Spiral stairlifts have become a bit of a speciality for UKStairlifts. We also specialise in precision-engineered stairlifts for awkward, narrow and difficult stairs. Here’s a recent spiral stairlift we installed. For this installation the only stairlift which would cope was the Flow X stairlift.
We also recently installed a spiral stairlift in Plymouth on a four-story metal staircase! Here’s a couple of pictures of the installation.
Again this one needed the Flow X stairlift – more capable than most and able to pivot and tilt simultaneously. This is down to the stairlift’s ASL technology – (Advanced Swivel and Levelling).
What this means in layman’s terms is that the stairlift can manoeuvre and adapt to smaller spaces and is much more capable than most other stairlifts. Most stairlifts have a fixed position while travelling, which means they cannot be installed on a difficult configuration such as this one. This is due to the outward facing chair position.
Spiral Stairlifts – Outward Facing Chair Versus Downward Facing
The standard stairlift design has an outward facing chair position (image left), whereas the Flow X stairlift can face the user downwards (image right).
With a standard stairlift the leg length becomes a limiting factor, especially in the case of a spiral staircase. An outward facing chair limits the staircase width, on which it can be installed. With a spiral staircase, there’s also the issue of needing to pivot the chair while descending/ascending.
Most staircases don’t need this kind of precision-engineered stairlift on them, and an outward facing lift will do the job just fine. But the width of the staircase is a determining factor for an outward facing stairlift.
Here’s another of our spiral staircases. This is the previous model, before the Flow X came along and is called the Flow 2a. Before that came the Flow 2 and before that was the Flow.
Spiral Stairlifts – A Curved Staircase
Here’s a curved staircase where a Flow X was needed again. This one wasn’t quite a spiral staircase but it was pretty close.
We did a case study on this one too, you can read about it here.
Spiral Stairlifts – Rail Manufacture
For a spiral stairlift, you need precision engineering for even the Flow X to be installed. Often a photographic survey will be carried out on the staircase before manufacture of the rail can commence.
Even though the Flow X stairlift is very agile, it is the rail that is the key to making the stairlift functional on a spiral staircase. Here’s the rail sections being unpacked (below left) for the four-level spiral staircase installation we carried out in Plymouth last year. As you can see with the picture on the right, the rail carefully follows the path of the handrail.
Here’s another picture showing the rail being installed.
This time-lapse video shows the rail installation on this spiral staircase. As you can see, the rail cleverly “hugs” each bend to keep the stairlift as tight as possible against the bannister. This gives more room for the stairlift to operate.
As the stairlift climbs or descends, the chair pivots the user to face downwards to allow the most amount of legroom.
Will A Stairlift Fit On Any Stairs?
So this begs the question, that if a stairlift can be fitted on a spiral staircase, can it fit on any staircase? Well no, even this stairlift has its limitations! But if you have a difficult or unusual staircase, we will certainly take a look at it for you!
This stairlift was another close call, and although it’s not a spiral staircase, it was definitely on the edge of what was possible, even with the Flow X!
This one needed a photo-survey because it was so close! The main problem here was that the chair needed to pivot at the top of the stairs to face the user downstairs. It was this manoeuvre which was the biggest problem for the lift. As you can see in the pictures below, the turning space at the top of the stairs was tight.
Here’s another stairlift we fitted using the Flow X. Although this wasn’t a spiral stairlift, the Flow X’s adaptability came into its own again here. This staircase was incredibly narrow and a previous stairlift supplier had left our client in the lurch – with the stairlift being too wide for the stairs! As you can see, the Flow X saved the day again! We did another case study on this one – read about it here.
Summary
So if you have a spiral staircase, we can help! We specialise in difficult, narrow and awkward staircases and we’ll find a precision-engineered answer for you! If it’s possible, we’ll install it! Our go-to stairlift for spiral and awkward stairs is the Flow X stairlift because its adaptability and single rail makes it perfect for ventures where other stairlifts simply cannot be installed.
We have installed stairlifts where other suppliers said it couldn’t be done! Here’s another last example where another company passed us the job because their stairlifts weren’t suitable for this narrow and awkward staircase. Again the Flow was the only solution! Here’s the predecessor to the Flow X, the Flow 2a, showing just how adaptable it really is!
Here’s one of our most recent spiral stairlift installations:
You can also find more of our YouTube videos on our channel here.
Need a spiral stairlift installing? Give us a call on 0800 046 3438, visit our contact page or put in a call back request using the website pop-up!