The Perils of Buying Used Stair Lifts

Posted on October 30th, 2008 in 2nd Hand by StairLift

There is nothing wrong with buying used or previously owned household items like furniture, fixtures and decorative items. They are generally much cheaper than brand new items. If you are lucky enough, you might even acquire from an unsuspecting seller classic or vintage models that have become collectors items that are actually more expensive that their tag price. Discovering antique and vintage stuff for a bargain is part of the joys of rummaging and buying in clearing out and garage sales.

However, you have to be more circumspect and discriminating when it comes to buying used stair lift chairs because your safety and that of your loved ones would severely be compromised in case of failure of the said equipment due to its age, wear and tear and simple neglect by the previous owner.

Stair lifts are critical equipment that’s used in carrying people up and down the stairs. And these are not just ordinary people— these are your love ones and even yourself that we are talking about here. Looking for a bargain stair lift is not hard. All you have to do is surf the Net or scan the classified ads and you’d find a dozen deals. The question is— can you trust these with the safety of your family and loved ones? Used stair lifts invariably brings on the nagging question of whether these were properly used or installed properly by the previous owner considering that stair lift chairs have a prescribed maximum load. The risk of mechanical failure of the motor, controls and its tracks is ever present so much so that the opportunity of saving a few bucks is not worth your peace of mind and the risk that you’re putting your family into.

But if you are equally concerned with cost as you are with safety, there is an alternative that you may consider— buy a used stair lift chair from a reputable dealer. These dealers trade on the basis of a good name and reputation by seeing to it that their used stair lift inventory had been restored to good working condition, thoroughly tested and inspected by qualified technicians and repairmen. Often times, these so-called used stair lifts were never even used at all but were brand new items that were actually sales returns that went back into their inventory. And even if these were never used, these stair lifts were inspected and tested for any defects before these were finally included in their used stair lift inventory so that you and your family can have the peace of mind that their safety will not be compromised every time they use the equipment.

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Stannah Stair Lift Leads the Way in Technology

Posted on October 28th, 2008 in Brands by StairLift

Pioneering companies have the distinction of the company name being used as the generic term for the product. Thus, when you hear the word “Xerox,” the ubiquitous office copiers come to mind, while the word “Kodak” immediately pictures in your mind’s eye good quality cameras. Similarly, the phrase “Stannah stair lift” is used by people as a generic term when they refer to stair lifts in general regardless of the brand. Often times, you’d hear people advice less than fully able friends and relatives: “Why not have a Stannah stair lift installed in your staircase?” This distinction is usually a public recognition of the company’s pioneering status in the industry and a tribute to its history of product excellence.

The Stannah Group is acknowledged as the world’s largest manufacturer and supplier of quality stairlifts, passenger and vertical platform lifts. No mean feat, considering its over 140 years of experience in lift technology that began in the United Kingdom when Joseph Stannah made the first “lift” or “elevator” as these are called in North America and some parts of the world.

The tradition of product excellence and innovation was carried on over the years by five generations of the Stannah family who built the family enterprise into an industry leader recognized the world over. The secret of its success lies in developing innovative, safe and durable products with matching first class after sales service.

A Stannah stairlift generally refer to three product lines where the Stannah mark of safety, durability and innovative design have made them famous the world’s most popular stair lift. If your stairs are suitable for a straight stair lift, you can choose from any of the three elegant models of the advanced Stannah 400—the compact carriage of the classic Saxon; the smooth flowing contours of the stylish Sofia; and, the clean, minimalist looks of the contemporary Solus.

The slim design of the Stannah 400 makes it suitable for narrow stairways. But if the turns, obstacles or landings of your staircase require a curved stair lift, then the Stannah 260 stair lift is ideal for you. Thanks to its slim carriage design, it can be fitted to even very narrow staircases and can negotiate tight turns and intermediate landings with ease. Stannah stair lift also refers to its pioneering stair lift products for outdoor use on a straight slope. The Stannah 310 model is unmatched in durability that enables it to operate under any weather condition. It is corrosion free and comes with ultra violet protection.

