I'm about 280 lbs and picked up a basic air mattress for a temporary stay. After three nights it feels noticeably softer, and I can see the top panel has some slack in it. I've been topping it off with air each evening. Is this normal stretching, or did I get a defective one? Not sure if I should return it or just keep adding air.
Air Beds
Is it normal for an air bed to stretch after a few nights?
PVC air beds always stretch a bit when new. The material relaxes under weight and temperature. It usually stabilizes after a week or so. But at 280, you're near the limit for a lot of cheap ones. Check the box for the max weight ngl.
What frosty said. Also, air expands and contracts with temperature. If the room cools at night, it'll feel softer by morning. That's not stretching, that's physics.
Mine did the same thing. I weigh around 250. After about five nights it stopped neEding air every day. I just left it inflated during the day for a week and it seemed to settle.
Thanks. The box says 600 lb capacity, so I should be fine. I'll give it a few more days and see if it stops stretching.
If it keeps getting softer after a week, look for a leak at the seams. Stretching shouldn't be permanent. Also, don't overinflate to compensate. That's how you get a blowout.
I had a cheap one that stretched so much the top got wrinkly and it felt like sleeping in a hammock. Returned it. The replacement did the same thing. Some of them are just like that.
Are you using it directly on the floor or on a frame? Floor is colder and that changes the pressure a lot.
On a carpeted floor. The room stays around 68-70.
At that temp it shouldn't be extreme. But yeah, PVC stretches. If you want something that won't do that, you need to look at TPU or a foam mattress. Air beds just aren't built for long-term heavy use.