Of course without any shadow of a doubt your safety and the safety of the home stair lift user is of paramount importance, so this article will look at some of the considerations that need to be taken into account when installing stair lifts in your home for a user who has physically disabilities that prevent them from managing the stairs on a daily basis.
Home stair lifts have become a more familiar site, and modern technological advances have made them simpler to operate, quieter and more comfortable for their users.
The stair lift rail, which is the track on which the actual stair chair lift runs, is mounted, not to the wall, but to the actual stair treads (steps). It is for this reason that before installation, you check that the stairs are in sound condition. Stairs with cracks, breaks, woodworm or any other infestation that makes them unstable should be replaced prior to installing a heavy piece of equipment to them.
Stair Lift Obstructions
The stair lift must be able to operate free from obstructions. In the first place when thinking about installing a stair chair lift at home. Consider that the stair lift track must be able to stop at the bottom and top of the stairs so that the stair lift user can safely disembark. If there is a doorway or radiator in the way, and there is not enough clearance for the track to run all the way, then you will need to either reposition these obstructions or reposition the stair lift track, perhaps to the opposite side of the stair case.
Electrical And Lighting Safety Check Before Installing A Home Stair Lift
Common sense tells us that we should have adequate lighting at the top and bottom of our stairs. However, when you have lived in your home for a long time, you become used to it’s nooks and crannies and it’s idiosyncrasies. Introducing a stair lift into your home presents a new obstacle that not only the stair lift user has to negotiate, but also other users in the home as well. It is therefore recommended that you look again at the lighting situation in your home to make sure it adequately lights to top and the bottom of your stairs, thus reducing the risks of accidents as a result of introducing the home stair lift.
Finally, most modern stair lifts run using battery power, but not all. Therefore have you checked that the electricity supply and socket meets government regulations. If your house is an old one, it may not be earthed, so this will need to be checked to ensure that you don’t fall foul of regulations. Likewise, if there is no electric power supply socket near to the site at which the stair lift will be installed, then you may need to employ an electrician to install one on your behalf.