Enjoying Your Smooth Ride? Here's How to Make Your Stairlifts Last
December 31, 2020
Aging comes with more than just great wisdom. Many people experience an array of physical difficulties, including mobility issues. Impaired movement plays a significant role in determining whether a person can gracefully age in place.
A Stairlifts in your home can make all the difference!
If you’re considering installing one in your home, this article is a must-read. Take a minute and learn how Stairlifts maintenance can help maximize this essential mobility tool’s life.
Preventing Stairlifts Malfunctions
Health conditions that lead to mobility issues, such as arthritis and osteoporosis, are often a result of continuous wear and tear on joints and bones. Stair lifts are susceptible to wear and tear too!
Over time, the lift’s components wear out, which prevents the lift from working correctly.
The old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” doesn’t only pertain to the human body. Prevention also helps a Stairlifts running smoothly and may allow you to extend its useful service life.
When you purchase your Stairlifts from a reputable dealer, you’ll also receive professional support and maintenance services performed by factory-trained specialists. Beyond feeling confident you’ve selected the ideal Stairlifts, you can also gain confidence with your ability to take care of many of the necessary maintenance tasks on your own.
In the next few sections, we’ll share DIY Stairlifts maintenance tips most people can take care of with minimum effort. Start by reading the instruction manual for your model lift. You’ll find specifics on using the Stairlifts and basic maintenance tasks.
Inspect All Moving Parts
Most instruction manuals include a graphic showing the different parts of the lift. Stair lifts have several moving parts, including:
- Armrest
- Footrest
- Swivel Seat
- Toggle Switches and Levers
As part of your maintenance program, you’ll want to inspect each moving part of your device.
For example, the seat should swivel, not wobble. Inspect the seat for broken parts.
Another moving part of a Stairlifts is the seat locking mechanism locks completely. A locking mechanism malfunction could cause injury.
Finally, inspect the wheels to make sure they move smoothly on the track.
Make Cleaning Part of Your Stairlifts Maintenance Program
Another relatively easy maintenance task is the weekly cleaning of the lift track. Stair lift tracks attract dust, grime, hair, and if you have a pet, animal dander.
Before you clean, remove the key, which disables the lift.
Use a damp cloth to clean the track. You can also use warm water and mild soap or a household cleaner recommended by your Stairlifts dealer. Rather than spraying the solution directly on the Stairlifts track, apply it to the cleaning cloth.
Do the same with the seat and armrest. After cleaning the lift, it’s an excellent time to take care of lubricating the track.
About Those Batteries
Most Stairlifts run on batteries located underneath the seat. A charging strip located on either end of the Stairlifts track takes care of recharging the batteries.
Like other rechargeable batteries, the ones on a Stairlifts will eventually need to be replaced. Depending on how many round trips your lift makes every day, you can expect battery life to run 1-4 years. If you only make one round trip each day, you may get more than four years from your batteries.
Battery care includes:
- Charging batteries completely
- Keeping the charger clean and dry to avoid condensation inside the charger
- Turning off and unplugging the lift if you leave your house for more than a few days
These three preventative measures can extend the life of your battery. If you notice signs of a dead or worn-out battery, contact your Stairlifts dealer and schedule battery replacement.
Signs Your Stairlifts Needs Attention
Movement impaired people usually don’t wake up one morning and discover they have a problem. Wear and tear on the body takes time, but typically you notice small signs that something isn’t quite right. It’s much the same for your Stairlifts.
It is important to monitor your Stairlifts performance and keep an eye out for signs of problems such as:
- Unfamiliar noises
- Bumpy Rides
- Slow Start
- Shuddering
- Beeping Sound
A beeping sound could indicate a low battery, so it’s wise to have batteries recharged or replaced (if necessary) as soon as possible.
Whether you’re a Stairlifts owner or a family member learning how to care for the mobility challenged, paying attention to these signs can help prevent the inconvenience of Stairlifts downtime and costly repairs.
Need to Schedule Routine Stairlifts Service
We hope reading our guide to Stairlifts maintenance helps you feel more confident about taking care of at least a few tasks on your own. With the knowledge you have now about how to keep your Stairlifts running smoothly, you should enjoy the many years of service from your lift.
To maximize its service life, you’ll want to arrange regular Stairlifts service every 1-2 years.
If you’re ready to schedule routine service or you have questions about buying a new Stairlifts, contact our team today. We can direct you to a dealer in your area.
