This was a recent issue with a heavy duty stairlift installation we carried out in Sheffield. With this one we chose a Stannah 600 stairlift for the straight stairs. Stannah 600’s have a weight capacity of 25 stones, and our client weighed 20 stone. As a former postman with knee issues, he had gained weight due to his health issues, and from not being able to exercise.
On a standard staircase, this should have been a straight-forward job. However, we met with a problem due to the incline of the staircase.
Heavy Duty Stairlift Issue – Case Study
The general consensus for the most comfortable angle of a staircase is around 30 to 35 degrees. This works well with the average human stride, making a staircase comfortable and safe to climb and descend.
In the UK, domestic staircases generally have a maximum pitch of 42 degrees, due to building regulations. However, some older houses have steeper stairs, as this one had. The pitch was somewhere between 44 and 45 degrees on this particular staircase, as it was an older terraced house.
For comparison, ladders are typically 60 to 90 degrees. Here’s a quick comparison to see the difference between a standard staircase (left) and a steeper set of stairs (right).
Heavy Duty Stairlift Issue – Steep Incline
The steeper incline of the staircase caused a problem with this heavy duty stairlift installation. Even though the stairlift is calibrated to a weight limit of 25 stone, this measurement is based on a standard incline staircase. With the steeper staircase, as we had in this situation, the stairlift had to work harder to lift the user up the stairs.
Despite having over 20 years of experience in the stairlift industry, we do sometimes encounter problems such as this! After having installed the stairlift we realised the problem.
We had a similar situation with another heavy duty stairlift which refused to budge once the user climbed on board. With this one, it was a faulty battery that caused the issue. Heavy duty stairlifts have more powerful batteries and more powerful motors.
This one was a Platinum Ultimate heavy duty stairlift which has a weight capacity of 25 stones. The benefit of a Platinum Ultimate is that is has a single rail and is more nimble than some other heavy duty stairlifts.
Heavy Duty Stairlift Issue – Replacing With A Heavier Weight Stairlift
So, back to our stairlift issue with the Stannah 600! We are always disappointed when we can’t have success with our first installation for a customer. But we needed a solution and we don’t leave our customers hanging!
Heavy duty stairlifts have larger and wider seats and a higher weight capacity
The solution with this one was a heavier weight limit stairlift. With the Stannah the weight capacity is 25 stone, and with the Platinum Ultimate having the same weight limit, there was only one choice for us – the Bruno heavy weight stairlift.
The Bruno has a weight capacity of 30 stone – much higher than both the Stannah and the Platinum. So this was the obvious choice.
Summary
Heavy duty or heavy weight stairlifts generally have a higher weight capacity than most stairlifts and a wider seat. The Stannh 600 is a great stairlift if you’re heavier than average and have a straight staircase. But in this case, the incline of the staircase was so steep that it compromised the weight capacity of the stairlift.
If a stairlift has to climb a steeper angle, it puts more strain on the motor and batteries because it’s working harder. So even though the Stannah is a workhorse when it comes to its power and build quality, on this one it simply couldn’t cope. Our client was only 20 stone, well below the weight capacity of this particular lift. So it should have worked just fine!
This one turned into a work-around, and we are solving the issue with a heavier weight capacity stairlift – The Bruno.
Sometimes will all the good will in the world, we encounter some problems – even with our years of experience! Here’s the Bruno Elite heavy weight stairlift with a wider seat and weight capacity of 30 stone.
Checkout some of our installations and problem fixes on our YouTube channel here. If you are in need of a stairlift, whether heavy weight, for narrow stairs or simply need some help or advice, give us a call on 0800 046 3438 or visit our contact page and leave a message. You can also use our call-back service using the pop-up on the website.