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The Important Components of a Stair Lift Chair

Posted on October 24th, 2008 in Home by StairLift

A handicap stair lift chair is such an important furniture in a home that caters to a disabled member. With such a significant role in the household, a stair lift shopper must know the components that he will look through in getting a unit. The question of which stair lift equipment to choose is dependent on a lot of factors including:

* Where you will need it for? A handicap stair lift chair serves the same purpose. It is there to offer movement convenience for the physically challenged. That does not mean, however, that every unit appears in the same length and the same design. The engineered technology used in making stair lifts considers the specific site that the unit will be used on. Whether you will need the stair lift indoor or outdoor must be answered first and foremost to lead you to the specific choices that match what you are actually looking for. The major difference between indoor and outdoor stair lifts is that one is made highly protected from the rays of the sun and the other is not. Since outdoor stair lifts are mostly exposed to sun and rain, it is provided with appropriate protection to, like indoor stair lifts, last many years of usage.

* Is a power source close by? A handicap stair lift chair runs from a source of power. If the specific site you are looking to place a stair lift on is not accessible to electricity, it is obviously wiser to choose a battery-powered unit. Stair lifts operated with batteries and electricity both has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. You are making a wise choice if you are taking a unit based on your specific requirements.

* How much weight is there to carry up and down? A handicap stair lift chair is made differently according to the amount of weight it can take as well. The key of course, is to choose one that fits your needs. There is a handicap stair lift that is meant to carry 300 pounds of body weight or less. Then there are others with higher weight limits.

* What accessories you need with it? Stair lift equipments are created with different features. Of course, each and every feature comes with a price. if you are not prepared to spend thousands of bucks, make sure that you will be satisfied with the simplest unit. If, on the other hand, you have money to burn, you can easily get a stair lift with remote controls, joystick, or even a comfy swivel chair.

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The Complete Stair-Lift System From Home

Posted on October 22nd, 2008 in Home by StairLift

In the recent years the stair lift had been enhanced with an innovative breakthrough which makes it easier for users to ascend the stairs. The breakthrough comes in a reliable technology which is applicable for the homes and office use. For the use at home the stair lifts have been added with many components that are guaranteed to be user friendly. They are also helpful for other activities of the stair lift user. The new technology provides a complete system for more convenience complete with added safety features.

The stair lifts from Home is typically complete with the gadgets that is made in the intention that a disabled user can manage the stairs without the assistance of another person. The complete stair lift systems from Home come with a strong railing that can be attached either to the wall or on the threads of the staircase. There are rollers installed meant to help in ensuring a smoother ride. Their complete stair lift system also comes with a remote for the control of the user. There are also safe sources for power and the choice of using batteries is available. The complete system is made for maximum convenience of the handicapped user.

The stair lifts is also ideal for other uses like carrying light items from the ground floor going up. This can be used to carry heavier grocery bags, a heavy suitcase and a pile of laundry. It can be controlled through the infra red from the remote control that will automatically send the lift ascending or descending. There are designs that are also ideal for the outdoors.

The Home stair lifts has the excellent design that delivers extremely quiet work so that other people will not be disturbed particularly during sleeping hours at night. The motor does not emit any sound and its wheels do not squeak at all. The seat is swiveling so that every angle can be covered.

All the units from Home stair lift will not start if the user is not sitting upright. This is a safety measure that the Home stair lift provides. The other safety features for the user is the presence of safety bets and the stable resting place for the feet. There are also arm rests and leg rests for maximum comfort. The joysticks also operate smoothly. The presence of sensors makes the unit sense any obstacle along the way. If there is a power interruption the stair lift will still work because of the batteries.

The stair lift from Home is a complete line of a unit which restores mobility and added freedom to the user. The user can easily maneuver the stair lift without even needing much assistance.

