Working of Stairlifts

Stairlifts is one of those inventions of science that has brought a ray of hope in the life of the disabled and handicapped.

A stairlift is actually a chair that travels along and rail or track that is mounted to theflight of stairs. Using the stairlift is very easy and it has been made it in this way so that the elderly do not have any issues in operating them. Although the operation of the stairlift is stress-free but it is equally important to understand the internal working of this great device.

Stairlift has two main components - chair and the motor beneath it. These are the components that play a prime role in the working of the stairlift.The motor is powered using a battery. The motor would there by turn the gear that is entangled into a geared strip on the track or rail. When the gear moved the chair is moved laterally along the geared strip. In the same way when the motor turns, the gear placed under the chair moves in one direction. For moving the chair in another direction, the motor’s direction of movement has to reverse.

There are different switches present on the stairlift. These switches are used to move the chair without when anyone is present on it. This feature is very useful in the situations when both the people in the house are using the stairlift and the lift is at the other end of the track. When the user wants to use it, the call/send switch is used to call the other person. One other use of this switch is to move the lift away when it is not in use or after its use has been completed. There are many people who do not prefer the lift to be parked in the master sitting room so they use this feature to send the lift to the other corner of the house. The call switch is used then to call the lift back when it is required.

Although the design and style of the stairlifts varies from company to company but the basic component of the stairlift remain the same. The basic components of the stairlifts include the following:

• Track or Rail - Track is the supporter of the chair. It basically provides a mechanism to drive the chair and guide it up and down the stairs. This is very similar to the rail tracks guiding the train.
• Track Overruns - stair lifts many a times provide an option to overrun at the top of the track, bottom of the track or both. The purpose of this is to move the operator away from the stairway so the stairlift can be accessed safely or when the stairlifts has to be dismounted. The prime reason behind this is to save the user from falling on the stairs.
• Power supply - The batteries are needed for the operation of the stairlifts. Power is needed to charge these batteries. In units where there no batteries, power supply is needed for operation of the chairlift. The non-battery lifts use a lot of power and need a dedicated unit.
• Motor - The motor is the component that makes the chair move along the track.
• The motor that drives a Curved Stairlift chair along the track is found in the base of the seat.

The above described are the main constituents of the stairlift. Other components of it include the seat, seat belt, foot rest, battery and its charger and the switches. Having the knowledge of the working of the stairlift shall make the operation easier.