Whats in a Waterbed Mattress?

The most important feature in today's waterbed is the Dacron Fiber layers. This is a continuous filament polyester yarn that is spun and laid down in matts. The dacron fiber matts used in waterbeds is a thicker firmer variety - not like what is used in pillows. Different brands and model groupings have different thicknesses of fiber and numbers of layers.

Purpose: This dacron fiber matt reduces the motion of the mattress. If several layers of fiber are used it can add a lot of support so the body does not sink down into the mattress. The more fiber layers, the more support you get.

Lumbar Layers are shorter pieces of dacron fiber matt used where the body is centered, this is because the body is heavier than the extermities and requires more support for the sleeper to lay flat. Larger people tend to need more lumbar support than smaller people.

Flotation Layers: Many modern waterbeds have a flotation layer of closed cell foam. This floats the fiber matts up higer in the mattress where they can do the most good.

Anchor: A plastic anchor is riveted to the bottom of the mattress at each corner.

Stretch Tethering: A braided elastic cloth is tied through the fiber layers and connects to the anchor. This helps keep the fiber layers centered in the mattress.

Corners:  Because of the pulling that occurs when sheets are changed, most waterbeds have more than one layer of vinyl at the corners. This corner shows 4 layers of reinforcement.