How fast does a stairlift go? Most stairlifts travel between floors at the super slow speed of 0.34mph or 0.15 meters a second. That’s pretty slow so if you’re expecting some kind of turbo boost on your stairlift you might be disappointed. Stairlifts are built for safety and as such they aren’t allowed past a certain speed.
If a stairlift went too fast, there’s more chance of a user falling from it, or if there was a problem, it would become a larger problem at a greater speed! Modern stairlifts have built-in safety mechanisms such as sensitivity plates which surround the base unit. When the outside casing collides with an obstruction, the stairlift automatically stops. At speed this could throw the user forwards, or backwards, so the slow speed helps to avoid mishaps on a stairlift.
How Fast Does A Stairlift Go?
In this video you can see the running speed of one of our installations. This is typical movement rate, although some stairlifts might even move slower than this.
Stairlifts will vary in speed throughout their range too, depending on obstacles. With a straight stairlift, the lift will most likely maintain the same speed throughout, except when it comes to rest at the top and bottom where it will usually slow down. For a more complicated installation, which has turns and steep rises, you’ll find the stairlift slows down for more difficult manoeuvres.
With a steep rise the stairlift will generally slow down. This is because the motor has to work harder when faced with the need for greater traction.
How Fast Does A Stairlift Go?
Here’s another video showing the speed of a stairlift on a very narrow staircase. This stairlift was a Flow 2a model which is capable of tight turns and very narrow installs. As you can see in this video, the stairlift speeds up for the straight and slows down on tight corners and bends.
With certain stairlifts you can control the speed to a certain extent during installation. But once installed, there are no speed controls on the stairlift. Most stairlifts have only got one speed, and that’s for your safety! Sorry, you can’t supercharge your stairlift and fly off the end like in the movie Gremlins! Stairlifts are built to be far too safe for this to occur!
My Lift Is Moving Very Slow – What Should I Do?
If you have noticed a difference in the speed of your stairlift, it may be due to the age of the machine. As parts get older and accumulate dirt and dust, this can affect the speed due to greater friction in the mechanisms. Make sure you regularly maintain your stairlift and if necessary book a service.
Ideally stairlifts should be serviced yearly, so if you haven’t had a checkup on yours for a while, it may be due.
Give our team a call on 0800 046 3438 or visit our contact page here.
Summary
So, how fast can stairlifts go? Very slow I’m afraid! But that’s a good thing if you want to look after your elderly relative or yourself if the lift is for you! Stairlifts travel at 0.34mph or 0.15 meters a second and as you can see in the videos, they can speed up on straights and slow down on corners. Typically a stairlift will slow down towards the end of the rail. That’s to let the chair pivot and the user to get on/off.
Some stairlifts have an “engineering mode”. This allows a certain alteration of the speed when they are being installed, although the difference is very limited. But there’s no speed control for stairlifts for the users!
Stairlifts are built for safety. As such the speed on them is very slow. They have multiple safety features including sensitive side panels which alert the lift of any obstacles. If something gets in the way of the stairlift it will stop immediately. You must maintain pressure on the control for it to keep moving. Letting go of the control means the stairlift will stop moving.
Have a look at some of our stairlifts videos on our YouTube channel here.