FAQ

Simply send us some photos of your staircase, and the top and bottom landings showing any doors or walkways, and we can suggest a stairlift that might be suitable. Alternatively, we can visit your house with our mobile showroom for a no-obligation free measure and quotation – you can trial our stairlifts without leaving your home. We can measure your stairs, look at anything that may affect the stairlift set up, determine power supply placement, and provide you with a quotation on the stairlift models that may be most suitable for you and your budget. You are also welcome to visit our showroom to see which stairlift is most suitable for your requirements.

We hold many straight and curved stairlifts in stock so depending on the stairlift selected we can often install the next day when it is urgent. Lead times for non-stock stairlifts will depend on the model, however custom curved systems can take approximately 1-4 weeks for manufacture, and then the delivery timeframe will depend on the selection of sea or air freight.

Your new stairlift will be fitted to your staircase, not to your wall so in most cases the answer will be no. In some instances you may need to have a handrail moved or a window ledge reduced in order to avoid clashes with you new stairlift, in which case some minor redecoration may be needed after the lift is installed. If you ever need to relay carpet or maintain your stairs, your stairlift can be removed and refitted, just speak to us to find out what is involved.

A stairlift has features that allow it to fold up to minimise its size and footprint on and around the staircase. The design of your stairs and walkways will largely determine how well the presence of a stairlift can be minimised.

Stairlift automation offers increased ease of operation with a powered folding footplate, powered swivel seat, powered hinge track and sliding track. Automation helps operate the stairlift with a toggle or button instead of manually swivelling and folding the seat and footplate.

All of our Handicare stairlifts have safety sensors on the power pack and footplate; these are designed to stop the lift if it meets any obstruction. Once stopped it can only be moved in the opposite direction of the obstruction. Our stairlifts have a diagnostic display so that you can monitor the status of your stairlift, e.g. if a safety edge has been activated.

Your stairlift will also come with a seatbelt as standard for additional peace of mind. Our easy release retractable seatbelt gives the added flexibility of allowing you to fasten it to one side, and Velcro seatbelt fastens centrally.

Our stairlifts recharge their batteries when they are left on a charge point, and the 1100 Series stairlifts will charge wherever they are left on the track. This means the stairlifts will continue to work in the event of a power failure, so you do not need to worry about being stranded up or down the stairs.

Audible and visual signals will alert you if your lift is not charging. The power supply to the stairlift should remain switched on at all times. If stairlift batteries are allowed to go completely dead they will need to be replaced.

For a straight stairlift a standard installation would be approximately 12 steps. A larger number of steps will require extra track and brackets, and this is determined at the site measure.

A stairlift runs on batteries and trickle charges when stopped, so a stairlift does need a power source to keep the batteries charged. If the power is cut for any reason the stairlift will continue to operate for approximately 10 – 20 trips. It is important to note that the power should be maintained where possible, as depleted batteries cannot be recharged, and they must be replaced.

It is very easy. Once seated, the user simply pushes a toggle in the direction of travel and it will stop when it reaches the end position. If there is a manual swivel the user will need to pull a lever and swivel to face the landing, however if there is a powered swivel the seat will automatically turn to face the landing when it gets to the end position.

Your new stairlift will be fitted to your staircase, not to your wall. The track is supported by several brackets which are fixed to the stair treads.

Straight stairlifts typically take 2-4 hours to install, depending on the complexity of the job. Curved stairlifts are usually completed within a day.

Yes. In line with manufacturer recommendations, we suggest an annual service by a certified technician* Our staff can provide you with standard service costs.

Yes. We do remove stairlifts and reinstall in other locations. However considerations include different staircase lengths (which may require additional track), and doors and walkways (which may require an add on for the stairlift in the new house). Modular curved stairlifts can be relocated, whereas the track for custom curved stairlifts cannot be relocated (as it is custom-made to the shape of a staircase).

We are proud to offer a 3 year parts warranty on our Handicare stairlifts (for all metro installations). For the Devi stairlift we offer a one year warranty*.