Water Bed Heater Options

Most people use waterbed heaters with their waterbeds. It is not necessary, but you may find it rather unpleasant to climb into a very cold bed on a winter night. Find out what are your options for a waterbed heater.

It is necessary to have a waterbed heater

Actually having a heater with your waterbed is not absolutely essential. If your home is well insulated and your bedroom is warm, you might not need a waterbed heater. Also some people prefer to sleep on a cool mattress. On the other hand, if you feel cold at night, or want to turn your central heating system down a waterbed heater might be a good idea. Especially if it is unpleasant for you to climb in a bed when it is freezing cold.

Variety of heaters for waterbeds

You can find several types of waterbed heaters. The simple one is cap and bulb heater. It uses a copper wire that is filled with ethylene gas. The heater pad goes under the safety liner of your mattress.

A more advanced option is a solid state water bed heater. It has no moving parts and actually incorporates a computer chip. This makes solid state heater more accurate, and also more energy efficient. Heaters controls are usually mounted on the side of your mattress. That allows you easily switch the temperature up or down, without moving away from your bed.

Another thing to bear in mind is that hard side and softside mattresses need different heater models. You need higher wattage for hardside mattresses than for softside. Using a heater that is designed for hardside bed on a softside is a very bed idea.
Waterbed heaters with a timer can be very useful. Many people want the bed to be warmer in the morning, when it is time to get up, so you can set the timer to warm your bed about half an hour before you wake up. This will allow you to save on energy.

Electric blanket - an alternative to waterbed heaters
There is another way to heat your bed - use electric blankets. Electric blankets can be used with waterbeds the same way as you would use it with any other bed. Most models allow you to regulate the temperature and some blankets have built in timers, to warm it up in the morning. In terms of energy an electric blanket is even more economical solution that a waterbed heater.

If you feel that your waterbed is cold, you definitely need a heater for it. Research shows, that people sleep better on a warm surface in a cold room, than in a warm room. So not only you will save tons of energy by turning down the central heating system, but you will also give yourself a better rest.

Waterbed heater is a great way to feel more comfortable in your sleep. Also it makes sense to turn the thermostat for your main heating system down at night, you will be warmed by your waterbed anyway, and this will save you energy.