How should I care for my stairlift or home lift?
We regularly get asked for our top tips to care for your stairlift or home lift. This article gives a quick overview of the main things to keep an eye on. If you have a question that isn’t covered here then please feel free to contact us.
Before we get started it’s always worth reviewing a product’s user manual. Always check it before proceeding with any maintenance yourself.
What Is The Best Way To Clean A Stairlift?
This may seem like a silly question but it really isn’t. Taking proper care of you stairlift or home lift will actually prolong its life.
Cleaning A Stairlift Rail
The rail, or track, is the part of the lift that the chair or chassis rides on. It fits to the stairs. These can be made of aluminium or steel and can come in various profiles and sizes. Some are unpainted – mainly in the case of aluminium – and some are painted. The advice below applies to both unpainted and painted.
To maintain a good working rail we recommend the following approach:
1. Clean And Dry The Stairlift Rail
- If it is heavily pitted or dirty then start with a slightly moist micro-fibre cloth and clean the faces of the rail. Be careful not to touch the area that may contain the rack teeth as it may be greasy.
- If your rail is very dirty use standard wet wipes or baby wipes to clean away the dirt.
- Dry the rail with a microfiber cloth
2. Polish The Stairlift Rail
- Use a duster and a small amount of wax based furniture polish and wipe over the surface that’s in contact with the rollers. This can prevent the rollers from squeaking against the track itself during travel.
- We recommend a light dusting once a week.
Cleaning A Stairlift Seat And Chassis
Use a very lightly dampened microfibre cloth and wipe all the plastics and upholstery. Be careful of any moving parts like the seat swivel mechanism.
Do not use any type of cleaning products on your lift a this can affect the finish. Do not use any lubricants or grease. A servicing engineer will know how much grease and where to apply it.
Cleaning A Home Lift
Home lifts should be cleaned in the same way as stairlift seats and chassis. Standard window cleaner can be used on any glass doors or panels.
Should I Leave My Stairlift Turned Off?
No you shouldn’t turn your stairlift off. Even when you leave your home for a prolonged period of time.
All modern stairlifts now use rechargeable batteries. The power supply re-charges the batteries. Stairlifts are designed to be left on and the electronics onboard make sure the batteries are looked after. Many times stairlift issues are related to the battery. Take a look at our battery guide.
We advise keeping stairlifts switched on at all times. In addition, it is advantageous to do this because the stairlift will still operate during a power cut.
What Happens If I Leave My Stairlift Switched Off?
A stairlift uses a little amount of power during its stand-by state. Therefore, if left off or unplugged for a long period of time it could result in flat batteries. Sometimes flat batteries can’t be revived and will need to be replaced.
How Much Power Does A Stairlift Consume?
A power cable connected to the wall socket provides power to the lift in a slow trickle to recharge the batteries. It ensures the batteries are kept topped up. A standard stairlift will only use a couple of kilowatt hours per week if used moderately. This drops to hardly anything if the lift isn’t used. Take a look at our page on home lifts for further information on energy use.
How Often Should My Stairlift Be Serviced?
It is recommended that a stairlift or home lift is serviced by a fully qualified and manufacturer trained engineer at least once a year. This increases to once every six months for houses with multiple users or where the lift has high usage.
LOLER regulations come into play where stairlifts and elevators are used in commercial properties or are operated by a home care assistant in a private property.
How To Diagnose Problems With Stairlifts?
Why Is My Stairlift Making A Noise?
Always assume unusual noises need investigation. Stairlifts and home lifts are transporting people. A strange noise is a tell tail sign that the could be a problem developing.
Take a look at some of our other articles to diagnose problems with stairlifts
Minivator Stairlift Error Codes
Acorn / Brooks Straight Stairlift Error Codes Explained
Any change to the normal operation of a stairlift should be investigated, call a reputable stairlift service company.
Why Isn’t My Stairlift Remote Working Right?
This is usually the batteries in the hand held remotes getting low on power. Replace the batteries and this should increase the range and get it working again. If not then call a stairlift engineer to take a look.
Summary
Stairlifts and home lifts are generally very reliable. A little bit of cleaning and care works wonders to extend the lift of a lift and help maintain a smooth ride. We hope this article has given you some useful advice.
