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An Informative Guide On Purchasing Stair Lifts

amosgoh | Dec 28, 2010 |

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Getting stair lifts for the elderly or handicap is a great idea since it will help them to move up and down the stairs with ease. However, if you have just come across the term "stair lifts" and have no idea what it is, I would recommend that you learn about the types of stair lifts available first.

There are two different types of stair lifts - straight stair lift and the curved stair lift. Straight stair lifts are perfect for used with straight staircases and the installation process is straightforward and simple. Due to the nature of the installation, they are much cheaper as compared to the curved stair lifts. Imagine and compare having to attach the movement track on a curved staircase. It will definitely be much more tedious which naturally increases the cost. In addition, the stair lifts need to be tailor made to specifically suit the shape of the curved staircase. This causes the resale value to drop as it is difficult to find another family that has a similar curved stairway.

Getting a stair lift isn't cheap and you definitely want them to be durable while not compromising on its safety features. This is very important because the ones that will be using the stair lift would be your loved ones and you wouldn't want to get injured. One of the safety features that you should look out for is the stop button. This is a manual button to halt the movement of the stair lift should there be any problems such as obstacles along the way etc. However, some of the stair lifts come with a sensor that can detect obstacles and stopped automatically. This function is essential in my opinion and can significantly lower down the possibility of collision.

The next thing that you need to consider would be the type of power supply installed. Most stair lifts for the elderly comes with dual function power supply - mains or rechargeable battery. The reason for this is to allow the stair lifts to function even during power stoppages which eliminate the hazard of the user stopping halfway. At this point, you might be wondering that it would be better off to get one that operates by battery which should supposedly be cheaper since there is lesser functionality. In fact, you are right but the cost of replacing the batteries will eventually add up which makes it worthwhile to spend the additional money upfront and get a stair lift that can operates from mains as well as battery.

These are the few important points that you need to know prior to purchasing or even if you opt for stair lift rentals. Do a favor for your loved ones who have problems moving up and down the stairs by purchasing one of it now.