Stair Lift Self Installation Dangers

72

By Edwyn Prose

There are numerous reasons why a person who is in need of a stair lift may not be able to afford the cost of a company package of the hardware and the professional installation that it requires. Let's be realistic here. Many people with disabilities are not financially secure enough to be able to spend a lot of money all in one go on a product they need. In these cases, it is tempting to forego the cost of professional installation and opt to buy the unit themselves then eitehr try to fit it themselves, or call upon the services of a family member or friend to fit it for them.

Here we look at the some of the dangers involved with attempting to fit a stair lift cheaply and some of the things that can go wrong.

Home Stair Lifts: Why Use Professional Installers

The tongue in cheek photo on the right is exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about here. Most especially do not let this man anywhere near your stuff! Ha! Ok, joking aside, this is a serious concern for many people who are short on cash but are in genuine need of a stair chair lift to help them get around their homes.

It really is false economy to try an fit a stair lift by yourself, or even asking a friend or family member who might be pretty good with their hands to do the job for you. While it will certainly save you the cost of professional installers at the outset, in the long run, doing it cheaply could end up costing you more than just money.

The first problem with fitting a stair lift yourslef is that you don't have any formal training on teh right way to do things. You may be able to study a diagram and be able to put the thing together and even fit the rails and mechanics yourself, but how do you know you are not missing something that a professionally trained fitter would not miss? It might look ok to you, but if you've made a mistake somewhere that is not so obvious and the person for whom it was installed for uses it and it breaks, or malfunctions the ramifications could be dire.

At the very least, the owner could be looking at a steep repair bill if any damage is done to the stairway my a faulty installation of a stair lift. Worse, if the stair lift needs to be fixed, the call-out and repiar charges the owner would have to face may be very high, more especially because if wasn't fitted by a professional in teh first placve it will not be covered by any warranty and the manufacturer's guarantee may be void.

Worse still is the costs that have nothing to do with money. What if the stair lift was installed incorrectly and an accident occurs in direct relation to that faulty installation where the user is thrown off the chair while at the top of the stairs?

They could fall headlong down the stairs and seriously injure themsleves. They could even die. Would you want that on your conscience?

Stair Lift Installation the Correct Way

Doing this the right way is more than just an added expense that must be borne out by the customer. When a home stair lift if installed correctly by trained personnel who are designated by the manufacturer, several important points are covered.

First and most important is the fact that properly trained installers know exactly what they're doing and will ensure your stair lift is fitted properly and will function correctly. This eliminates the worry of whether the machine will cause any damage or injury to the user.

Next, is the fact that company assigned installers guarantee their work and the terms of the manufacturer's warranty are preserved so that if, in the unlikely event that you need to call out anyone to maker adjustments or repairs, then you save yourself a considerable cost because in general, the manufacturer's warranty covers these instances.

Thirdly, all installation materials and personnel arte covered by the company insurance policy which covers their people for injury while installing the stair lift and any accidental damage to your home while in the process of installing your home stair lift.

These few points are important because they bring security and peace of mind to the customer as well as being money well spent in ensuring a correct and professional installation.

Logikal1 17 months ago

This 'scare them into using our installer' talk is part of a clever campaign by the AEMA lobbying group to try to force consumers to use overpriced installers. They're pursuing legislation in many states to make self installation illegal! They're pathetic. Go to their jobs' site and check out what they require to be one of their 'pro' installers; the qualifications merely require the applicant to have a high school diploma. No carpentry skills, no electrical training, no remodeling experience, no painting or other skills to handle the problems that can arise when putting in these glides and elevators.

Several companies tried to strong arm us into using their 'professional' installers vs my college educated husband who's re-built 2 houses, built & installed nuclear SPECT scanners world-wide for 30 yrs and has both electronic and electrical certifications. He asked each of the 'pros' some basic technical questions and not one knew what he was talking about - even though many of the questions were right out of the National Electrical Code book. When it came to picking out the site for a possible elevator every single salesperson chose precisely the worst spot that would require cutting into a load-bearing wall!

Despite this we were given all sorts of dire predictions if my husband were to install a lift himself. I asked each of the salesmen if they worked on commission and each admitted they did. That's why they tried to sell us the top of the line overpriced models and installs which doubled the price.

Consumers, be warned! Just because they call them 'professional installers' play it safe. Ask them how many lifts they've installed. Ask how many times they had to go back and fix an install. Ask if they are licensed electricians or contractors. If they say 'no' to any of these questions show them the door and hire a trained professional who has serious experience with working with electricity and home refits.

It took my husband about 90 minutes to install my new lift chair up a flight & 1/2 of stairs. He even improved it by adding a trickle charger to keep the batteries topped off. Once a month I let them drain down to near zero and do a full recharge so the batteries will have a longer life & not build up dendrons inside which shorten battery life by up to 50%. Not one of the salesmen or installers knew the science about how to lengthen/preserve battery life! Only one 'professional' installer had any training in anything but putting in lifts! None could answer how to repair our solid oak staircase in case they ran into trouble.

My husband not only did a perfect install, he converted the flimsy toggle switch provided with a stronger on/off switch that can be set to lock-out so the grandbaby can't accidentally flip it on or get hurt.

Edwyn Prose profile image

Edwyn Prose Hub Author 15 months ago

Well your husband obviously knows his stuff and has the skills to do a job like that. Many people do not and its to protect these people from themselves that I wrote this piece. Sure if you are skilled and generally handy you can do this kinda thing, but if your not, then you can get yourself into a whole load of trouble, not to mention putting the user of the stair chair at risk.

Submit a Comment
You Must Sign In To Comment

To comment on this Hub, you must sign in or sign up and post using a HubPages account.

Please wait working