The Best Way To Drain Any Waterbed

There are wide range of methods to drain a waterbed fast and efficiently. Some drain methods are faster than others. Cheap or low quality drain kits are notorious for leaving people with a mattress that is not fully drained. As an installer of waterbeds for our 32-year-old family business I can assure you that beds that aren’t empty can be extremely heavy which leaves you in a predicament where the mattress is far too heavy to handle. In the worst cases people have punctured and even destroyed their old water bladder. Another issue we run into is shifting and bunching of fiber on baffled inserts. These kinds of issues affect comfort, support, and unfortunately make the waterbed never feel the same again.  So, what can you do to prevent ruining your water mattress?

Get The Right Tools For The Job

There is no better tool than an electric powered drain pump.  While it is true that they can be purchased in hardware and big box stores they usually do not have all the necessary parts and pieces to get the water completely out of the bladder. Below we have listed a few popular brands of Electric Power Water Transfer Removal Pumps. Each can move approximately 5.7 GPM (Gallons per minute) using a (3/4”) hose. That equates to a movement of 330 GPH (Gallons Per Hour). Check your brand for specifics. The biggest waterbed is a California King which holds 200-220 gallons of water. It’s really easy to see why extracting the water with a pump is so much quicker and efficient. Popular brand names of pumps include Wayne PC2, Costway, Ironton, Trupow, Countyline, Star Water Systems, UtiliTech, and Grainger. Unfortunately, the pump by itself will not drain a free flow or fiber filled mattress to a point where it is lightweight and completely empty. You need other items to get the job done right.

Other Items Needed for Both Draining & Filling Include:

1. Venturi Siphon Pump- $9.95 Perfect for filling and draining waterbeds complete.
2. 8 oz. Multi-Purpose Conditioner- $16.95 Works for free flow and fiber filled mattresses.
3. Air Extractor: $19.95 Easier than rolling or using the padded rails and doesn’t make a mess.
4. High Quality Electric Waterbed Pump, High Capacity $89.95. The fastest way to drain a waterbed flat.
5. 8 oz. Vinyl Cleaner $16.95 A must have to keep vinyl soft and pliable.
6. 3 ft. Connection Hose $9.95 Connects the water mattress to the pump and includes O ring washer for female fitting.
7. 25 ft. Connection Hose $29.95 A dedicated hose to use for your waterbed only. Don’t risk ruining your expensive water mattress with a dirty hose full of bacteria that could make your mattress sour and smell.
8. Metal Faucet Adaptor $16.95 Unlike plastic faucet connects, metal adaptors don’t easily cross thread and strip. Reusable again and again. Makes tighter secure connection that won’t blow out like cheaper plastic versions.
9. Perfect Union $9.95 Connects 25 ft. Connection Hose to your mattress for filling or connects to 3 ft. Connection Hose for draining. Includes O ring washer with female fitting.
10. Valve Shut off Switch $9.95 Get better control over your fill level with an on off valve.

These items combined can cost $230.00 bought separately. (Prices were averaged across the Internet for sampling)

Drain Hero, There Is More To It Than Just Buying A Pump

A complete kit made specifically for filling, maintaining, and draining your bed is available to save the day. It is referred to as the Drain Hero made specifically as a hassle-free method of beginning to end care for any kind of waterbed including hardsides and softsides.

How long does it take to drain using an electric pump?

The quickest way to empty a waterbed is with an electric pump. The job of a King size hardside water beds when filled to the correct level usually takes about 50 minutes and queens run in the 40 to 45-minute range. King softsides take about 30 minutes and queen softsides 20 to 25 minutes. Times can vary slightly based on the pump and the number of gallons it can pump in a minute along with things like hose diameter

Alternative Ways to Drain a Waterbed

1. Venturi Siphon Pump; One of oldest ways to drain a waterbed is the Venturi Pump. This system often gets a bad rap for not working correctly. The truth is that most of the time they fail to work correctly because of operator error. Improper connections, one or all the O ring hose washers missing, low or poor water pressure are all reasons why the Venturi Siphon Pump may fail to work. However, this little item can come in handy for not only filling but also final draining when an electric pump can’t get the job done or if there is no electric.
2. Gravity Siphoning; A terrific way to take water out of a softside or hardside waterbed. The issue we often see is the lack of knowledge on the part of the customer removing the remaining water from the mattress that is filled with fiber and foam. This material retains the water and make it very difficult if not impossible to handle.
3. Wet Dry Shop Vacs can finish off problems mentioned in B. or A. It does require a lot of back and forth and lifting and dumping which typically is quite messy.