The Stannah retractable rail stairlift is a popular choice. It’s especially useful if you have a corridor or doorway at the staircase base. Here’s two of ours we have installed. There was an open corridor at the bottom (left), and a doorway (right) at the base of the stairs.
As the stairlift rises, the bottom section of the rail lifts up and folds neatly on top of the rail. This does beg the question of stairlift storage. If there’s a doorway or corridor at the base of the stairs, where is the stairlift stored when not in use?
Fear not! The stairlift can be stored anywhere on the rail. You can easily call it with the remote controls which are positioned at the top and bottom of the stairs.
Stannah Retractable Rail Vs. Standard Rail
The standard Stannah 600 rail (pictured right), is perfect for straight stairs where there is a space at the base of the stairs. But if there is a corridor or doorway, there’s a problem; and a standard rail configuration would permanently block access. So a Stannah with retractable rail may be the best option.
Other options include the Flow X stairlift which is particularly useful if a Stannah won’t fit. Here’s a Flow 2a installation (the predecessor the the Flow X). These images show its adaptable single rail configuration with a doorway at the base (and top).
More about stairlifts for narrow stairs (and difficult stairs) here.
Stannah Retractable Rail Stairlift vs. “Drop Nose” Rail.
The Stannah retractable rail covers a lot of situations where a standard rail isn’t appropriate on a straight staircase. With doorways and corridors, and with narrow passageways, the rail extension becomes a barrier to installation and would block a used room or gangway.
However, as with any moving part, there can be issues especially in the later life of a stairlift. So in certain situations we may recommend another stairlift which wouldn’t cause a blockage for a potential emergency situation in your home, should the moving part break down.
In the case of emergency exits, for example, it might be safer to use a static rail which doesn’t block emergency doorways. These two pictures show the rail of a Flow X or Flow 2a stairlift.
There is also the Thyssen Homeglide which has a similar folding rail which is similar to that of the Stannah 600.
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Summary
The Stannah retractable rail stairlift is the perfect choice if the standard rail would block an important space; such as a doorway or corridor. The rail retracts onto itself, leaving space at the bottom. The stairlift can easily be parked on the rail and called when needed.
If a moving rail could potentially block an emergency exit, then this might not be the best option. Moving parts do break down and although these stairlifts are ultra-reliable, it’s always wise to make sure a stairlift doesn’t cause more problems than it solves!
We prefer not to block any emergency gangways with moving parts. Should they break down, it could cause a potential hazard. In these circumstances we might recommend another lift with a drop nose rail – one which doesn’t have moving parts which could pose a potential hazard, however unlikely.