Anyone have an opinion on stair lift units?


 
Timothy F. Lewis

Timothy F. Lewis

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
For my wife to come home I am considering a stairlift, the house is not large with a 12/12 pitch on the stairs so, I can see a great safety advantage in getting one. I have virtually no idea what to expect, I’ve heard that small basic ones would be about 3 grand. To stay in this house, I’m not kicking about that price range just wondering what anyone’s experience might be regarding them.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
For my wife to come home I am considering a stairlift, the house is not large with a 12/12 pitch on the stairs so, I can see a great safety advantage in getting one. I have virtually no idea what to expect, I’ve heard that small basic ones would be about 3 grand. To stay in this house, I’m not kicking about that price range just wondering what anyone’s experience might be regarding them.
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Oh boy. IDK but best of luck. There is a REALLY well regarded one here in Chicago area can't recall the name though. I'll try and find it and post back. They may be able to do a referral
 
You can get a nice Stair Lift for $5K (and you can certainly spend more) You can get a Single Person Elevator starting at $35K
Is your wife expected to have a full recovery? I know I hated the stairs for the first 6-months after I broke my back, but to be honest, going up the stair was strength building. I hated going down the stairs, but I've always hated going down stairs
 
I’m seeing them for around 3k here, Acorn has been brought up by the folks at rehab. I called and they sent a brochure, not particularly informative. Nice ad but, nothing terribly helpful. I’ll call them Monday.
Chuck, it could be a good year before she gets full range of motion back, I’m thinking the lift will get her up to the bathroom more easily, and taking laundry up or down one set of stairs will help me too! We have just gotten the house to a set up we really like. One bathroom upstairs was reasonable when we bought a 1935 Cape Cod, thirty some years later…well, let’s just say, we would have chosen differently knowing what we know now! A ranch would have been smarter! Live and learn!
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I’m seeing them for around 3k here, Acorn has been brought up by the folks at rehab. I called and they sent a brochure, not particularly informative. Nice ad but, nothing terribly helpful. I’ll call them Monday.
Chuck, it could be a good year before she gets full range of motion back, I’m thinking the lift will get her up to the bathroom more easily, and taking laundry up or down one set of stairs will help me too! We have just gotten the house to a set up we really like. One bathroom upstairs was reasonable when we bought a 1935 Cape Cod, thirty some years later…well, let’s just say, we would have chosen differently knowing what we know now! A ranch would have been smarter! Live and learn!
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Would moving to a one story house be an option? Or at least something to consider. I would think at some point it's a safety concern if not now maybe in the future. I'm sure you most likely already considered it and I have no idea about your situation. Hopefully you can figure out a good solution for the long-term.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Chuck, it could be a good year before she gets full range of motion back, I’m thinking the lift will get her up to the bathroom more easily, and taking laundry up or down one set of stairs will help me too!
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Wow, she really had a go, a full recovery is in my prayers for her. Acorn seems like a nice set up, especially at $3K. Will it be 220V? If that's an option, that would be a good way to go. The lifts are naturally slow for safety, but I'm thinking 110V might be taxed out
 
Josh, the lift will allow us to stay in the house we just got the way we wanted it and now that we are retired moving is not a viable option. Like I said, when we bought, the shortcomings of some of the things about this house didn’t matter.
I have no idea about power demands but, I like my electrician, we will get it sorted out.
Thanks for the tip Larry, we might be a bit beyond their realm of influence but, worth a call.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Josh, the lift will allow us to stay in the house we just got the way we wanted it and now that we are retired moving is not a viable option. Like I said, when we bought, the shortcomings of some of the things about this house didn’t matter.
I have no idea about power demands but, I like my electrician, we will get it sorted out.
Thanks for the tip Larry, we might be a bit beyond their realm of influence but, worth a call.
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Yep, you'd be amazed sometimes at the referral networks people set up
 
ChuckO said:
Will it be 220V? If that's an option, that would be a good way to go. The lifts are naturally slow for safety, but I'm thinking 110V might be taxed out
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As far as power source, I looked up the Acorn lifts ( https://www.acornstairlifts.com/stairlift/acorn-stairlifts ) and found that the "mains supply" is listed as "50-60Hz, 100-240V AC" while the "power supply" is listed as "24V DC (battery)".

To see that, click on "View Technical Details" after you select curved or straight stairlift under "Stairlifts" on that website.

Given that, I'd gather that the motor itself is run from a 24V battery (likely in the chair's base itself to minimize power loss), and the battery charges from the AC source.

Having a battery hopefully means that at least the lift would allow one to complete a trip up or down in the event of a power outage, but you would need to confirm that.

I would expect that other stairlift brands would be similar in that regard, but again, it would be good to confirm that with whatever make/model you go with.

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I know we had two stairlifts (I don't know the make/model) at one of my previous employers for one of the handicapped employees, and it worked well, though it was not fast.

Those stairlifts at my old company carried the person from the factory floor level to a mezzanine that was probably 15 to 20 feet (vertically) above the main floor, up single long staircases at either end of that mezzanine.

To the best of my knowledge, it was powered from a standard 110V-120V circuit.

The only issues I recall them having was when someone else who clearly exceeded the weight limit tried to use it, and damaged the drive.

Hope that helps.
 
I am sure that is why it would use the battery. Has to be a safety issue. Because you don't want someone trapped say in the basement. It's just like an electric recliner. They have a battery backup that will lower but not raise the chair. It's all for safety
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
For my wife to come home I am considering a stairlift, the house is not large with a 12/12 pitch on the stairs so, I can see a great safety advantage in getting one. I have virtually no idea what to expect, I’ve heard that small basic ones would be about 3 grand. To stay in this house, I’m not kicking about that price range just wondering what anyone’s experience might be regarding them.
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Check out availability of used ones. My late brother bought a new one for his wife and sold it back when they moved to assisted living.
 
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