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The Advantages of a Battery Powered Stair Lift

Posted on October 20th, 2008 in Home by StairLift

The most accident prone part of a house is the stairs. Many household injuries sustained by people of different ages from toddlers to teen-agers to seniors are sustained as a result of falls from the stairs of their house. Installing a battery powered stair lift in your home will not only benefit the elderly members of your family, but everybody for that matter. It greatly improves accessibility to different floors in your house while decreasing the physical movement needed to do it. It decreases the possibility of slipping or tripping over obstacles on the stairs that may result to sprains and fractures and costly hospitalization.

Early stair lift models were powered by electric motors that were plugged into household mains. While these early devices made it convenient to navigate the stairs, they posed additional hazards in the house because somebody tripping on the trailing power cable increased the risk of falls and possible electrical shock to the stair lift rider or other members of the family. Moreover, in the event of a power failure in the neighborhood, the stair lift would be immobilized and the physically handicapped or elderly rider would be stranded in the middle of the stairs.

Breakthroughs in battery technology that resulted in the commercial manufacture of more compact yet longer lasting batteries ushered the entry into the market of battery powered stair lift models. These home accessibility devices run on more efficient whisper quiet DC motors with rack and pinion drives that give a smooth ride. With the “soft start and stop” technology of these new battery powered stair lift models, the rider would hardly notice that the lift is in motion. The most important feature of a battery powered stair lift is its capability to operate even during power outages due to hurricanes and other calamitous events where there is the pressing need to evacuate the neighborhood.

Major home accessibility manufacturers offer a complete line of battery powered stair lift models for commercial and residential use. With these new electrically operated stair lifts, the handicapped and elderly are able to regain their entire home by allowing them to go up and down the stairs of their home effortlessly, safely and comfortably. Recharging the batteries of these stair lifts can be done via static charging points located at both ends of the track or through flexible charging points that are located at any point between the two ends of the track.

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The Need for Stair Chair Lifts

Posted on October 18th, 2008 in Home by StairLift

There is no denying that people with disabilities need special attention. Their limited capacity to do things due to some disorders or ailments shall be addressed with convenience that will spell comfort both on the patient and his care giver. Good thing, our updated technology allows for practices and things that reach out to the handicapped. A stair chair lift is one good example of that.

Patients who are imprisoned in their wheel chairs can be difficult to manage whether around the household or in an establishment. The weight and bulk of the wheel chair with the patient in it is not as easy to fit in to anything as a normal person would. This is where the significance of a stair chair lift comes in. The vertical lift that can easily hold a weight is very much helpful in a household or a building that caters to the handicapped. It provides independence under such a circumstance.

A stair chair lift is either powered by electricity or a system of hydraulics. It is usually installed in multi-floored places where elevators are nowhere to be found — in a house or building that caters to a handicapped member. If you own a two-story home and you are out of clue as to what you can do to make living more convenient and enjoyable to a handicapped family member, try to look at a stair chair lift. It has carefully crafted to serve your purpose in such a fashionably ool manner!

No doubt about it, a stair chair lift easily provides mobility to a handicapped even without the help of another person. This wonderfully engineered tool of convenience is very helpful in places where elevators are out of sight. It can lift through any wheel chair weight in a safe, secured, and stylish manner.

The stair chair lift offers the much needed independence that people stuck in the wheel chair forever wanted for their pride. It will help them move around the house, transfer from one floor to another on their own with very little need for assistance. Even though a stair chair lift does not make life in the wheel chair any more appealing, it sure makes it a little less miserable.

The United States government has been very considerate by ordering the installation of vertical lifts in every facility there is to offer utmost convenience to the handicapped. As a result, you will find a stair chair lift in just about every corner where elevators cannot serve the purpose. It definitely makes the handicapped feel a lot better about themselves.

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Regulation on Stair Lift Installation Overview

Posted on October 14th, 2008 in Installation by StairLift

The main purpose of the installation of stair lift equipment is to provide assistance to individuals with fragile conditions to transport them with more convenience from one floor to another.

Because safety is the prime importance on the installation of the stair lift device, it is important that its installation meets high regulation policies to ensure that quality standards of installation and safety are observed.

