Instructions for a Water Bed Drain Kit

A hose and spigot can be used to help drain a water bed.

Having a water bed can be fun, but there is more care and maintenance involved than with a regular mattress. If your water bed needs to be moved to another location, you can't just pick it up and move it. The water must be drained from the mattress. This can be a lengthy process, but there are steps that can be taken to make the procedure as smooth as possible.

Things You'll Need

• Drainage kit
• Garden hose
• Water pump (if you choose to use one)
• Towel

Instructions

Draining With a Pump

1. Pull up and unscrew the cap from the fill hole located on top of the mattress. Remove any air bubbles from the mattress, using a yardstick, or something similar, to push them toward the fill hole. Have a towel handy to wipe up spills.

2. Attach one end of the suction hose to the coupling from the drain kit, using the o-rings, and then attach the coupling to the water bed mattress. Connect the other end to the pump intake. Push the coupling into the mattress.

3. Attach one end of a garden hose to the discharge side of the pump. The other end should go into a sink, tub or other safe place to discharge the water.

4. Start the pump. If water doesn't start coming out immediately, turn off the pump and look for any problems, such as a loose connection or air in the line.

5. Monitor the bed draining. It helps to put heavy books on the mattress to help prevent air bubbles so the pump will work properly.

6. Turn the pump off when water stops coming out of the hose. Remove the coupling, and screw the cap back on the fill hole.

Draining Without a Pump

1. Pull up the cap on the fill hole, and twist it off. Wrap a towel around the cap area to capture any spillage. Remove any air bubbles from the mattress.

2. Attach the water bed hose coupling from the drainage kit to the fill hole. Attach one end of your garden hose to the water bed hose coupling.

3. Attach the other end of the garden hose to an indoor or outside faucet. Turn on the water for 15 seconds to fill the hose and push the hose air into the bed. After 15 seconds, turn the water off.

4. Disconnect the hose from the outside faucet, and put the end into a tub, sink or on the ground outside, making sure this end of the hose is lower than the water bed, so the bed will drain. When the water is at a low level in the mattress, push the mattress water toward the fill hole to discharge as much from the mattress as possible.

Tips & Warnings

• If you did not receive a drainage kit with your bed, one can be purchased at a retail store.

• Very important---unplug the water bed heater before you drain the water bed.

References

• ABC Waterbed Outlet: Waterbed Pump Draining Instructions
• Land and Sky Community Network: How to Drain a Waterbed