Thursday, April 2, 2015

What One Should Know About Stair Lifts In Maryland

By Aimee Schwartz


The sick and disabled find it difficult to move up and down in buildings with staircases. As such, it is vital to get a means to do so. Stair lifts in Maryland are helpful for this purpose. Lifts are mechanized electric tools utilized for lifting persons both upstairs and downstairs. Other terms for these devices include stair gliders and chairlifts. A stair lift comprises of a chair, which is referred to as either a platform or carriage. The carriage is attached to the stair case tracks.

It is believed that the first model of chairlifts was made in London. It was made for king Henry the 8th after injuring himself while jousting. It was a simple chair, which was pushed by servants down and up the stairs using a tackle and block system. By 1930 the first stairlifts were made and sold in the US by the inclinator company. Back then most users were polio victims.

Currently there are lots of firms, which sell, produce, and install these stairlifts. The most popular types of stairlifts are the curved and straight models. A manufacturer can make designs, which suit various types of staircases if requested. Other models of lifts include standing or perch chairlifts. Standing stairlifts are most suited to patients who cannot sit or stand because of back or knee disorders. Perch stairlifts are comparatively narrower.

A straight chairlift is built for use in structures with straight staircases. In contrary to, a curved lift it cannot move around corners, turn, or bend. This make of lifts is the cheapest and common. Lifts come with easy to use start and stop technology to ensure disrupted and comfortable movements. Stairlifts are available in a range of shades that suit varying decor and themes of most homes.

Chairlifts have varying weight capacity. Each unit comes with a label indicating the capacity. Weight capacity is indicated to ensure safety, comfort, ride quality, and ease of use. Light mode models have varying capacities but most of them do not exceed 120 kilograms which is equivalent to 19 stones. People weighing more than 120kg can go for those whose working load limit is 180kgs. It is advised to invest in a lift with the appropriate working load to avoid accidents.

Most designs feature adjustable footrest, seat height, and armrest for extra comfort. Armrests are flipped to allow the user transfer to their wheelchairs. Well installed lifts must allow adequate space for other individuals to use ordinary stairs without any interference. Complete units include sensors for detecting obstacles along the tracks or rails. In case, an obstruction is detected on the tracks the unit stops automatically and resumes when it is removed.

Some chairlifts are controlled by use of remote controls. Controls systems are used while calling back the devices to where the operator is after they have been utilized by other users. Control gears are positioned at the top and end of staircases so as to enable access from both ends. Some designs have control gears placed on the arms. A curved stair lift has more control units in comparison to a straight stair lift. More motor systems and links are included to ensure efficient tackling of various maneuvers that the device makes during movement.

When buying these units homeowners should invest in durable designs to reduce costs. Investing in a design with microprocessors is important since it stores the journey characteristics data in memory. In addition, they record the direction and frequency of journeys, such information is helpful to maintenance engineers.




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