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From: tower@inmet.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: waterbeds - (nf)
Message-ID: <679@inmet.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 4-Jan-84 05:50:40 EST
Article-I.D.: inmet.679
Posted: Wed Jan  4 05:50:40 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Jan-84 01:54:25 EST
Lines: 36

#R:sunybcs:-89600:inmet:6400078:000:1624
inmet!tower    Jan  3 10:41:00 1984

More things to keep in mind about waterbeds.

1) You should buy a waterbed that has the mattress inside a waterproof
   tub. This prevents a leak in the mattress from flooding your home,
   and ruining the ceilings et. al. in rooms under your bedroom.

2) Before you fill it, figure out how you plan to empty it.

3) Make sure that the floor of the room is structurally strong enough
   to support the weight. We have a lightly framed house (beams 24" O.C.
   [On Center]), and it won't carry a waterbed. Either find a structural
   engineer, or do the calculations yourself. Note that placing a waterbed
   in the center of a room is the worst place structually. Note also that
   many walls in modern construction are not designed to carry loads.

4) If you buy a platform bed, make sure that the platform is sturdy
   enough to hold the weight of the mattress. Adequete support in
   the middle is a must.

Most waterbeds made these days meet points 1 and 4 - this was a large
problem a decade ago, when the industry was young.

-len tower        harpo!inmet!tower        Cambridge, MA

PS: I don't approve of state legislature issuing blanket permissions
for tenants to have waterbeds. Likewise, I don't apporve of landlords
refusing them in all cases. If such laws are passed, they should require
waterbeds to meet certain safety and structural standards, and state
that landlords may not prohibit waterbeds, if the apartment is structurally
up to carrying the load, and define that.

The best bet is to be up front about the waterbed, and find a landlord
who will allow them, and has a structurally sound enough unit.