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A waterbed or water mattress is a bed or mattress filled with water. Alternate spelling: water bed.
Construction Waterbeds primarily consist of two types, hard-sided beds and soft-sided beds. A hard-sided waterbed consists of a water-containing mattress inside a rectangular frame of wood resting on a plywood deck that sits on a platform. Platforms may incorporate drawer systems for storage. Frames may be decorative, with elaborate headboards or tall posts. A soft-sided waterbed consists of a water-containing mattress inside of a rectangular frame of sturdy foam, zippered inside of a fabric casing, which sits on a platform. The effect is to look like a conventional bed and is designed to fit into existing bedroom furniture. The platform usually looks like a conventional foundation or box spring, and sits atop a stronger than normal metal frame. Early waterbed mattresses and many inexpensive modern mattresses have only one water chamber. These mattresses are commonly described in the industry as "free flow" mattresses. When disturbed significant wave-action could be felt. They needed some time to stabilize after a disturbance. Later types employed wave-reducing methods, including fiber batting and interconnected water chambers. More expensive "waveless" modern waterbeds have a mixture of air and water chambers, usually interconnected. Water beds are normally heated. Temperature is controlled via a thermostat and set to personal preference, but is most commonly average skin temperature, 30 C (86 F). A typical heating pad consumes 150–400 watts of power. Depending on insulation, bedding, temperature, use and other things, electricity usage may vary significantly. The annual electricity cost may be USD 100–500. Average UK cost in 2003 was £43.80 per annum for a waterbed heater's electricity usage. Waterbeds are usually constructed from vinyl or similar material. They can be repaired with nearly any vinyl repair kit. History In 1871 a waterbed was in use in Elmira, NY for "invalids". It was briefly mentioned by Mark Twain in his article "A New Beecher Church" which was published in The New York Times on 1871-07-23. There Twain said that: "In the infirmary will be kept one or two water-beds (for invalids whose pains will not allow them to be on a less yielding substance) and half a dozen reclining invalid-chairs on wheels. The water-beds and invalid-chairs at present belonging to the church are always in demand, and never out of service." This article does not contain enough information to determine the form of the beds involved. Dr. William Hooper of Portsmouth, England, patented a waterbed in 1883. He devised it to relieve bed sore pains in his patients. Unable to contain the water and control its temperature, his invention was a market failure. The modern waterbed was created by Charles Hall in 1968, while he was a design student at San Francisco State University in California. Fellow SFSU students Paul Heckel and Evan Fawkes also contributed to the concept. Hall originally wanted to make an innovative chair. His first prototype was a vinyl bag with 300 pounds (136 kg) of cornstarch, but the result was uncomfortable. He next attempted to fill it with Jell-O, but this too was a failure. Ultimately, he abandoned working on a chair, and settled on perfecting a bed. He succeeded. However, because a waterbed is described in the novels Beyond This Horizon (1942), Double Star (1956), and Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) by Robert A. Heinlein, Hall was unable to obtain a patent on his creation. In 1980 Heinlein recalled in Expanded Universe that: "I designed the waterbed during years as a bed patient in the middle thirties; a pump to control water level, side supports to permit one to float rather than simply lying on a not very soft water filled mattress. Thermostatic control of temperature, safety interfaces to avoid all possibility of electric shock, waterproof box to make a leak no more important than a leaky hot water bottle rather than a domestic disaster, calculation of floor loads (important!), internal rubber mattress and lighting, reading, and eating arrangements—an attempt to design the perfect hospital bed by one who had spent too damn much time in hospital beds." However, Heinlein made no attempt to build his invention. Advantages and disadvantages Waterbeds have several advantages over traditional beds: But there are also disadvantages: Also, seen by some as an advantage and others as a disadvantage, due to its introduction to the masses during the height of the sexual revolution, waterbeds are often thought of as having special sexual significance in popular culture, though this may be diminishing over time. Ironically, it should also be noted that "free flow" style mattresses are said by some couples to interfere with coitus, due to the significant and prolonged wave action (though some couples can adapt, and modern chambered mattresses may not have this disadvantage). | ||||||||
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