How to Drain a Waterbed Without a Pump

A waterbed is a bed whose mattress is a watertight bag filled with water [source: Merriam-Webster]. Therefore, they can't simply be transported, like a regular mattress. Rather, waterbeds must be drained before being transported. Most waterbeds come with a pump to facilitate the draining. But what if you've lost your pump, and have to transport your mattress? Don't worry. Here's how to drain a waterbed without a pump.

Unplug the temperature control unit, if you waterbed has one.
Attach one end of a garden hose to a faucet outside the house and the other end to the waterbed's drain valve. The hose can be lower than the bed.
Turn on the water for 15 seconds. This will create a continuous siphon by pushing the air that is in the garden hose into the mattress.
Turn off the water and disconnect the hose from the faucet. Drop the hose to the ground. As long as this end of the hose is lower than the waterbed, gravity will make sure that the water drains out.
If the water is not flowing freely, you can try sucking the air out of the hose with your mouth. This will get the water going [source: Landandsky].