Stairlift Reviews

A house of more than two stories greatly reduces the mobility and accessibility of the physically challenged to at least half of his home. In effect, this reduces his enjoyment of the comfort of his abode and the overall quality of life inside his very home. For the physically challenged who find climbing up and down the stairs unassisted an impossible, if not, a dangerous activity he may consider installing a home stair lift rather than buying a bungalow or a flat.

A home stair lift is the most practical solution to reclaiming the mobility of the physically challenged and his accessibility between floors. There are so many brands and types of stair lifts being offered in the market that it would truly baffle the uninformed homeowner. A basic working knowledge about the various technologies used in this equipment will help him in choosing the best model that will suit his needs.

Essentially, a stair lift is a swivel seat fitted with a motor that runs on a track securely mounted on the threads of the stairs. There are models that are powered by AC motors that run on domestic mains electricity supply. Since these stair lifts are plugged directly to the house power outlet, the trailing cable will have to be reeled out and reeled back in every time the stair lift goes up and down the stairs. If a power outage occurs while in operation, the stair lift would be immobilized and strand its passenger right in the middle of the staircase. The other stair lift model is equipped with a whisper-quiet DC motor that is powered by rechargeable batteries. Hence, it could operate even during power outages.

A home stair lift could have a rack and pinion drive or it could be cable driven. Cable driven stair lifts which use a strong steel cable similar to that used in elevators are usually noisy and don’t have smooth starts and stops. On the other hand, the ride of a rack and pinion drive is smooth and controlled, but then its gears and teeth require regular cleaning and lubrication. The most important safety feature that a home stair lift should have is an over speed governor. Should a major drive system failure occur, this vital safety device protects the stair lift from uncontrolled descent that could have tragic consequences.

When choosing the right home stair lift, it is important to make same technology comparisons, as in “apples to apples” and not “apples to oranges” to clearly see the engineering limitations and advantages of one over the other in terms of technology, features and cost.

Tags: A1, Stairlift, Stair Lifts, Bruno, Concord, Electric, Elderly, Acorn, Handicapped,