Electric beds and toppers issues

[Itwrx]

So we had our HW296 out last weekend and were able to tryout the eletric beds for the first time. We had friends with us and they were on the queen bed. We had just put on a memory foam 2 or 3 in topper (it came out of a trailer my parents just sold so I’m unsure of its thickness.) on our bed (king) no topper. The king bed was toasty warm all night. Maybe too warm. But not comfortable. The queen our friends said was very cold but comfortable. I put my hand between the topper and the mattress and I’d was hot. So I know the electric mattress was working. But the memory foam topper was ice cold on the top. Is this typical? Perhaps it was too thick? Also regarding toppers on the beds I noticed for the first time the back of my roof would not shut properly I had to get on the bumper and literally lay on the roof to get it to latch. Is this normal when adding a topper to your bed? I’ve read on forms of roof delamin and cracking do the mattresses? How can I make my beds comfortable yet still warm and also not affect the closing of the roof?

[SeaDog]

Memory foam is not designed to transmit heat. The heat of your body causes the memory foam to conform to your body thus reducing stress points, it does not transmit this hit or the mattress would not conform to the stress areas as designed. Most memory foam comes with a caution about using under matters heaters. Regular foam topper (not memory foam) may transfer the heat.

[emoney]

Try adding the anti-fatigue mats under your mattresses. You can find them on sale at Harbor Freight for around $9. It took 2.5 packages to do my Queen bunk on my pup and made a big difference I thought. I even added them to our NTU Velocity TT.

[IsleDog]

when we had our popup the mattress was very comfortable by itself, but we would bottom out on the plywood when rolling over. we put those foam floor tiles underneath and that solved the problem for us.

[Itwrx]

So it’s sounding like you don’t add any toppers just padding under the mattress? Has anyone tried a regular foam topper vs anti fatigue under it? Or maybe both at the same time?

[IsleDog]

Originally Posted by Itwrx

So it’s sounding like you don’t add any toppers just padding under the mattress? Ok for some reason I was under the impression toppers were the way to go.

on a hard side camper, yes, toppers or a complete replacement are in order. for folding campers/popups, i would go with something under. your roof is resting on the bunks when all folded up and you dont want a ton of extra pressure on there. plus, you want that heat from that mattress to keep you warm at night.

[kraftengr]

We added 1-1/2" memory foam toppers to our beds but put them under the mattress. That has been working well for us since March. Regarding the roof latches, we had to loosen the latches a few (3-4) turns to make it so we only need to apply a little pressure to secure the clips.

[TerryLittle]

We have a FR PUP 206MAC and we added a 2" thick foam pad to the top of the heated mattress and it does a great job of transferring heat up to us. We also use flannel sheets when the temps drop into the 40's which also adds to ones comfort. If you get too thick of foam pad (over 2") it will then be too tall to properly close and latch the top cover down.

[jimmoore13]

Foam is an insulator...it will not transmit the heat.
Add an electric blanket or mattress pad to substitute for the heated mattress.
They work well, are infinitely adjustable, and in the case of the blanket, can be tossed off entirely if you're too warm in the middle of the night.
This ends the response to your actual question.

But wait, there's more...
The added thickness of the foam will prevent you from closing the roof without resorting to extraordinary measures. DO NOT SIT ON THE ROOF. The construction of the roof is VERY flimsy...tissue-paper-thin plastic coating over, at best 1/8" plywood, supported by toothpick structure. It feels strong but it's not.

Loosening the hold-down clamps risks allowing water to leak past the seals between the roof and the tub.

We have a topper on our king. I added super-heavy-duty D-Rings to the side of the roof right next to the lift poles. The "goop" you see around one screw is Gorilla glue. It bonds to metal and wood (particle board) and keeps the screws from vibrating/stripping out. For an idea of scale, those are #14 stainless screws about 1" long for maximum bond. They might penetrate thru the roof side a bit, but into dead space in front of the lift pole attachments where they do no damage to anything. I use a ratchet strap from the D-Ring to the trailer frame and gently, patiently pull down on the roof until the roof clamps can connect and close.

The good news is that, while it takes some effort to compress the stacked canvass (a little different each time), the blankets on the bed, the foam topper, and the mattress, once compressed, they to not continue to exert unrelenting force on the roof. When I release the hold-down clamps, the roof does not spring up under lots of pressure. It just sits there, kind of like a brand-new foam mattress compressed for shipment. Everything slowly expands, but once compressed, the pressure on the roof relaxes...and it's distributed over a wide area.

If you're not fond of your mattress, you can buy high-quality foam mattresses that are not as thick as the combined thickness of your factory "inner-spring" mattress and topper. They cost about $200 to $330 max. Whoever thought a 4" thick inner spring mattress was a good idea needs a slap upside the head. Meanwhile, we tried a new mattress, and my wife actually preferred the original with the foam topper we already had. The new one is now safely stored.

P.S. We have solar and a single puny little group 24 battery. Since we are fully charged by dusk, and since we exclusively boondock, I installed a 400 watt inverter and use it to power my electric blanket to take the chill off the bed. It can't run all night, because it draws 30 amps at 12 volts (as do the heated beds), but it only takes 15 or 20 minutes to warm the bed, then I shut it off. The furnace keeps us warm, and unlike an heated bed/electric blanket, the furnace prevents condensation inside the "tent."

End of unsolicited rant.

[jgilman16]

I often sleep in my Class B Forest River RV. I live in NH so nights can be really cold. I have found memory foam when in an unheated RV are rather uncomfortable, rather like sleeping on a sheet of plywood until the foam begins to warm up. What works best for me is NOT to use a thick topper like one would get at a bedding store. But, rather to put out several thick sleeping bags under me, and put an electric blanket on top. I also preheat the bed with an electric blanket before going to bed. One would ask why would I sleep in an unheated RV in the winter? Because its beside my house and I like sleeping in the RV once in a while. AND I don't have to heat the entire RV to get into a warm bed. It also helps me keep an eye on keeping mice OUT.

[Villagerjjm]

Memory foam is insulation. It should not be used over an electric blanket or an electric mattress. The user manuals for both have specific instructions on this topic that are directly related to personal safety and burn possibility!!