With homelifts becoming an ever more popular home appliance, we’ve found that one key question still lingers in the back of people’s minds… Is a homelift really safe? So, let’s dive into the most frequently asked questions about homelift safety, starting with:
Are Homelifts Safe?
The short answer is yes. Home elevators are safe when installed and maintained according to the applicable health and safety standards.
Next, some of the FAQs we get here at Liberation Homelifts regarding homelift safety:
FAQs about Homelift Safety
No. All our home lifts are designed with a self-closing, automatic-locking hinged door, which creates a barrier to prevent you from falling out while it’s moving. The lift won’t move until the door is closed and locked, ensuring user safety.
Our Taunton homelift looks as if it glides effortlessly between one floor and another, which often leads to people asking: what stops it from falling in the event of a power cut or accident?
The Taunton lift is suspended by two independent 6mm steel cables, each capable of carrying 1200 kg. It would be almost impossible to envisage a scenario where both of these cables would break simultaneously, but if they did, a further breaking device would be automatically deployed to stop the fall of the lift within 5 cm. This means that when you stop pushing the lever – for any reason – or there is a power cut, the lift will simply stop and remain in place.
Stairs are often seen as a safe option because they do not involve any mechanical components. However, it’s worth considering that over 43,000 people are hospitalised every year in the UK due to falls on stairs in the home. Though no studies have been carried out on home lift injuries specifically, they certainly reduce the number of falls and trips experienced by users.
Now that we’ve hopefully answered a few of your burning questions, let’s dive into the safety features of our Taunton homelift.
No, safety sensors ensure that your lift comes to a smooth stop if there’s anything in its path – whether above or below – ensuring nothing can ever get trapped either above or below the car.
All Taunton homelifts are fitted with backup batteries, ensuring your lift takes you safely to your destination, even in a power cut.
Our Taunton homelifts are fitted with ‘hold to run’ controls, which means you have to actively hold the lever in the direction you want the lift to move. This means you have complete control of your lift at all times!
Every Taunton homelift is installed with a WiFi-connected tablet, so in the unlikely event that it does breakdown, help is always accessible.
Wi-Fi down? You can call for help using the emergency phone fitted in every Taunton homelift.
Every homelift provided by Liberation Homelifts is fitted with standard safety features like emergency lighting, an alarm, backup power, handrails, and an emergency phone that can be used in the event of an emergency. This means you will always be able to call for help, and you will never be stuck for long.
Taunton Homelift Design and Safety Features
Our lifts are fitted with a range of safety features, as standard, ensuring the safety of lift users and everyone else in the home.
Movement Safety Sensors + Emergency stop
All our lifts are fitted with safety sensors both underneath and above the lift car to detect obstructions or movement above or below. If anything is detected, the lift will not move or, if it’s in use, come to a smooth stop.
Our lifts are also fitted with a ‘light curtain’ around the entrance of the lift car, including the gap between the door and the top of the lift car, which ensures that if anything crosses the entrance threshold of the lift while it’s in motion, the lift will stop automatically.
Other safety features of our lift include:
- Emergency Stop button – Brings the lift to a smooth stop when pressed.
- Fall Arrest Detection – A brake is automatically applied if the lift suddenly speeds up.
- Overload sensors – mean the lift won’t move if overloaded.
- Automatically locking lift car – Will not open when the lift is in motion.
- Fire Seal – When parked, the lid of the Taunton lift forms a fire seal, forming a barrier in the aperture and stopping the spread of fire between floors.
- Backup batteries – Used to operate the lift in a power cut.
- WiFi connectivity – Allows lift usage to be monitored remotely, both by family members for peace of mind and by homelift technicians for maintenance purposes.
- Grab rail – to ensure stability inside the lift.
- Step-free access onto the lift, ensuring easy access.
Homelift Safety Certification
All Homelifts manufactured, sold and installed in the UK must comply with strict regulations and safety standards. However, as we prize the safety of our lifts above all else, 70% of the research and development of our lifts is safety-related, ensuring we go beyond requirements.
Homelift Installation
Once you have ensured that the homelift you choose meets every safety requirement, the next step is to ensure that it is installed by qualified professionals who follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and ensure the safety of the installation.
Our Taunton homelift is only installed by trained, qualified professionals, and installation is included in the price of your lift. This ensures that the quality of our lift is guaranteed from manufacture through to final usage, leaving no room for error or for your safety to be compromised.
Using your Homelift Safely
Once your homelift is installed in compliance with the manufacturer’s guidelines and all safety standards, all you have to do is ensure you use it safely!
- The first step is the user training provided by the installation team once your homelift is installed. This training will cover how to use your lift, all the safety features, and what to do in an emergency. If other family members use the lift, ensure they know all of this information.
- Address any problems immediately to prevent them from worsening. Warning signs to look out for include jerking motions, squealing sounds, and your lift slowing down. If you notice any warning signs, schedule maintenance for your lift to ensure it stays in perfect working order.
- Like any mechanical system, homelifts require regular maintenance to ensure continued safety. However, the ongoing maintenance of your Taunton is very minimal, and if the lift is used in an orderly manner, an annual check is typically all that is required.
- Every Taunton homelift comes with a full 12-month manufacturer’s warranty, so if anything goes wrong in the first year, you know you’ll be covered.
In short, homelifts are extremely safe additions to your home that provide a comfortable alternative to the stairs, ensuring you can remain safe in the home you love.
Have any more questions about homelift safety? Give us a call and ask us directly!