There are so many among us who find it difficult or well nigh impossible to navigate stairways on their own. Such people are practically imprisoned to a single floor. Moving to a single-floor dwelling is an option that, at best, is a last resort, and at worst is a non-option for those who can't afford to. The wheelchair stair lift is truly a blessing for such people, because it helps them to navigate those formerly insurmountable stairs conveniently and safely. Best of all, it is easily affordable in most cases.
The wheelchair stair lift is a motor-driven platform that moves up and down stairs. A person seated in a wheelchair can wheel himself onto and off it very easily. The wheelchair locks in place and the wheelchair stair lift moves to the next floor. All this is done unassisted, giving the person back the freedom he lost. It uses the existing stairway without obstructing its normal use. It does not demand any sort of structural change to the building. It is the simplest, the cheapest and the best form of inter-floor transportation.
What does a wheelchair stair lift cost? The cost depends on whether the stairway is straight or curved. A wheelchair stair lift costs less than $5000 for a straight stairway, with a commonplace 12-foot floor-to-floor clearance. The curved stairways are more complex to cost because the type of wheelchair stair lift also comes into play. The contractor will have to do a physical inspection of the stairway before quoting the cost. A ballpark figure ranges from $5000 all the way to $25000.
All modern wheelchair stair lifts are driven by electric motors, which can be light-duty for individual use or heavy-duty for institutional use, and mains powered or battery powered. There are four types of drives that are commonly found on wheelchair stair lifts. The most popular one for individual use in a residential environment is the rack-and-pinion drive system.
A cable-winched wheelchair stair lift uses a strong steel cable to move the wheelchair stair lift up and down the stairway. This tends to be a little jerky, but improvements are expected soon.
Another type of wheelchair stair lift is driven by a set of running chains. A thumb on the wheelchair stair lift engages the chain which carries it up or down. Its noise and price puts it out of the popularity race.
The fourth type of wheelchair stair lift uses an Archimedean screw to traverse the floors. This type of wheelchair stair lift is powered by its own battery which can be recharged. This too is a heavy duty system which is used in large institutes and not so much in residential environments.
The rack-and-pinion wheelchair stair lift is the best type by far. It is the cheapest to install, requires no maintenance, and is emits very little noise. It is driven by a set of rotating pinion wheels which engage wall-mounted racks on both sides of the stairs.
A variation of the rack-and-pinion system uses a rail or track on the staircase itself, instead of a rack on the wall. The chair carriage rolls along these rails.
Wheelchair stair lifts may be powered from the mains power supply or they may be powered by batteries. These batteries are of the rechargeable kind. Battery operated wheelchair stair lifts are increasingly in vogue. Using batteries eliminates the need to lay high voltage electric cabling. Secondly, they are proof against power outages which may occur in storms. The installation of wheelchair stair lifts is regulated by law in most states. So the requisite official formalities have to be completed when installing a wheelchair stair lift.
Looking down the stairs from a height while sitting in a wheelchair makes the wheelchair occupant a trifle nervous. To avoid this vertigo-like feeling, most wheelchair stair lifts have a system to turn the chair sideways or right around. Moreover, these wheelchair stair lifts have electronic systems which help in preventive maintenance, warning the user of potential problems before they actually materialize.
In short, the wheelchair stair lift is the best way for people with special needs for traversing stairs to do so on their own. The most appealing feature of a wheelchair stair lift is that it does not require any sort of building work. They are absolutely safe and reliable. The wheelchair stair lift is without doubt a godsend for anyone who cannot use the stairs on his own.
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