Lifts

cotton

Just wondering if many people have lifts in their homes & if they experience problems with them?

CtrlSource

There are several different types of lifts for home use. Which kind are you interested in?

i have a table hoist lift integrated into the floor, that brings me down 2 steps from the hall to the kitchen. Had it 10 years with no problems and have never even had it serviced! i just put hydraulic fluid in it every couple of years and spray WD-40 on the moving parts when it gets squeaky

There are also stair lifts (chairs, or hoists with folding platforms) and vertical through floor lifts. It all depends on your particular needs / budget

cotton

We have a through floor lift for 3 years now & it breaks down every few months. Always on the top floor. Just wondering are we alone in this or is it common for lifts to break down like this?

CtrlSource

i don't know but i'm sure it's common. There's a platform lift on stairs in Cineworld, Dublin that's the bane of my cinematic life for about 5 years!

How long was the warranty with it? Anjoy getting maintenance from the original supplier/fitter?

meboloxitis

My gran has an electric stairlift in her house about 2 years now & she believes it's one of the best things she has ever bought! She is a very independant lady & got very depressed when she could'nt access her bedroom/bathroom on her own. We looked into the options available & applied for the mobility aids grant from Dublin city council. It took a couple of months but we are so glad we looked into it!
Here's the link from citizens information http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/housing/housing-grants-and-schemes/mobility_aids_grant_scheme

The common misconception is that they are loud & ugly but nanna's lift is quiet & it folds up at the bottom of the stairway. It also comes with a remote control so she can call it up or down the stairs....

She has never had any trouble with her lift & the company she got it from has a showroom in temple bar so we could have a look at them working and see if she was able to use it ok.

I would highly recommend a stairlift to anybody having difficulties getting up & down the stairs.

cotton

Thanks for that but we need a through floor lift as my partner is in a wheelchair.
Problem is they come out, bring the lift back up to the top floor but never actually fix the problem. They seem to have a different answer each time.
The warranty is out & we really didn't want to sign a new one until it was fixed for once & for all they refuse to see there is a problem even though the exact same thing happpened 13 times in the past year. The door closes & locks, the lift drops 6 inches, jams & the person inside is stuck.
The last time it broke they wouldn't come out until we paid them some crazy amount, we had no choice in the matter really as they told me they'd leave my partner stranded upstairs until we did.

CtrlSource

cotton wrote: »

Thanks for that but we need a through floor lift as my partner is in a wheelchair.
Problem is they come out, bring the lift back up to the top floor but never actually fix the problem. They seem to have a different answer each time.
The warranty is out & we really didn't want to sign a new one until it was fixed for once & for all they refuse to see there is a problem even though the exact same thing happpened 13 times in the past year. The door closes & locks, the lift drops 6 inches, jams & the person inside is stuck.
The last time it broke they wouldn't come out until we paid them some crazy amount, we had no choice in the matter really as they told me they'd leave my partner stranded upstairs until we did.

They charged you before the call out? Very strange. Did you owe them money or something? If it's the same problem repeatedly, they should be standing over their work.

Is there a sensor getting jammed or a foreign object of some sort catching?

Experienced similar lift failure after doors closing on 2 different through floor lifts, both in hotels actually. The rise on them was only a few steps in each case, but they were the type you describe

SerialComplaint

CtrlSource wrote: »

i don't know but i'm sure it's common. There's a platform lift on stairs in Cineworld, Dublin that's the bane of my cinematic life for about 5 years!

Indeed, poor maintenance on these lifts can be a huge barrier. See attached photo of the platform lift in Cafe Mimo, House of Fraser in Dundrum. Could be just a tad difficult to squeeze a wheelchair in there between the crates of empty bottles and the spare bins.

CtrlSource

Yeah, look at the little man falling backwards - cos he can't fit on the platform!