Pop Goes The….Mattress?
I was sound asleep, dreaming of undulating meadows, chirping birds and flowing wine spigots (it was odd, but very soothing). KAPOW! Pssssssssssst! Just as I was about to pour myself a glass and lie back in my Grecian couch (undoubtedly to be fed grapes by the nice muscular young man in the toga), the wine spigot exploded and I was awake.
“Errrr….Honey?” I mumbled in confusion, “either you just did the mother of all farts, or something exploded in the RV”
“Hmmmfhhh” responded Paul, always the quick thinker at 3AM in the morning
“Aaaand..” I managed to add, after the fog cleared in my brain and my eyes adjusted somewhat “you’re sinking”
This was either the beginning of some kind of weird zombie dream, or our pain-in-the-ass Sleep Number bed had popped. As Paul sunk deeper into the abyss, we both had to admit the latter was the most likely scenario. The blank screen on our pump controller was totally dead (darn, stupid air mattress) and at this point Paul was lying in a manufactured crypt with our life-saving mattress topper as the only thing preventing direct body-on-wood contact.
They DO say a firm surface is better for the back, but this is ridiculous. Given there was not much we could do at 3AM, Paul disappeared back into the hole and we slept on it.
In the morning things did not look any better. We now had a mountain-and-grand-canyon configuration with a completely dead pump and (possibly) a blown bladder. In a weird twist of conservation of mattress air, my side of the bed had somehow inflated to concrete-strength firmness while Paul’s side had settled into complete flacidity…and both were completely stuck. The only positive point was despite a night in “the box” Paul was still able to move and had not (yet) grown any vampire teeth.
A few hours later and a call to Sleep Number confirmed my fears that the pump had fried. It also revealed that their “20-year guarantee” is actually a “limited” warranty which is a sneaky way of saying that if the bed breaks you still pay for new parts (just at a very “special” price). Yet another of the oh-so-many-reasons I am not a fan of this bed.
Given our limited options as to how long Paul could survive in “the hole” without transforming into a blood-sucking RV demon, I shelled out the $100 and we had a new pump on its’ way. Two days later and a new pump, we got the good news that air was working, but the bladder had ALSO failed. We’ve applied a temporary gorilla glue/tire patch/duck tape (just for good measure) fix, have shelled out another $55 and are now waiting for that.
So, here we are…cursing our bed, but thankfully in gorgeous surroundings (I have at least 200 pictures waiting to awe and bedazzle you). We’re keeping an eye on Paul’s canines (just in case), but should be back up and running once we get the new bladder. Who ever said RV life was boring?
Sorry about your bed. We have had one for over 20 years and haven’t had any bad luck. Guess I will knock on wood. 🙂
Glad to hear it. I think failures are more common in RV’s maybe because of the changes in altitude as we travel. I still feel the pump and bladder should have lasted more than 3 years.
Nina
Great Post! You had me laughing out loud! 🙂
Lisa
I hate Sleep Number beds, we had one on our last MH (till I got rid of it) and never again. As yours, the lcd display faded and it was originally a factory recall but we were past that point, so no replacement. Plus, I really got tired of changing the pressure every time we moved to a different altitude, which was pretty often. Back to a normal mattress for me with a topper. The only benefit I can see for those is the light weight if you have under-bed storage.
Yup, totally with you. They are light, but they sure aren’t comfortable (at least for us). I see us heading back to a “regular” mattress sometime this winter.
Nina
Mattresses are so difficult deal with, well good ones are. They generally cost an arm & a leg and you don’t ‘know’ if it’s going to work or not until after you’ve bought it. We looked at the Sleep number bed but, it was nice but I have a distrust of putting moving parts on a simple device.
A few months before we moved to the RV we bought a bed at Ikea, the mattress was GREAT! It was even reasonable in it’s price.
We moved it into the RV, I’m still getting a good nights sleep.
Very true on the cost of a new mattress. It’s alot of $$ and you just never know if it’s going to work. All I can say at this point is that our old stix & brix spring mattress was so much more comfortable than the Sleep Number we have now. Some people love it, but we sure don’t fit that catagory. I LOVE the idea of looking in IKEA…don’t know why I didn’t think of that!! We’re going to look there when we get to San Diego in Dec. THANKS for the idea!
Nina
Oh dear, sorry to have laugh at your expense but that was pretty funny! If only us old folks could get a new bladder for $55…
Haha…yeah, new bladders for $55 ain’t bad…
Nina
These sleep number beds don’t live up to the hype. Our MH came with one and it is the most uncomfortable bed we’ve ever had. Now one of our two controllers lost the LED readout. A call to SN requires a whole replacement of the pump and a new single controller for only $120 plus shipping. They don’t make the dual control pump anymore. We’re debating spending the $120 or chucking the whole thing for a good mattress.
