How Much Room do Straight Stairlifts Take
Common Questions about Straight Stairlifts
Straight stairlifts are adaptive equipment installed on straight stairways to aide elders and physically challenged persons to go up and down the stairs without any effort. Straight stairway lifts have become popular in the past decade especially among homes which are caring for elders. Many of the product inquiries received by straight stairlifts manufacturers revolve around ‘how much room do straight stairlifts take’.
Straight stairlifts come in different models with different dimensions to fit wide or narrow straight stairways.
If your concern is stairway space, you need not worry because most straight stair lifts can be folded when not in use. On the average, stair lifts measure 14 inches when folded and 25 inches when in use. They should fit in well with 32” stairways. Besides, the swivel seats of straight stair lifts can be made to travel facing downwards at 45 degrees to maximize space in narrow staircases.
If you are still unsure if there is really room for a stair lift in your house, why not try putting a standard chair at the base of your stairway and sit on it comfortably. (Make sure you don’t fall though.) If you have sufficient knee clearance and can comfortably turn your legs in any direction then straight stairlifts will surely fit into that stairway.
Better still request for a free evaluation from a preferred dealer or distributor but make sure the brand they carry are reliable. There are stair lift manufacturers who make designs to with slim rails and compact carriages complete with folding arms, seats, and footrest to fit narrow staircases.
The space that will be occupied by straight stairlifts should actually not be your main concern here.
Rather, it should be whether the stair lift can carry the elders or the disabled in comfort and with utmost safety.
The best approach to take once you have seriously considered installing one in your home is to get a free evaluation from a reliable dealer/distributor or even from the manufacturer. Every straight stair lift dealer, distributor or manufacturer should provide this service for free.
Compare different straight stairlifts products according to:
- Safety Features – seat belts, locking swivel chair, foot rest and carriage sensors to automatically stop the stair lift when there is an obstruction.
- Locking key switch to disable the stair lift and prevent tampering while the lift is not in use.
- Speed control to prevent uncontrolled descent.
- Battery powered to ensure it keeps working during power outages.
- Easy to use control pad.
- Reliability of the Manufacture
Most stairlift manufacturers will offer you with a litany of innovative features but remember you may not need all these features, Narrow your choices to safety features, ease of use, and reliability of manufacturer more than anything else.
