There are many types of home chair lifts for stairs, for many different needs and configurations. When looking into buying chair lift for your stairs there are 4 things you need to consider: 1. what kind of stairs do you have, 2. your personal needs, 3. the model (the mechanics of the lift) and 4. whether it would be best to have a battery or an electric chair lift for stairs.
1. What Kind of Staircase Do You Have?
One of the first things to consider when deciding what type of chair lift for stairs to buy will be based on the construct of stairs you have. Are your stairs straight, curved and how wide is the staircase?
Straight rail chair lift for stairs: These are the most common and cheapest options for lifts. Because of its simplicity, one size fits all approach, it takes a shorter amount of time to install and manufacture.
Curved rail chair lift for stairs: These are more costly as they need to be custom made. They are manufactured to suit the specific staircase, resulting in a longer installation process.
The width of the stairs needs to measured, as a chair lift for stairs take up a certain amount of the staircase’s width. If the staircase is too narrow there are other options, such as a standing or a perched chair lift.
2.What are Your Personal Needs?
There are 4 types of designs for a home chair lift for stairs and they are: standing, sitting, perched, and wheelchair accessible chair lifts.
Standing lifts are used when the width of the staircase is limited and the person is comfortable standing for the duration of the ascent/descent.
Perched lifts use more room than a standing lift, but less room than a sitting chair. A person is able to partially sit on the perch, putting less pressure on the legs than being on a standing lift.
A sitting home chair lift for stairs allows a person to be fully seated but will need a staircase that can accommodate the width of the platform.
A wheelchair lift for stairs will include folding flaps which prevent the wheelchair from moving off of the lift. These flaps drop down to form a ramp for the wheelchair to be wheeled onto chairlift.
3. What Kind of Model (Mechanics) will You Want?
There are two popular models on the market for a home chair lift for stairs: rack and pinion or a cable chair lift. Each model results in a difference in price, maintenance, and smoothness of ascent/descent. A rack and pinion system for a chair lift provides the smoothest ascent/descent but requires regular maintenance as it needs to be lubricated. Whereas a cable drive electric chair lifts are a cheaper system and do not require the regular maintenance of a rack and pinion lift, but the smoothness of the ascent/descent is compromised.
4. Battery or Electric Chair Lift for Stairs?
The benefit of having a battery operated chair lift over an electric chair lift is that a battery powered chair lift can still operate during power outages. Whereas an electric chair lift for stairs can leave people stranded on the bottom or top floor.
Each of the four requirements needs to be taken into consideration for the chair lift for stairs cost: your staircase, your personal needs, the chair lift model, and choosing between a battery or an electric chair lift for stairs. Additional costs outside of the chair lift itself include any electrical modifications to the household and permits. All in all the typical chair lift will cost between $3000 and $5000.