What If a Waterbed Is Leaking?

Preventative Care

• Avoid any objects dropping on an uncovered waterbed. Never allow a clawed cat to be in the same room with an uncovered waterbed. Nail files and clippers, bobby pins, and other flat objects with sharp edges and points are often found in bedrooms and they can slip down between a waterbed mattress and the safety liner. Check the bed every few weeks to ensure that nothing is caught that might poke or cause a hole.

Discovering a Leak

• Quite often the way a mattress leak is discovered is when you are laying on the bed and notice the edges of the cover are damp. Get off the mattress immediately since your body weight is pushing even more water out of the leak. Pull the cover off the mattress so you can search for the leak. If the water is located in only one area the search is easier, but if the leak has been ongoing for a while water may have traveled a distance from the leak. If there is water all around the mattress you will have to wipe it up with towels before searching.

Finding a Leak

• When the water is cleaned up, apply pressure to the mattress by sitting or laying on it. Another person is helpful at this point to look for where water is coming from. A rip or tear may be very small so search carefully. Water may just be dribbling out as opposed to squirting. Circle the tear with a marking pen as they are easy to lose track of. If the tear is on the side or bottom edge of the mattress then the mattress needs to be pulled over as much as possible to have the tear facing upward before beginning the repair. Clean the surface of the mattress with rubbing alcohol or another cleaner and let it dry.

Patching a Leak

• Cut a piece of vinyl from the repair kit that is at least 1/2 inch wider on all sides than the tear. Carefully apply the supplied glue to one side of the patch and set it on the leak. Smooth the patch all around the leak. Apply pressure to the area but not enough to force water back out through the hole. Keep the area propped up so that the patch is facing the top for at least 12 hours. Afterward the waterbed should be as good as new. Patches on seams and corners are more difficult to patch. The leak can be stopped but after several months it may start again from the same area.