You’ve heard of smart phones and smart cars, but how about a smart stairlift? “Smart” stairlifts are clever stairlifts. They can do things other stairlifts cannot do! But before we talk about how “smart” these modern marvels are, first a quick story about how we came to understand smart stairlifts at UK Stairlifts.
A few years ago we were installing stairlifts around the UK, as we have done for the last 20 years now! However, in certain homes, we were turning away customers because our stairlifts didn’t fit! Traditional models simply couldn’t be installed on more complicated fittings. For example, narrow and awkward stairs presented a few issues. Plus, staircases with doorways at the very top or very bottom prevented an installation because of the stairlift rail configuration.
We knew there was a way around this problem and since we don’t like turning customers away, and we genuinely want to help people with their mobility in the home, we looked into the solution.
Smart Stairlift – The Solution?
The best solution we found was a stairlift called the Flow X which is a stairlift like no other! We have used this particular stairlift many times since learning how to install them. The images below captures just how versatile these smart stairlifts really are:
Just look at that bend in the stairs! Look how narrow it is! Previously, we would have been turning this customer away. They might have had to move home or shift the bedroom downstairs if they couldn’t fit a stairlift in their home. But, one of the best things about a stairlift is it can allow you to stay in the home you love.
We want this for our customers! Here’s another installation where this stairlift was the only solution:
And here’s another:
Smart Stairlift – What’s Under The “Hood”?
So what’s under the “hood” of this smart little stairlift marvel and how is it able to “go where no stairlift has gone before” – to mis-quote StarTrek!
The Flow X stairlift is certainly one of the smartest stairlifts on the market and often the only solution to certain staircase setups. It’s ASL technology is patented by the company who make them Thyssen Krupp – now under the banner of Access BDD. ASL stands for Advanced Swivel and Levelling. So under the “bonnet” of one of the smallest stair lifts is some incredible tech which makes it even better than it looks!
an engineer programming the stairlift for a tight bend
This technology allows the stairlift to move and manoeuvre around awkward obstacles. This would have been previously un-doable with a standard stairlift. Most stairlifts can move in a single direction, and pivot at the top/bottom for easy exit/entry. But this means on a very tight staircase, when dealing with a bend, most of them fail with a very narrow or awkward staircase.
The Flow X’s ASL makes it the most versatile stairlift when it comes to awkward staircases.
Smart Stairlift – The Downward Facing Ride Position
The downward facing ride position makes it the best stairlift solution for for narrow and difficult stairways. While most stairlifts face outwards, this presents a problem when dealing with a narrow space. The leg to back measurement will determine whether a standard stairlift can be installed. But the Flow X gets around this problem by facing the chair downwards, (or upwards), in the direction of travel.
This only leaves the problem of rotating the stairlift for easy access. This, however, is usually a far easier problem to solve than with an outward facing chair on a narrow staircase.
Optional Extras
The Flow X stairlift also comes with a range of optional extras such as mobile connectivity, choice of colours and leather upholstery. You can connect your stairlift to your mobile phone which is programmable for 3 emergency numbers. Automatic folding footrest and a smaller footplate (for narrow stairs) are just a couple more of the many optional extras available with this smart stairlift.
In this video you can see the Flow X being installed on a very narrow, curved staircase with a glass balustrade.
See more of our videos on our YouTube channel here.
Summary
We think we have found the smartest stairlift in the Flow X. It’s super nimble and very small and is our “go-to” stairlift when no other will fit. The Flow X can manage stairs as narrow than 61cm in width and folds down to an impressive 38cm when not in use. It can be parked anywhere on the rail and the elegant single rail system allows for careful placement avoiding doors and corridors so as to be as unobtrusive as possible.
It’s a beautiful machine and we love it! So although getting a stairlift is not the “dream” purchase you really want to be making in life, we know how much a stairlift can make a massive difference and we think the Flow X adds a little sparkle when it comes to getting a stairlift installation!
