Stair Lift Reviews

Stair lifts were first developed in the early 1900’s, but for many years were very expensive and required professional installation. Recently due to several manufacturing and technological innovation, stair lifts for straight staircases have become much more affordable and simpler to install.

A quality stair lift will provide many years of dependable service and greatly helps to reduce stair related injuries. A chair or small platform is sent up and down the stairs on a metal track that is bolted to the steps. Today most stair lifts either use a rack and pinion system or are cable driven. A circular toothed gear, called a pinion, engages a toothed bar that runs the distance of the stairs. The pinion is located underneath the seat and the teeth of the pinion interlock with the teeth of the rack. An electric motor causes the pinion to spin and as it spins it moves the chair up and down the stairs. A cable driven system makes use of high test aircraft cable to lift and lower the chair up and down the stairs.

Typically rack and pinion stair lifts require a small more maintenance than a cable driven stair lift. It is vital that the track remain clean and greased, so rack and pinion lifts require more frequent cleaning and lubrication. It is still necessary to lubricate and clean a cable driven systems track, but most of the drive system is enclosed, so it is not as prone to getting dirty.

If you own a straight staircase, you can usually install a rack and pinion or cable driven stair lift in an afternoon. They are designed to be quickly and easily installed. Typically most, if not all, of the installation can be done by a single person using household tools. The track system attaches directly to the stairs in most cases and is installed first. Since the track needs to be firmly bolted to the stairs, special mounting bolts are needed for installations into brick or concrete steps. If you do not have a wooden staircase, make sure you mention this at the time of order, because it will be necessary to ship special mounting hardware with the lift.

The car, which contains the chair, electric motor, and in some cases batteries, typically weighs around a hundred pounds though and must be brought to the top of the stairs, so it is usually a excellent thought to have someone on hand to help with this part of the installation. Usually the car comes installed on a small piece of track. After the main track has been installed and leveled, the piece of track that holds the car is temporarily attached to the track at the top of the stairs. The car can be plugged in and backed onto the track. After the car is on the main track, the small piece of track that the car was shipped on can be removed and discarded. Special stops are then added to the end of the track, which will let the stair lift know when to stop.

A stair lift is a fantastic way to keep a person secure and safe on the stairs. They can be installed quickly and easily in most cases.

Author: Sean Noughtly
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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