Every state varies in terms of their imposed regulation on the stair lift installation policy within their jurisdiction. Regardless of the differences on the regulation policies from state to state however the same importance is stressed on the installation of the stair lift device which is pointed out to safety.

There are certain mechanical and technical requirements that are needed to be satisfied throughout the installation process of the stair lift device that promotes quality and safety of the installation process.

Regulation concerning safety on the installation of stair lift devices includes measures against the occurrence of shock hazards which is a common danger that arises from the alternating current used as the power supply to operate the stair lift device which comes from the household electric power supply.

To prevent the occurrence of this common hazard during the installation process of the stair lift device, stringent regulations are imposed which include the need for a professional electrician to be involved on the stair lift device installation.

The regulation policies imposed towards the safety on the installation of stair lift devices are designed to ensure that the stair lift is installed in a secured manner with efficiency and safety on its operation when used by its users with fragile conditions.

Some stair lift manufacturers offer to conduct the installation of their stair lift products themselves in order to ensure the safety use of their stair lift devices and that the safety regulation on the proper installation of their product is observed.

Stair lift for residential use should follow regulation policy such as the conduct of inspection of the device every 6 months and to perform a semi-annual maintenance of the stair lift to ensure it is still functioning and working efficiently and safely.

The inspection is usually conducted by professional agencies or engineers. Recommendations are then provided after the inspection as part of meeting the regulation policy on inspecting the previously installed stair lift device.

The installation requirement as part of a regulation policy on safety use of stair lift device should ensure the use of safety belt, obstruction sensors and lock for the swivel chair as the user gets in and off the lifting device. Other regulation factors required from the installer include wearing of protection glasses and to secure a safe working place.

It is a also a regulation policy that health hazard is taken into consideration that during the installation of the stair lift device, precaution must be undertaken against fall, drilling injury and inappropriate use of tools and equipments during the installation process.

The regulation policy on the installation of stair lift device is a means of providing protection to the stair lift user and to promote proper and efficient operation of the stair lift device.

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The Ever Reliable Stairlift for Handicapped

Posted on October 12th, 2008 in Brands by StairLift

We all agree that being handicapped is a disability that has been trying to overcome by many. Due to illnesses or accidents, a person that has been disabled should not be taken for granted and just left alone in the wheelchair. Handicapped persons needed to have some means of mobility in the home aside from using crutches or wheel chair. Nowadays, modern homes are being created to be disabled person friendly. Thanks for the advancement of new designs of stairlift that has been reliable ever since.

Stairlift is designed to assist individuals that are handicapped or as well as for senior persons who have the difficulty of using the stairs. This machine provides safety and convenience that allows one person to easily move from one floor of the house to another. The manufacturers are constantly making innovations of stairlift to better assist the handicapped. New models, which are the improvement of current ones, are being produced so that there will be more flexibility of the machine. Stairlift are also customized to better suit the needs of certain handicapped person because every disability is different from one another. A polio victim may need a stairlift with remote control or a diabetic person with amputated knees needs no footrest. Also, take note of the capacity of the stairlift to be purchased if it fits with the weight of the user. These types of machineries may be well suited on a case-to-case basis of being handicapped.

Some major considerations of having a reliable stairlift for handicapped include the function to meet certain individual. A handicapped person might need an indoor or outdoor stairlift. A battery operated is also available or such kind that has remote control. There are also some unique features like the use of sensor or the application of laser technology. In some instances, a control with paddle is also beneficial or a digital display is sometimes a nice feature. Apart from this mechanical buttons that is being added, make sure to get a stairlift that gives good comfort. Appropriate belts are also attached for safety as well as footrest for better support. Make sure also there is a guarantee of safety of the stairlift.

Handicapped individuals should not miss the opportunity of being mobile around the home. So aside from wheel chairs and crutches being used, make sure to get an appropriate stairlift for them. Anyway, as the same with any other person, they must be self sufficient and needed not to rely on other person when using the stairs. The stairlift is design specifically for handicapped individuals. That is why the family should choose the reliable one for the user. The stairlift should not be difficult for the user to manipulate and it must fit the needs of the user.