So totally with you. We were quoted $100 for a new pump and it’s also the single control. The new pump has worked, as far as inflating the working side of the bed, but I still don’t like the bed. We keep debating whether to swap it out, but the $$ of a new mattress always get in the way.
Nina
at least it was only the bed’s bladder that burst…
Hehehe…indeed! Nina
I had a chuckle because something similar happened to me. I didn’t have the SN bed but the old mattress in my used but new to me 5th wheel it was just awful and I didn’t like sleeping on something someone else had slept on so I threw it out and replaced it with an air bed one with a an electric blower. I didn’t think about it at the time but I shared the RV with two cats! Well one night the cats were playing as cats do chasing each other about when I felt the mattress slowly sinking. I tried the flat fix thing but it just didn’t hold so I replaced it with a foam mattress and the cats and I were much happier.
Yeah, a foam mattress is one of the options we’re looking at in the long run. Either that or a regular old spring mattress. Better for all the claws too. At some point we really must get rid of this bed.
Nina
Paul’s new sleep number is ZERO.
LOL…EXCELLENT point!! Nina
oh my that is so funny but not really funny! great post made me chuckle at your expense.
Ok, we were jinks for chuckling at your expense. Its our turn for our SN bed to deflate. Steve woke up in a hole waving high at me. …This is our second pump replaced a few months ago. After examining and back breaking inspection it turned out that his chamber has a leak. Sigh… another saga in our adventure.
Well all I can say is I know exactly how you feel! What a bummer! Hope you’re able to get a replacement chamber quickly.
Nina
Fortunately yes, Steve got the chamber for $44 and was shipped overnight. Yeah, back to normal again!
If a new mattress and pump is only $155 Why do they originally cost so much???
That is a DARN good question Teri. I was complaining to the Sleep Number gal on the phone that at this point I had practically replaced the whole bed. Apart from the pump and 2 bladders, it’s really just wood, foam and some covers. WHY this costs over $1000 new i have NO idea!!
Nina
LoL……. Our pump went out also and while ago. But ours was not as much fun as yours was….. Ha ha ha ha
I get the impression that pump failure is pretty common on these SN beds, especially for those folks who travel with them in an RV. Not really impressed with the quality, esp. given that SN heavily promote their beds based on their “20 year guarantee”.
Nina
I’d have chucked the darn thing and got a nice, thick memory foam mattress from Walmart.
Yeah, we do need to look at this option in the long run. We’re not going to be close to Walmart for a while (at least the next month), but once we get back to civilization I think we’re going to go mattress shopping.
Nian
I’m definitely in the “I hate sleep number beds” category. We have one at the moment. I went on strike and now the husband is the only one sleeping on it. I’m currently in the guestroom sleeping on the mattress of a ‘fold out to a single bed’ Ikea chair. It’s a bit narrow but way more comfortable and I don’t have to worry about it exploding during the night.
You know someone else mentioned IKEA and I don’t know why I never thought of that. I’ve bought tons of stuff from IKEA over the years and always liked their price & quality. When we get back to San Diego I’m going to go have a look at their mattresses.
Nina
Mine is quite comfortable even though it can fold up into a chair. The fold up part might be a plus in an RV. 🙂
This “RVing vicariously” thing is certainly interesting. I’m learning lots. We had a rather pitiful RV mattress in our Class A, and I eventually gave it the heave. We also just happen to have a mattress factory in our home town (city, whatever) and I found something that was some sort of show room special that turned out to be really comfortable. It was also a full sized Queen, unlike the POS it replaced.
So, mental note. “Sleep Number” = “diminishing bank account numbers”, and possibly “elevated blood pressure numbers”?
Haha…yeah, I think that’s true for us. I know there are people who love their SN beds, but we sure aren’t part of that group.
Nina
Paul, was it really as funnay as Nina described?
Glad you all have your sense of humor intact… it helps keep ours intact too!
Wow – not funny at 3 am, but it IS funny to think of you high and Paul down low – and for a few nights. Hope you are both sleeping better now. We, too, have a SN bed in the house, and have not had many issues with it. Not particularly looking forward to mountain and canyons. Sleep well.
Yeah, it’s a week later and we’re still in mountain-and-valley configuration. Most nights I’m rolling over into the “trough”. Hoping that darn bladder gets here soon!
Nina
I am still laughing! This has got to be the funniest post of yours I have read Nina (and I’m laughing with you, not at you!). The next time I see Paul I’m going to be checking his teeth for sure. I love vampires! 🙂
Happy I could give you a chuckle…and I love vampire tales too 🙂
Nina
Your bad luck was my good luck. Now I have a water-tight excuse for not moving our home Sleep Number mattress from our house into our rig. Not long after we bought it (soon after they came out), I purchased a 4″ memory foam pad and put it on top but still wasn’t happy with it. It’s moved between bedrooms several times, and now it’s back in our bedroom. Your suggestion for putting the memory foam topper inside the zip-up cover works better than putting it on top. We also purchased some gadget to fill in the dip in the middle. It’s comfortable enough now, but the minute it dies, it’s going to be replaced by a memory foam mattress! I agree with you 100% on Sleep Number beds.
