Waterbeds Go Tubular

by: Michael O'Brien

Early waterbeds were designed with a one-piece bladder-type mattress. This would result in the water sloshing back and forth and not everyone was wild about the feeling. Manufacturers responded with new designs and the open, bladder-type of waterbed mattress was replaced with a mattress featuring internal baffles that would mute the wave action of previous designs. Traditional waterbed mattresses needed a heating element to keep the water temperature as high or higher, than your normal body temperature.

The flapper-type designs were improved yet again with other baffled designs that incorporated foam fiber material inside the mattress that would stabilize the mattress and keep the bed from excessively rocking back and forth. These designs remained a standard for many years but new developments in waterbeds were on the horizon and gained immediate consumer acceptance. In the late nineteen seventies, a new type of waterbed system hit the scene and would change the waterbed market yet again. The new design featured a soft-sided mattress that, on the outside, had the look and feel of a traditional mattress and did not require a wooded frame. The real difference could be found on the inside. The old bladder-type waterbed mattress was replaced with a series of water-filled tubes or cylinders that run down the long axis of the bed.

The tubes could be filled to achieve the desired firmness and were encased in an upholstered frame. Early tube-type mattresses lacked a leak protection in the form of a vinyl liner but liners became available in later designs and could be added as an after-market item. The size of these innovative mattresses is very close to the industry standard for conventional mattresses and this eliminated the need to buy traditional waterbed sheets. Since the design incorporates a thick layer of foam padding and traditional mattress ticking the need for an electric heater was completely eliminated. The tubular waterbed can take up less space than a traditional waterbed since the tube-type mattress does not require a bulky wooden frame. Tubular waterbeds can be placed on variety of more traditional bed frame styles.

Less Weight

Tubular waterbeds are generally lighter than their traditional cousins since the weight of a bulky wooded frame and pedestal has been eliminated. Weight has always been a factor with waterbeds and there was a fear, largely based on a misperception that waterbeds were too heavy for the average residential floor. The fact is that the average residential refrigerator can weigh more per foot than the average waterbed and there has never been a reported case of refrigerators spontaneously falling through the floor nor have any waterbeds.

As a rule, residential floors that are built to standard building codes can safely support at least forty pounds per square foot. Imagine six or seven adults standing shoulder to shoulder forming a square. Now imagine those six or seven adults spontaneously falling through the floor. That would be a hard image to conjure up since it would not happen. The average waterbed weights slightly less than the combined weight of those six adults and the weight load is more evenly distributed.

Other Important Advantages

Moving a tubular waterbed has some advantages over bladder-type beds. The individual tubes are often light enough to carry out of the house or placed in a bathtub and allowed to drain. This eliminates the need for siphons and pumps that are needed to drain bladder mattresses. The tubes can be rolled up and safely packed away. There is no bulky framing to breakdown and reassemble. Tubular or cylinder-type waterbeds have an additional advantage by allowing you to use the entire mattress from edge to edge.

About the Author

Michael O'Brien is a writer for many popular websites.