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How Long Will My Stairlift Last?

February 4, 2021

You\’ve decided to start shopping for a stairlift. You’ve still got some concerns, however. One of these has everything to do with how much life expectancy you can expect from your new system.

Naturally, to specify an exact time period which your stair lift will remain operational is impossible. Give or take, 10 years is a pretty safe assumption when talking about the life expectancy of today\’s modern stair lift systems. There are a number of factors, however, that can significantly impact the life of your stair lift. We are going to examine those and ways through which to extend the operational years of your system.

Let\’s look at some facts that will assure your stair lift will last a good long time, provided you care for it properly.

Determining Factors

Certain usages or situations will have an effect on the life of any stair lift. How long your system lasts can depend on one or more of the following factors:

Unit location –inside or outside your home
Rail type – curved or straight
Selected stair lift model
Preventative maintenance
Stair lift quality (and brand)
Stair incline
User weight
Amount of daily use/workload

How To Help Your Stairlift Last Longer

We encourage you to use your stair lift as much as you like, want, or need to. The following are simply some suggestions as to how you can assure a longer life for your system:

A stair lift will last longer with 2 to 4 trips a day than with 8 to 10. So, 2 to 4 trips per day is considered light usage.
For the lift you purchase, it is essential that you adhere to the weight capacities and abide by the operational manual.
Stair lift quality/brand, as with many products today, can make a big difference.

At Freedom Stairlifts, we deal in quality merchandise and stand by our products. That said, however, we do all we can to make our lift systems affordable. Shopping elsewhere, however, may leave you more prone to the old saying, \”You get what you pay for!\”

Preventative Maintenance Checks

Ask the company from whom you buy your stair lift about preventative maintenance checks. Owner’s manuals may even recommend these. Checkups like this can include any of the following:

To ensure they are tight, check mounting bolts.
To make sure they\’re working properly, check rollers, gears, and/or tracks.
Battery checks – Replacement, with light use, is usually 3 to 5 years. With heavy use, 1 to 3 years.
For loose bolts or parts, check moving components like armrests and swivel seats.
Lubricating and cleaning the track.

It\’s Time to Make Your Home More Accessible!

While for each user, the workload of a stair lift will vary, it\’s important to find the following in a system and the company from whom you purchase it:

Regularly scheduled preventative maintenance checks
High customer satisfaction ratings
Quality products and performance

At Freedom Stairlifts, we pride ourselves not only on fast and easy ordering and installation, but on the upkeep of our of systems and the customer service we provide.