If you have a waterbed,  it may bring you comfort, but takes more time and effort to move than a standard bed. It would be impossible to move a mattress with over a ton of water. Moving water beds requires draining and disassembly, which you can do yourself. Be prepared to set aside several hours.Here are tips to prepare a water bed for moving.

Prepare to Work

For this project, you need:

• rubber gloves
• screwdriver
• bucket
• garden hose
• anti-mold conditioner
• fill-valve adapter (optional)
• faucet adapter
• siphon drain pump 

Most movers require the bed to be drained twenty-four hours prior to moving, so plan accordingly. Remove bedding, and turn off the heater. Let the mattress cool several minutes. Apply anti-mold conditioner a day ahead of draining. The anti-mold conditioner will help stop mold growth during storage.

Drain the Water

If possible, elevate the mattress to make draining easier. Never leave the pump unattended, or it may burn with no water. For a single-layer baffled mattress (two-piece mattress with fibers), the siphon pump method is ideal.

Turn on an indoor or outdoor faucet's cold water valve. Run a garden hose to a sink or outdoor faucet. Connect the hose to the fill valve, and use an adapter, if the hose doesn't fit.

Attach the the hose to the siphon pump. Detach the aerator from the sink spout, and connect the faucet adapter to the sink.

.Switch the pump on "fill", and let the water run ten to fifteen seconds to push air from the hose into the mattress to expel water better. Press on the bag gently to get water in the hose.

Shut off the water, and change the pump to "drain" setting. The water should start draining. Close the fill valve immediately after the water has drained.

For a tubular mattress, you can let the water drain in the sink or tub with no pump. An electric pump is suggested for multi-layer baffle mattresses.

Disassemble the Bed

Store hardware in containers. Detach headboard and footboard hardware with the screwdriver. Remove the staples from the plastic frame liner, and roll the liner up. Roll the heating pad.

Detach the L-shaped bracket screws on the frames of the side deck panels. Disconnect the corner frame hardware. Snap the frame from the corners, and remove the side and end pieces.

Remove the deck panels. If there's a pedestal base, lift the pieces of, or remove the hardware. Roll a baffled mattress, or or fold a tubular-style mattress, then set it aside for transport.

Contact moving companies in your area for more help.