My boss called and asked if I could put together a waterbed. I told him I'd never done one, so he found someone else. The other guy screwed it up, didn't install the supports that hold up the bed. Fortunately he didn't have anything to fill the matress so the damage was minimal.

So now my boss has decided that I have to do it. Is there a special technique to this? I checked online and apparently it's important to use a clean garden hose, and add some solution so the water doesn't get dirty. Is there a check valve or some kind of adaptor to hook the water hose to the bed? Where do you buy these kits with the water solution?

 

You'll have to find a place that sells waterbeds or else on-line to get the chemicals. WalMart used to sell them, but no longer.
I buy my chemicals on Ebay.
You also need an adapter for the hose to bed filler hole or else duct tape is your friend.
If the bed or Mattress is new it should have come with the hose adapter.
Once the bed is full, use a broom handle to "flatten" the mattress buy laying the handle on the mattress and moving it towards the hole to push the air out, you'll have to do this several times til there are no more bubble at the filler hole.
Now put the chemicals in and the cap on and jiggle the mattress around to distribute them.
You can put the chemicals in while filling, I just don't just incase something goes wrong and I have to empty the mattress.

 

Where would I find the adapter to fill the matress? Is it a standard plumbing connection, or something special I have to get from a waterbed manufacturer?

I checked online and they have a check valve to "burp" the air out of the matress also? The company is pretty particular about us spilling water.

And apparently the water needs to be the right temperature. If you run out of hot water you have to wait for it to warm up because cold water will expand as its heated. Is this really that critical?

 

The supports that I've always seen are basically pieces of plywood notched to fit together and turned onto their side for support. Drawers in the bed frame also provide a support structure.



Notice how the particle board is turned on its side? That's the support system. After the frame is built, the supports should be inserted into the frame, then a piece of plywood goes over it to evenly distribute the immense weight of the water.

As far as the heat of the water, DO NOT sleep on an unheated waterbed (I tried it once and was not only unable to sleep well, but experienced body aches for the next couple of days)! There should be a heating element that goes between the plywood and the bladder. It'll have a thermostat built into it that keeps the water at an even temperature. The water should be heated to about 96 degrees (almost body temp), and it will take a good 24 hours to achieve the desired temperature.

You shouldn't need an adaptor to fill the bladder, but you will need one to fill it using the bathroom sink, which you might be able to find at a Home Depot, or a plumbing store (you may be able to run the hose from a faucet outside, through a window to the bed). It's been a very long time since I did this, but I think the male end of a standard garden hose will fit into the bladder. If not, cut the end of the hose off and replace the end when finished. Your boss should be willing to shell out a couple of bucks to fix the hose. Shove the hose well into the bladder so it doesn't slip out when filling (and keep a close eye on the water level- may be a 2 man job), or you'll have a bunch of water to clean up.

As far as the chemicals in the water, you might be able to use the same anti-algae stuff used in humidifiers, but maybe ask a pharmacist? I've used bleach in my waterbed in the past, but I don't know if that's the best advice.

Finally, if this is a traditional waterbed, as your questions suggest it is, then make sure you are setting it up with a lot of support in the room. In other words, if it's going on the second floor, or in a house with a crawl space (as opposed to a concrete foundation), the bed needs to go into the corner with the load bearing walls beneath it. 2000 lbs of water will ruin your day if it falls through the floor.

 

I would have never thought sleeping on an unheated waterbed would cause body aches.

 

Imagine sleeping on the cold ground. Believe me, you don't want to do it. It also sucks the heat out of your body. Filled with cold tapwater, hypothermia would be a concern.

 

I would think you would be sore anyway with a waterbed. I suppose it all depends on your mattress preference.

 

I was able to get the chemicals and the plumbing attachments at a matress store.

 

I'm surprised that they still sell those. We got rid of ours at least 20 years ago. There used to be stores dedicated to the waterbed fad.

The thing about the frame is that, it really is just a raised platform with a plywood top. The frame around the bed does nothing but give you something to sit on the side and keep you from rolling out. The platforms have various designs, but most are OSB type material standing on end.

A big mistake you can make is to forget to put the heater between the mattress and the plywood before you fill it with water. Or to put a failed heater in and not find it until later. So check your heater, but don't leave it on for long. You'll burn it out. It needs the water to sink away the heat.

The additive is just an anti-bacterial agent. Add it any time, and you'll have to renew it. I forget how long it lasts.

We would turn our heater off in the summer. The cold mattress made sleeping in hot weather very pleasant.

The adapter for filling is just a conical piece that screws onto the hose and friction fits in the mattress. You don't have to have it, but without it you will have to keep a closer eye on the hose so that it doesn't spit water. You will use the same adapter for draining it someday.

You've already been given the tip on brooming the bubbles out. Bubbles make a lot of sloshing noise, which can be annoying at times. I sometimes miss my waterbed. It was really good for my back pain. But we got rid of it because it was bad for my wifes back pain. She won that one.