colonel@sunybcs.UUCP (George Sicherman) (12/24/83)
If you've ever slept on a water-bed, how did you like it? If you've got one, how and why did you get it? Please reply by news or mail to George Sicherman ...seismo!rochester!rocksvax!sunybcs!colonel
spaf@gatech.UUCP (Gene Spafford) (01/02/84)
Yes, I've slept on a waterbed. I liked it a great deal. In fact, I
just went out and bought one for myself. I can only speak for myself,
but I find that when I sleep on a waterbed, I need about 15%-20% less
sleep a night, and I wake up feeling much better.
Here in Atlanta, there are a couple of stores which sell waterbeds with
30 day guarantees. If, after a 30 day trial, you don't like the
waterbed, you can exchange the water mattress for a conventional
mattress, or you can get a refund. I'm told that the return rate is
under 10%.
If you are thinking about purchasing a waterbed, let me suggest that
you look into semi-waveless and waveless mattresses. Also, be sure to
purchase a heater for the bed -- that is one of the nicest things about
a waterbed in the colder months.
On a slightly different note, I was told that Florida recently passed a
law making it illegal for landlords to prohibit waterbeds, and that the
Georgia legislature has a similar law pending. Anyone know anything
further about this?
--
Off the Wall of Gene Spafford
School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet: Spaf @ GATech ARPA: Spaf.GATech @ CSNet-Relay
uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,rlgvax,sb1,unmvax,ulysses,ut-sally}!gatech!spaflauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) (01/03/84)
I've been sleeping on a conventional kingsize waterbed for something like six years. They have one very undesirable characteristic. Once you get used to them, you find all non-waterbeds to be about as comfortable as a concrete slab. I find that I am totally unable to really sleep the first night in a hotel -- I'm just too uncomfortable. Some comments: 1) Buy a waterbed without a heater? You MUST be kidding. A mass of water that large, at room temperature, will suck all the heat out of your body damn fast. Most people find that they are very sensitive to waterbed temperature -- a change of even a couple of degress can make a big difference. The exact "comfort" temperature varies a lot from person to person, but tends to result in thermostat settings of between 88 and 95 degrees F., typically. When you first get a waterbed, expect a few nights of adjusting the thermstat, and then, when you get it right, NEVER play with it again! The narrow comfort range of a given individual on a waterbed can result in some problems when two persons share the same bed. Sometimes this can be dealt with by setting the bed to the cooler of the individuals' comfort temperatures, and then give that person more outer covers. It can still be tricky, however. Of course, if you're cuddled up, the bodies will tend to approach the same temperature anyway over the course of the night. 2) People are also sensitive to waterbed "firmness". I've seen some people who like the bed filled so far that it's like a balloon. Personally, I like it filled enough so that when I sit cross-legged on the bed, I don't QUITE bottom-out against the frame. A too-soft waterbed may result in backaches, so use care. Obviously, you should start off with LESS water than you think you might want, since it's so much easier to add water than to remove it. 3) I don't like the "waveless" waterbeds. The waves are half the fun and can be very comforting -- damping them out ruins the effect. Some people also like vibration devices under the frame, though I don't have one. 4) *** WARNING: Avoid like the plague the "semi"-waterbeds that now exist. These often have a solid outer surface with a liquid or gel inner filling. Studies have shown that these can ruin your back. From an orthopedic standpoint, conventional waterbeds are best, then firm conventional mattresses. Soft mattresses are generally bad, while the semi-waterbeds are worst. If it seems illogical that a waterbed would be better for your back than a firm mattress, note that the waterbed evenly supports your entire weight without any "dead" spots that are actually unsupported at any given time. Many persons find that they wake up in the same position in which they fell asleep on a waterbed, while they always twisted and turned all night on a conventional mattress. *** NOTE: Be sure not to confuse "waveless" waterbeds with the bad "semi"-types. The waveless units are conventional waterbeds with inner "damping barriers" and supports that break up the waves. As far as I know, they have not been tied to back problems, though, like I said, I don't care for them personally. 5) Just in passing, I might note that waterbeds can (of course) be fun for uses other than sleeping, though there admittedly is a knack involved -- synchronization with wave action is important. Well, this message is longer than I had intended, but I hope the info is of some use... --Lauren--
bob@onyx.UUCP (Bob Toxen) (01/04/84)
I've have had a king-size waterbed for ten years and love it. I much prefer it to a regular bed. I have no trouble sleeping in a regular bed though I find firm ones too hard (but acceptable). Most people get used to them immediately; some require a few days. I sleep better with much less turning over periodically. I usually find the waves to be quite restful. The only exception is the few times I've had too much to drink. Being woken up by waves that were caused by an earthquake is a unique experience! A heater is always necessary. Using the heater to regulate the temperature can make sleeping quite comfortable in both winter and summer with little need for a room heater or air conditioner in California. Other experiences are also more emjoyable with no significant problems.
