Top 10 Tips for Buying a Used Hard side Waterbed

Considering buying a Used Hardside Water bed?

With today’s economy, people may not find a new hard side waterbed within their budget. Due to their lower cost on places like Craig’s List, classified ads and garage sales a used bed may be a very attractive alternative choice or is it? Today’s blog offers a few tips for buying a used waterbed that are important to know or you could end up spending as much money on a used waterbed as it would cost to buy a new one.

1. Old mattresses more often than not are prone to leakage. It is very common that they become damaged while moving them due to vinyl deterioration causing cracking and failure.
2. Most of the time the heater is bad or will be after it is handled while moving. Heating elements become weak with age and fail.
3. Check the safety liner. These are usually shot.  Often the sides are broke down or the corners are split out. If this is the case replace it immediately. This is the last safety measure in place to prevent leakage from escaping the waterbed frame.
4. Headboards, frames, and drawer pedestals are often great buys and a fantastic way to save hundreds of dollars. Then a person can buy the new guts for their bed. In the industry it is called a mattress package.
5. Check the box pedestal for water damage, broken or missing parts. If you are buying a drawer pedestal check also for damage, broken or missing drawer guides and inspect the cabinet for structural integrity, Staples and screws pull out, can it be refastened or reinforced.
6. Inspect the waterbed decking (plywood) for water damage, severe warping or broken pieces. Decking is cheap to replace, you just have to cut it to size.
7. Examine the 2 x 10 wood frame. Make sure the boards are not warped or twisted so bad they cannot be reassembled. Also inspect for bad cracks. It is best to use new wood screws when reassembling.
8. Don’t forget the headboard. If it has lights, do they work and is the wiring in good condition. Broken mirrors are hard to replace. They do not come in standard sizes.
9. If the wood frame or headboard is scratched it is amazing what you can do with a bottle of Old English wood cleaner or a little wood stain to make that old bed look new.
10. Be sure to get online or go into a showroom and verify what similar beds sell for new to assure you are not over paying.
11. Bonus: If the waterbed comes with a baffled mattress, be sure that the fiber or baffles are flat and straight and that the mattress is vacuum-sealed like a package of freeze dried food. If the materials are shifted and balled up it is very likely the baffling system is ruined and will definitely never perform like it once did.

Waterbeds can hold as much as 220 gallons of water which is one of the most destructive forces know to man. Imagine if it were let loose in your house because of weak or faulty parts and pieces. The cost to repair the water damage could far accede the savings of purchasing a used waterbed, so know what you are buying.