Stair lift
[3] Before this Frederick Muffett of Royal Tunbridge Wells invented and patented "An Invalid Chair with Tramway for use on Staircases".
[citation needed] The 30 stone (190 kg) king, injured through jousting, used a chair that was hauled up and down stairs on a block and tackle system by servants at the Palace of Whitehall in London.
Modern stair lifts can be found with a wide variety of features such as adjustable seat height, battery isolation switches, call stations, 'flip-up' rail, key switch, folding step, speed governor, seat belt, soft start and soft stop.
Straight rails for use on domestic staircases are usually made from extruded aluminum or steel and come in various cross-sectional shapes.
Curved rails are made from materials such as steel or aluminum and come in various cross-sectional shapes according to the designer.
Individual designs vary a lot and probably the key criterion is to make the curves with the smallest radius possible so they will wrap tightly around objects such as newel posts.
The sections of curved rails are usually packaged well to prevent damage in transit and are unwrapped and assembled on site.
In most designs the carriage is pulled by a cable or chain, or driven along the inclined rail by a rack and pinion system or other drive arrangement.
The conventional layout for a typical domestic stair lift is to have the seat at right angles to the rail so the user travels "sidesaddle".
The platform is large enough to accommodate a wheelchair or scooter and its user, and may have folding edge flaps which drop down and act as ramps to allow for variations in floor levels.
They operate similar to indoor stair lifts but include weather-resistant features to help the unit withstand extreme harsh temperatures and weather conditions.
Even staircases built to the same design specification in neighboring houses have variations, but in most attempted "transplants" there are too many differences to make it practicable.
Some manufacturers produce stair lifts with trays instead of seats for moving goods between different levels, usually in commercial or industrial buildings.
Some businesses have purchased normal domestic stair lifts purely as goods transporters and put items such as boxes of stationery on the seat.
An "energy chain" ran alongside or through the rail to carry the power cable from the supply point to the carriage.
More recently, domestic stair lifts have been powered from rechargeable batteries and use direct current (DC).
One of the selling points is that a DC stair lift will continue to function during a power outage, provided the batteries are sufficiently charged.
Some models, however, were designed with three phase motors and the batteries (three in total) were housed in a cabinet mounted near the top or bottom of the rail.
The power requirement will be greater for heavy loads, very steep inclines, and wheelchair platform stair lifts.
This larger toggle switch enables users even with limited mobility or painful condition to use stair lifts easily and safely.
The idea was that stair lifts would predict when components were starting to deteriorate and automatically pass the information to the service provider so a visit could be arranged.
In North America these codes may be relevant: Produced by American Society of Mechanical Engineers An important specification used by stair lift manufacturers in Europe was British Standard BS 5776: 1996 Specification For Powered Stair lifts, produced by The British Standards Institution.
Today, self-installation of stair lifts is becoming a common trend for people interested in DIY projects.
In addition, these professionals are also aware of all safety measures and concerns associated with the proper installation of stair lifts, as well as the applicable local elevator codes.
The speed of curved rail stair lift carriages may vary on the journey if the controls cause them to slow on inclines and bends.