tower@inmet.UUCP (01/04/84)
#R:sunybcs:-89600:inmet:6400078:000:1624 inmet!tower Jan 3 10:41:00 1984 More things to keep in mind about waterbeds. 1) You should buy a waterbed that has the mattress inside a waterproof tub. This prevents a leak in the mattress from flooding your home, and ruining the ceilings et. al. in rooms under your bedroom. 2) Before you fill it, figure out how you plan to empty it. 3) Make sure that the floor of the room is structurally strong enough to support the weight. We have a lightly framed house (beams 24" O.C. [On Center]), and it won't carry a waterbed. Either find a structural engineer, or do the calculations yourself. Note that placing a waterbed in the center of a room is the worst place structually. Note also that many walls in modern construction are not designed to carry loads. 4) If you buy a platform bed, make sure that the platform is sturdy enough to hold the weight of the mattress. Adequete support in the middle is a must. Most waterbeds made these days meet points 1 and 4 - this was a large problem a decade ago, when the industry was young. -len tower harpo!inmet!tower Cambridge, MA PS: I don't approve of state legislature issuing blanket permissions for tenants to have waterbeds. Likewise, I don't apporve of landlords refusing them in all cases. If such laws are passed, they should require waterbeds to meet certain safety and structural standards, and state that landlords may not prohibit waterbeds, if the apartment is structurally up to carrying the load, and define that. The best bet is to be up front about the waterbed, and find a landlord who will allow them, and has a structurally sound enough unit.
preece@uicsl.UUCP (01/06/84)
#R:sunybcs:-89600:uicsl:7500035:000:398 uicsl!preece Jan 5 09:29:00 1984 The very best thing about waterbeds is the feeling you get when you crawl into its body-temperature warmth after an evening in your (energy wise but comfort foolish) 65-degree house. That has a practical value, too: we once lost power during an ice storm and just huddled on the waterbed for twelve hours until it came back (that house had electric heat). scott preece ihnp4!uiucdcs!uicsl!preece
david@randvax.ARPA (David Shlapak) (01/06/84)
I don't currently sleep on a waterbed, but I sold them for two years
so I figure I've got something to say...
A. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE A HEATER!!!! A good starting temp is
about 85 F...if you adjust it up or down, the temp of a king-size
bed will change about one degree a day.
B. Buy it from the most reputable dealer you can find...bargain dealers
give service that's no bargain. A few extra bucks will be well
worth it...remember, you're going to live with this bed for
ten or more years...
C. There are good brands of heaters, mattresses, frames, etc...I don't
want to post any suggestions, but if you'd like my thoughts (for
whatever they're worth), mail me and I'll reply in kind.
D. AVOID SO-CALLED "leiby@yeti.UUCP (Mike Leibensperger) (01/07/84)
One reason many landlords dislike waterbeds is that if enough
tenants have them, the building begins to accumulate structural
damage under the weight of all that water. I lived in a "duplex"
fraternity house. The fraternity on the other side of the wall
had a waterbed in almost every room (excessive macho => excessive
insecurity); the second year I was there a large crack appeared
down the dividing wall.
Row well and live.
--
Mike Leibensperger, Massachusetts Computer Corporation
...!{ucbcad,tektronix,harpo,decvax}!masscomp!leibyajs@hpfcla.UUCP (01/08/84)
#R:vortex:-21500:hpfcla:18500004:000:552 hpfcla!ajs Jan 6 10:33:00 1984 I've had a 54" wide (double?) waterbed for ten years. It lives in a soft (cordouroy over foam) frame I built myself. I'd never go back to a regular mattress; the waterbed is just too comfortable. I didn't use a heater for the first couple of years. Instead, I covered the bed with a piece of 1-inch foam. The only problem was that it tended to shift or wrinkle. I do recommend you buy a heater; the sensation on a cold winter night is delicious. Now if only I could keep the cats from occasionally poking holes... Alan Silverstein
jjb@pyuxnn.UUCP (J Bernardis) (01/10/84)
I have had a waterbed for two years now and I love it.
My waterbed has softsides: instead of wooden sides, it has
foam rubber that is triangular in cross section. This permits
the use of standard bedding.
