Thankfully, there have been dozens of inventions made in the past several years for those who are facing physical struggles outside the home as well as inside. Wheel chairs started out as manual mobility devices and have been upgraded to battery charged or electrically powered devices. Lifts were then designed to glide through staircases so that users don’t need helpers to carry them. Today, these devices have been made so much easier to use. The vertical wheel chair lift is now being used in virtually every kind of building application. Whether you are in the home, office or simply visiting a place, everyone deserves to have easy access and comfort while traveling.

What is a vertical wheel chair lift?

This type of lift is basically a platform where a wheel chair-or anybody for that instance-can be lifted upwards or downwards to a new area. It resembles an elevator and is in fact considered a home elevator to most users.

What are the kinds of vertical wheel chair lifts?

There are what you call electric vertical lifts and hydraulic vertical lifts. An electric one requires electric power while a hydraulic one does not-prices may therefore differ; so choose wisely according to your specific needs.

There are various models. There is the usual elevator-style lift that is fitted within four walls (minor renovation may therefore be needed in your home). Then there is the enclosed model, which has a platform that automatically encloses with four walls when the wheelchair is on it and ready to be lifted. Other models are smaller in size, have no ceiling, or have only platforms to raise the wheelchair to shorter levels such as when elevating to get into a vehicle or single floor step. Again, costs may differ because of the varying structures, but remember, there are some features you may or may not need.

Where can I use these lifts?

There is more than one answer to this question. The vertical lift is being used everywhere from homes, auditoriums, hospitals, offices to old buildings.

Residential Homes – Homes with more than 2 stories can definitely benefit from this kind of chair lift for easy access to the top floor.

Schools and Universities – Auditoriums, which are usually found in schools and universities, are known to have many steps and so can be very difficult for students who are physically challenged. A smaller sized vertical wheel chair lift would be appropriate for these types of setting.

Establishments – Older buildings often do not have elevators that are as spacious as the modern ones. Therefore wheelchairs usually cannot fit into their elevators. Older establishments can easily install a vertical lift.

What features should I look for?

Safety – A good vertical wheel chair lift should have an anti-slip platform for maximum safety, especially if the area is busy or outdoors. It should be low enough for wheelchairs to easily roll on and off of it and have safety railings.

A stairway chair lift for residential purposes is a chair attached to a track that is, in turn, bolted to the staircase. The main purpose of such a chair is to enable people who cannot climb the steps to get to the top or the bottom of the stairs. Chair stairlifts, though, are not just for carrying people, they can also be used to carry heavy loads that otherwise would be difficult to move to higher levels of the house.

Chair lifts can be operated by pushing a button or a series of buttons and are powered by electricity. Conventional stairlift chairs are of different kinds and are usually designed based on their intended function and the specifications of the stairs where they will be attached.

Types of stairlifts based on stair configuration

Stair lifts can be designed for straight or curved staircases. There are also those that are built specifically for stairs with a middle landing. More often than not, a staircase with a middle landing needs two stair lifts for each set of landing. Traditional stairlifts are relatively easier to configure and build; however, stairlifts for wheelchairs are not as easy to build.

Wheelchair stairlifts need wider stairs, stronger support and other features to accommodate the wheelchair and the person riding it. A wider landing area at the bottom of the stairs is usually needed to provide the rider some space to get on or off the wheelchair. This kind of stairlift also needs a load-bearing wall since it is attached to the wall of the house and not on the stairs like conventional stairlifts.

Power Supply

There are two ways to supply power to a residential stairlift. One is through an A/C unit that relies on household electricity. If the power is turned off or cut off, then the stairlift will not operate. A battery operated stairlift, on the other hand, functions with the use of standard batteries. The good thing about the latter is that it can function even when the electric power is turned off. However, batteries of stairway chair lifts need to be changed constantly since these mechanisms eat up a lot of power.

Building a stairway chair lift at home requires careful measurements of the areas involved, including the stairs and landing areas. The design of the stairs with which the stairlift will be attached should also be considered. Cost issues, intended function and weight capacity are also primary concerns for such indoor systems.