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Stair Lifts for Rent

Posted on October 10th, 2008 in Rental by StairLift

People who need a stair lift for has a wide range of choices. Stair lifts are available in many different kinds, brands, styles, and price ranges. Each unit is created to suit the particular need of a wise shopper. There are indoor stair lifts and outdoor stair lifts. There are also stair chair lifts and vertical wheel chair lifts. There are also new, second hand, and for rent units.

Stair lift rental is the option of those who are on a tight, and very limited budget. If taking a used unit is cheaper, a stair lift for rent will save you more. This means that nothing shall separate a person’s need from using and enjoying the convenience that a stair lift offers. Even financial limitations should not be a hindrance to this.

A host of stair lift manufacturers offer an option for a stair lift rental. Looking through this option, you will find that a variety of choices are also available. Mostly, stair lifts for straight staircases are on offer. With some other companies that have a wide range of products on stock, other choices are also available.

Before renting a stair lift, you must take all variables into considerations. First, make sure that you have tested the unit you are looking to rent. See if it fits your staircase and if it actually works for your need.

Second, read through the stair lift rental provider’s contract. Read and understand the terms and conditions that cover your agreement with the company. Any part that you do not understand must be discussed before you sign up. It is also important to ensure that the terms and conditions in the contract are viable in your case.

Third, examine the unit thoroughly. Make sure that it is in good working condition. Some stair lift rental companies are not as competent in maintaining the performance of their products. In this case, you are putting the user at risk. People with disability do not have much capacity to protect themselves against factory defects.

Lastly, study for how long you intend to enjoy a stair lift rental. If you are using this option for long, purchasing a new one is probably a better option. The amount you will pay as a rent would be better off used to pay up a new unit.

In some cases, a stair lift rental is not the best option. Before you look through this, therefore, you must study each and every aspect that will affect your choice. Make sure that you are going for the alternative that is most cost-effective in the long run.

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Residential Stair Lift: A Modern Transport Safety

Posted on October 8th, 2008 in Home by StairLift

The primary use of residential stair lift is to promote mobility of a person with difficulty climbing up and down the stairs inside their homes. Many people are able to benefit with the use of the residential stair lift with its advanced technical means of transporting a disabled person or the elderly from one floor to another.

The installation of residential stair list is cost effective, more efficient, promotes transport speed with the inclusion of safety devices. Because mobility problem is always a common problem among the elderly, the residential stair lift provides a solution to this common transport problem with the elderly and to people with mobility problems which also prevents the incidents of falls.

The installation of the residential stair lift is more efficient, useful and safe than when elderly are manually aided to go from one floor to another. The residential stair lift can be installed in all kinds of staircase whether it be spiral, straight or curve. It is installed on a track that runs on the staircase incline.

Residential stair lifts are operated by electricity with a backup battery that allows its continuous operation even during electricity blackout. This adds to the residential stair lift value of transport efficiency, reliability and convenience.

The benefits of the installation of the residential stair lift are numerous. Disabled persons, the elderly, people with injury that makes them incapable of walking up and down the stairs can greatly benefit more convenience and ease when using the residential stair lift.

Additionally, the residential stair lift is a better option than considering building another room on the ground floor in order to avoid the inconvenience of going up and down the stairs for people having trouble climbing the stairs. The installation of residential stair lift is less expensive, cost effective and more convenient than undertaking another construction of a new room into the home.

Residential stair lift promotes safety on the mobility of those susceptible to falls on the stairs with safety features that prevent accidents while transporting from one level to another. The stair lift comes with a safety belt that keeps one safely tied on the chair. It also has a sensor that detects any obstacles on the track with a swivel chair lock that prevents movement as one get in and off the chair.

The residential stair lift is conveniently operated with a remote control and can be set to a varying speed. Manual assist is more tasking and using the aid of crutches and other assisting devices can demand greater energy expenditures. The residential stair lift offer the over-all solution to any transport problem with greater convenience and modern ways of safety transport that its installation at homes add more confidence and peace of mind to those using it.

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