My mattress is not one of the waveless variety. Although this is
a matter of personal preference, do not get a waveless mattress
that uses baffles; the more seams you have in your mattress, the
higher the risk of leakage. About leakage, you shouldn't worry
too much about flooding your home, because virtually ALL waterbeds
come with liners.
You here many people complaining about the weight of a waterbed.
This really is not an issue. The weight of a waterbed is roughly
equivalent to 10 to 12 people. It wouldn't even occur to me that
I would be overloading the room with that many people. As far as
weight per unit area is concerned, there is less with a waterbed
that with a refrigerator (I've even been told that there is less
than with a woman wearing spike heels, but find this hard to believe).
A heater for a waterbed should be considered a necessity, not a luxury.
Although a cool bed might feel good at first on a hot summer night,
the heat loss will be so great that you will be shiverring come
morning. A solid state heater is probably the best buy. It may
be a litle more expensive that a mechanical one, but it will be must
more reliable and will maintain a more even temperature. This is
important because a fluctuation of one or two degrees in the water
temperature is very noticable.
Jeff Bernardis, AT&T Western Electric @ Piscataway NJ
{eagle, allegra, cbosgd, ihnp4}!pyuxnn!jjbrtf@ihuxw.UUCP (sparrow) (01/11/84)
How many gallons of water does a typical waterbed hold? sparrow
pcc@hlhop.UUCP (P.C. Criqui) (01/12/84)
Jeff Bernardis, in his comments on the concern about the weight of waterbeds,
stated that it is "roughly the equivalent of 10 to 12 people".
Before anyone accepts this statement, I suggest you consult an architect or a
structural engineer and get an explanation of the difference between "live"
and "dead" weight. Not being in either of those professions, I can't give you
one, but when the design work was being done for the second-story addition to
my house, the considerations were quite distinct.
Pete Criqui
AT&T Technologies @ AT&T Bell Labs
Short Hills, N.J.
!ihnp4!hlhop!pccrpw3@fortune.UUCP (01/14/84)
#R:vortex:-21500:fortune:6700024:000:769
fortune!rpw3 Jan 13 13:21:00 1984
I have not seen exact numbers, not using a waterbed myself, but knowing
that water is about 64 pounds/cubic-foot, we can hack out an approximation:
Say king sized = 8" x 56" x 74" (or supply your own numbers)
$ expr 1000 \* 8 \* 56 \* 74 / 12 / 12 / 12 \* 64
1227840
So given those dimensions of water, it's about 1230 pounds, hardly 10 people.
Now if you're going to sleep on your side and still float, the level (with
you in it) may need to be closer to twice that deep, or 2460 lb., which
is getting on up there ( ~16 150lb peoples).
Somebody who knows the real dimensions could tell us.
Rob Warnock
UUCP: {sri-unix,amd70,hpda,harpo,ihnp4,allegra}!fortune!rpw3
DDD: (415)595-8444
USPS: Fortune Systems Corp, 101 Twin Dolphins Drive, Redwood City, CA 94065burris@ihopa.UUCP (David Burris) (01/14/84)
KING size waterbeds are approximately 7' X 6' and the recommended filling depth is usually around 9". At this depth you should be able to sit on the bed and still have about 1" to the bottom. -- Dave Burris ..!ihnp4!ihopa!burris AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il.
wombat@uicsl.UUCP (01/17/84)
#R:vortex:-21500:uicsl:7500036:000:264 uicsl!wombat Jan 16 15:44:00 1984 I've never really looked at waterbeds before, but is it possible to get waterbeds that fit normal bed frames? I've got a nice queen-size canopy bed that I might want to combine with a waterbed someday; is it possible? Wombat ihnp4!uiucdcs!uicsl!wombat
robert@hp-pcd.UUCP (robert) (01/21/84)
#R:sunybcs:-89600:hp-cvd:7600011:000:526 hp-cvd!robert Jan 4 08:16:00 1984 People that I talk to seem to be about evenly divided on the issue of whether waterbeds are nicer than ordinary beds. It seems to be very personal. This division of opinion can be a real problem for married couples. A good approach to discover your own bed preferences would be to spend the night in a local motel that has a waterbed. Be sure that you understand how to operate the temperature control first. A waterbed can get mighty cold! have a waterful night's sleep, robert ...!hplabs!hp-pcd!hp-cvd!robert
oempc@unisoft.UUCP (oem pc) (02/10/84)
I don't know if this is a common problem, but the first time I went into a motel to try out a waterbed, the thing was *cold*. I turned up the thermostat but a king-sized bed full of water doesn't heat really quickly. Once at a comfortable temperature, they're great!