner from a discount store is only used for free float mattresses and not for fiber mattresses. The chemicals in this conditioner are not strong enough to fight the bacteria growth in a baffle mattress.
• Not adding a quality conditioner such as AquaFusion every six months.
• Moisture around the mattress caused by a leak or condensation.
• Condensation caused by turning off the heater or lowering the heater temperature below recommendation.

• Use a shock treatment (i.e. AquaFusion).
• Wipe down outside of mattress & liner with a solution of baking soda and water, or vinegar and water.
• Place Bounce dryer sheets or baby powder around corners to neutralize the odor until smell dissipates.

Hardside mattress sizes:

• King (California King) 72"x84"
• Queen 60"x84"
• Super Single 48"x84"

Softside and/or Conventional mattress sizes:

• California King 72"x84"
• King 76"x80"
• Queen 60"x80"
• Full 54"x75"
• Twin 39"x75"

You need to use a wooden frame mattress for a wooden frame waterbed; you need to use a specific mattress for a full depth Softside waterbed and special cylinders or mattresses for a shallow fill bed.

You will need a 9-legged heavy metal frame for a full depth or shallow fill Softside waterbed bed.

A free flow mattress or free float mattress is a mattress that contains water but no baffles or inserts.

A waveless mattress is a type of mattress that contains fiber to control the water motion.

A single mattress is one mattress only inside the frame cavity. A dual mattress is two individual mattresses inside the frame cavity that provides a customer their "own" comfort level.

A Nightwear cover is a cover for Hardside mattresses. It has the same fill as the top panel on its counterpart-Softside mattress. This will enhance the appearance as well as increasing the level of comfort with the bed.

Land and Sky uses a lap seam construction. That is the vinyl that is lapped over the other piece of vinyl and ‘welded’ together with Radio Frequencies, or RFs. Most of the modern waterbeds have lap seams. Most of the problems occur when lap seams are not welded evenly. That is to say that the width of the seam varies. This variance causes more seam leaks than any other part of a mattress. You will always see a consistent width on Land and Sky waterbed mattress seams.

Air Bubbles can be caused by two factors.

• Bacterial growth produces gas. This happens when the mattress is not reconditioned. Adding a bottle of AquaFusion waterbed conditioner will eliminate these bubbles.
• Air can cling to the fiber assembly and release overtime to form air bubbles. This process usually occurs in the first few weeks and in some cases a bit longer. Simple removal of the air should be limited to this time frame. If these conditions do not describe what you are experiencing please call 800-755-7667 for further help.

To remove, drain the water from the mattress using an electrical pump. This will vacuum pack the mattress squeezing out the air. Refill and add conditioner.

The mattress needs to be burped.

Mattress without Air Jet Plus: One person lays down on the mattress at the head of the bed and rolls to the foot. As this person is rolling, a second person pulls the fill valve up away from the water so air can escape. Mattress with Air Jet Plus: Follow the procedure in 3a above, except there is no need for a second person to pull the valve away from the water.

A Temperature Control System is a device, which controls the temperature of a Hardside waterbed or a Softside waterbed. The temperature system includes a vinyl or rubber-heating pad that goes underneath the waterbed mattress and safety liner and a control unit that allows the owner the ability to adjust the temperature of the bed.

We recommend that you allow 24 to 48 hours for the bed to become heated. You may also want to place additional blankets/bedding on the top of the bed to help retain this heat during the initial warming process, and then make sure the bed is kept covered.

Set the Temperature Control Unit at 85 degrees to begin with. When the waterbed is warm, you can adjust the heat up or down by a couple of degrees at a time until it has reached the desired comfort level.

Please be certain the heating pad is placed under the liner and the mattress when setting up the waterbed. Do not place anything on top of the heating pad other than the liner and mattress at any time. Refer to the installation instructions for placement of the heating pad on the frame of the bed.