There is no doubt that ottoman beds can literally change the look of your bedroom by offering storage that it has underneath it. But have you ever wondered how the lid that is covering the storage space of your ottoman bed stays down?
Well, then you have to stick to the last word of this article to clear your doubts and wonderings.
How does an ottoman bed stay down?
The gas struts supporting the lid or mattress weight basically control whether your ottoman will stay up or down. The gas-filled piston obstruct your bed from rising or fall down unnecessarily; however, if you put enough weight on top of those hydraulic pistons, then your ottoman bed will stay down.
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The gas pistons provide the ottoman beds a solid base, which is why the beds don’t go down or up needlessly. Therefore, there is pretty little chance of any kind of damage to the frame, screw, or spring of the bed and as well as any unavoidable accident.
The gas-filled struts work like a hydraulic system where you have to put pressure above it in order to make it go down.
This mechanism is also the same in ottoman beds, which is why if you want to make your ottoman bed stay down, then you have to put weight on the top of those gas struts.
Why won’t my ottoman bed go down?
There are a good amount of reasons why the ottoman beds would not go down. However, almost all the time, the ottoman bed would not drop due to systemic problems with the struts that hold it.
Since the hydraulic pistons totally regulate the ottoman beds’ movement from down to up, here are some of the explanations why the gas pistons could not work:
Place the right amount of weight
You should first confirm that you have installed the correct amount of weight on the ottoman that was advised by the bed manufacturer. Many people brought mattresses based on their own preferences; this is not the proper way to do it.
And you might decide to purchase a mattress that is less heavy than your ottoman bed actually requires to go down. As a result, ottoman beds do not lower because they do not obtain adequate pressure from the mattress over them.
It is not able to receive the right amount of pressure
Amongst the most common reasons your ottoman bed won’t be going down is that the gas pistons aren’t obtaining adequate pressure from above. As a result, you can be either position the mattress or use your hand to hold down on the gas-containing pistons to lower the bed.
Inside the gas struts, there might be a loss of pressure
If somehow the gas struts start to lose pressure, the ottoman beds will fall down. This increases the likelihood of the ottoman beds collapsing at any time.
Internal malfunction
Gas pistons can also fail if they’ve been internally damaged because there’s a risk that the mechanism that supports the gas pressure will hold back.
As a result, the parts are ejected at high velocities due to a sudden shortage of restraining power, which will make you put a lot of pressure to get the bed to go down.
Read more in detail, Why Is my ottoman bed not going down?
How to keep an ottoman bed down?
Well, there are lots of solutions you can go for keeping an ottoman bed down. But first of all, you need to identify the exact problem for which your ottoman bed won’t stay down, or else the solution you have followed might backfire.
The probable solutions you can follow are noted down below:
By placing a mattress
One of the best possible solutions you can go for is by putting enough pressure on the gas struts, which is why your ottoman bed isn’t going down. As a result, adding the proper weight, which is the mattress on top of the gas struts, will cause the bed to stay down all the time.
Placing the exact weight
You can purchase the mattress in accordance with the specifications mentioned on your ottoman bed. Since underweight or overloaded mattress can cause the gas struts to fail, also resulting in the ottoman bed not being correctly installed.
By making sure an external factor does not trigger the gas struts
You must ensure that external factors such as over-extension, improper loading, and overheating do not harm the gas struts.
The person who installs all of the gas struts should look for any potential malfunctions. In addition, the gas strut should be made according to the manufacturer’s specifications, layout, and other guidelines about structure, efficiency, and operation, among other things.
Lastly, experts suggest that you locate the actual issue preventing your bed from falling down before attempting the aforementioned solutions.
What to do if ottoman bed won’t stay up?
As we have discussed earlier, the gas struts are the main mechanism behind your ottoman bed staying down or up.
So if your ottoman won’t stay up, then there might be a problem in those gas struts, but there also can be small reasons however here are some possible solutions you can follow to make your ottoman bed stay down :
Remove the mattress
The weight of the mattress keeps the gas struts as much as down possible because the gas struts need to be locked into the right place in order to keep the bed stays down.
Likewise, you need to pull the lid of the ottoman bed as high as possible in order to lock the gas struts in the right place.
If the gas strut is not getting locked in the right place, then you can again try to pull the lid by removing the mattress above it. Because sometimes, the weight of the mattress obstructs the gas struts from getting up.
By using safety straps
To open the gas lift bed, begin the upward movement with the safety strap(s). The pistons will then take care of the majority of the heavy lifting, and the mattress will rise up to reveal the storage room underneath.
Some designs have two straps, while others only have one strap in the center.
Check out for the problems in gas struts
Well, one of the main problems that hinder your ottoman from going up or down is malfunctions inside the gas struts. The gas storing pistons stores nitrogen gas in high pressure, and the pistons utilize this pressure in order to make your ottoman bed move.
Therefore there is a high chance that your ottoman bed doesn’t move upwards or downwards because of internal problems in those pistons. That is why it is better to check out your pistons regularly from the service center of your ottoman bed company.
Will an Ottoman Lid stay down without the mattress?
The gas struts play an essential role in keeping your ottoman bed staying up or down. In both cases, the gas pistons need some external pressure in order to make the lid up or down. That is why the ottoman lid will not stay down without some weight, so you will need a mattress.
The perfect mattress for an ottoman bed is one that is lightweight.
On the other hand, memory foam and mattress in a box alternatives may be well worth the investment because they have excellent comfort levels without placing undue pressure on the lift mechanism of an ottoman bed.
How to open and close an ottoman bed?
There are two ways you can follow to open and close an ottoman bed that are very simple and very easy. But you need to be very conscious while lifting because a slight mistouch can cause some severe problems to your bed and even yourself.
- Opening: For opening an ottoman bed, you will need to remove the mattress first and then pull the lid as high as possible until the struts get locked.
- Closing: For closing an ottoman bed, you can place the mattress again on top of the lid and then push it downwards as much as possible until the gas pistons get locked.
Are ottoman beds easy to lift?
The ottoman beds are very easy to lift because of the gas struts supporting the bed. You can raise the bed by only using your muscle power as the gas struts will cooperate with you lifting the lid.
Well, sometimes it gets difficult for someone to lift an ottoman bed because of the extra weight on top of the lid. Therefore, you can remove the mattress at first and then try again to lift the bed with your hand.
But if you cannot lift the lid, you can try with safety straps to start the upward movement as the gas pistons will do the rest of the heavy lifting.
How does mattress stay on the ottoman bed?
A spring slat bed base or a non-slip top are mostly used on ottoman beds. These designs are built to protect and keep the mattress in place, meaning you won’t have to worry about it slipping off as you raise the lid, and your headboard won’t be ruined.
In the case of a side-opening ottoman bed, each side of the bed frame is higher than the other, allowing the mattress to stay firm when lifted.
Do you need a special mattress for an ottoman bed?
Well, it is the best idea to go for the mattress that suits your ottoman bed rather than going for a special mattress that makes you uncomfortable while sleeping.
For this reason, a pocket spring mattress is a good option since it can be used for a range of base options and ottoman bed styles.
The pocket spring mattress focuses on total comfort, making it the perfect bed for a restful night’s sleep. This kind of spring mechanism, which is found on the inside of mattresses, would be ideal for your ottoman bed.
A pocket spring bed suits all kinds of ottoman beds, but if it doesn’t go with your taste, then you can buy those all in one package where the mattress comes in a package with the ottoman beds.