Looking To Replace Air Mattress

Question

We have a Lippert power bed with two two-chamber air mattress in our 2016 Itasca Suncruiser. (For those unfamiliar the bed must be retracted in order for the slide out room to be pulled in. When the bed is retracted it transitions from flat to an 'L' position.)

Towards the end of our last winter trip one side of the bed kept slowly losing air. I traced the problem to a faulty connector at the pump and had my shop replace it a few weeks ago and the motorhome went to storage. Today I found that the same side of the bed was essentially flat. I pumped it up and over the next hour it slowly lost air.

I'm tired of futzing with this and would like to replace the air mattress with a residential style. I called Tuft & Needle (T&N) and asked about their mattresses but when I explained the application including the need for the mattress to bend daily and to sometimes remain in that retracted position for weeks and months at a time T&N expressed doubts that their mattresses would withstand that sort of punishment. The rep told me that the T&N mattresses can be folded for occasional short periods of time but have never been tested for anything more than that. She was concerned that the material would not hold up with the daily motion and long periods of storage. That won't work for us since we retract the bed everyday we're on the road to provide easier access to the closets and drawers even when we're parked for weeks at a time. The air mattress we have weighs ~ 75-lbs; the replacement T&N would weight ~ 72-lbs so the weight is not really an issue.

Two things...

- Has anyone used a T&N mattress in a similar application, retracting it daily or for long periods of time? If so what was your experience? How well did it hold up?

- Is anyone using a different brand/mfg of residential style mattress on a Lippert retracting power bed? If so what was your experience? How well did it hold up?

Also would entertain any other relevant comments or suggestions.

Thanks.

chainwright · Answer

Sounds to me like you have the "Best" mattress for your situation. Of course you could try one of those air mattresses used on the couch w/the fold out bed in the front part of your MH. Anyway, No air chamber is 100% air tight, especially if you put weight on it. You will have to "fill'er back up" every so often. I mean you see how balloons deflate after 4-6 days after you tie them off, no matter how tight you pulled/tied that knot. Also when storing the rig/mattress for longer periods I would want the mattress to be in a deflated state anyway.
I have the same mattress and I had my share of problems with it. But as long as the air chamber and the valve on the air chamber is ok you should be able to get away w/an easy fix. Mine kept deflating because the Irresponsible and inattentive tech placed the (steel reinforced) hose across the Rail (where the bed slides up and down on or from the normal position to the Stored position), instead of underneath it thus causing the hose to be severed or truncated. Also, the tugging of the hose, caused by the hose being pushed back and forth by the bed along the rail, caused the Cam Lock inflator-connector to crack/break off (the extremity that inserts into the hose). The Cam Lock inflator-connector connects the hose to the "Inflator" (air pump). Basically we inflated the mattress, lifted the bed, listened very closely and heard a little hissing, so we followed the hose from the valve at the top of the air chamber to the air pump and found the perforated hose and the broken off Cam Lock inflator-connector. So I called Innomax and ordered 3 Cam Lock inflator-connectors (2 spares) they were only $9.50 a piece. If you want you can also get the steel reinforced 1/2 inch hose (8 feet) but it's expensive. A 1/2 inch diameter air hose or water hose from Wal-mart will do (once you get home just cut the necessary amt of hose that you need). So unless the mattress is uncomfortable or hurts your back, I wouldn't give up on it. JMHO

ppine · Answer

Air mattresses are cold. They allow the conduction of cold air. They go flat. I have never liked them.
Replace a crummy RV mattress with a residential one.
currently I have a hybrid trailer with so-so pads for sleeping. I use a backpacking style insulated mattress with a high R value and it is both warm and comfortable.

rdhetrick · Answer

I have an air mattress in my coach, don't remember the brand, but had similar problems.  I found that my problem was the way the hose was sealed at the two ends (mattress end and pump end).    I added some hose clamps to make the seal better (stronger) and my leaking down has stopped completely.  I go for months now without adding air.

rk911 · Answer

rdhetrick wrote:I have an air mattress in my coach, don't remember the brand, but had similar problems.  I found that my problem was the way the hose was sealed at the two ends (mattress end and pump end).    I added some hose clamps to make the seal better (stronger) and my leaking down has stopped completely.  I go for months now without adding air.our air bed kept pressure for the first 2-years of travel and now the one side leaks like a sieve.  I understand that barometric pressure changes can affect the mattress a few psi but the right side went from full to near zero in a few hours.  I, too, suspect a bad connection at the pump.  beyond that we don't find the air mattress uncomfortable or cold...it's just this darn inflation issue.since my original post I've spoken with several 'mattress-in-a-box' mfgs and none recommend using their mattress echoing what Tufty &amp; Needle told me...their beds are over time unlikely to withstand the punishment of being extended and retracted on a daily basis.sure would like to hear from others who have actually replaced their air beds with a residential on the Lippert power frame.

rk911 · Answer

just completed a chat with Nectar about their mattress. like Tuft &amp; Needle Nectar will not warrant their mattress if it is flexed daily and/or stored in the retracted position for months at a time. They said that their mattress has not been tested to those conditions and cannot predict how it will hold up.

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