I would say if you’re feeling like that I would definitely advise *not* to put the bed in the motorhome. Our foam topper has helped too, but I still don’t like the bed….AND having to deal with inflating & deflating it as you travel in the mountains is a PIA.
NIna
Nina, you are so funny, I love the way your write!!
And here I’ve been trying to convince Grant we would do better with a Sleep Number Bed, this ain’t helping! LOL
I hope you guys get some rest soon on a comfy bed!
Kathy
Well, I’m happy I could give folks a laugh (that was my intent :)). There are people who really like the SN bed (you’ll find ALOT of varying opinions on the forums), so it’s a very personal thing. Never know if you’ll like it until you try, I guess, but I can’t say I would recommend them off-hand.
Nina
PS Perhaps the high elevation caused the bladder to burst. Do you deflate it while traveling up to higher grounds? I remember reading that some where in the RV forums. Just a thought.
It’s possible Kathy. We DID deflate before riding up to June Lake, but perhaps it wasn’t enough? I still don’t feel the pump should have failed, but I’m getting the impression this is a common issue w/ these beds.
Nina
Bummer:(…but obviously a post written with a great sense of humor..:)….I was wondering if altitude had anything to do with it also….but at least I now know I don’t want a sleep number bed…
Thanks Jil…I had to laugh when all this happened. Thank goodness we have a foam topper that Paul can “sleep” on.
Nina
If you ever consider getting rid of your Sleep Number may I recommend a Tempurpedic. You’ll never have to worry about deflation. When we bought our RV and became fulltimers we insisted on moving our Tempurpedic from our home to the RV. We LOVE our bed…the best we’ve ever owned.
We’ve looked at the Tempurpedic and are VERY tempted, but I have to admit they are pricey, pricey. I’ve got to go try one out in a store…maybe this winter.
Nina
Wow! Our air bed was half the price of a SN ten years ago. My wife’s bladder lost air and we dug through all of our old receipts, found the small company that made it and called. They shipped a new one out to us for free even though the warranty was expired. I know it won’t last forever and a SN was on the list or replacements. Maybe not! Maybe inner springs were the mattress of choice for decades for a reason. We do love our air bed though.
You know I DO think a regular old air mattress might be better than the SN. I’ve had more use and support from the old Coleman air mattress I bought for camping 15 years ago than I have from this SN bed. Shocking, especially considering the price difference!
Nina
We have a SN at home & talked about getting one in whatever RV we full time in (hopefully in 5-7 yr). I’ll have hubby read this post! Last summer in the middle of the night I thought I heard critters scratching below our bed in current 5th wheel and then we should forward a foot. The springs that hold the bed base together when accessing underbed storage suddenly failed so the mattress base gave way. But, no one sank. We went back to sleep and fixed it in the morning
Yeah, a failure in a regular mattress is not quite as “dramatic” as a failure with an air mattress. If you love your SN, you’ll probably love it in the RV too, but you may want to buy a spare bladder to carry along.
Nina
I don`t know you guys that well but if you were at my campfire I `d have at least 20 solid Jokes.This is one of those great opportunities I`m sorry about your mattress .But this is funny.I guess the activity level on the old sleep # just couldn`t hang.We have not had that problem yet Hope not to experience at 3am.May be a heavy duty unit Maybe you need a compessor just to run your bed
For those heavy activity people . Well like I said I don`t know you that well so I`ll back off. But When we do we will have great bottle of wine theres a awesome vinyard in ojai they make great wine and some great jokes.Otherwise we shall meet you on the road.Take care Joel & Rebecca
Hey I’m with you…and we’ve been cracking the jokes all week-end on this baby. It’s definitely a good wine bottle conversation 🙂
Nina
Looking at changing to a blog instead of the daily travel journal. What do you like about the site you use? What don’t you like? How would you compare it to Grant & Kathy’s site? If you were to set one up, would you use your site again? Thanks for your help.
I really do like WordPress and would recommend it to anyone. I like the fact that it’s free and VERY stable. The main negative would be that it does not allow monetization (if that’s important to you). Blogger does. I actually wrote a post about this very topic a little while back here:
5 Tips to Creating & Growing An RV Blog
Hope that helps!
Nina
My matress just popped at 9,000 elevation in the mountains as we were traveling further up. I wonder if the elevation had anything to do with it. FYI, I didn’t read the other comments, so maybe someone has already mentioned this.
Yup, that could certainly have been the reason. We take pressure out of our mattress whenever we plan to drive over passes or to higher elevation.
Nina
P.S. I corrected your typo 🙂