Looking for a stair lift for very narrow stairs? A few years ago we were turning away stairlift installations because most stairlifts simply wouldn’t fit on certain staircases. That’s what made us look at specialist stairlifts which were more adaptable and capable of fitting into awkward homes with tight, narrow stairs.
Here’s a recent staircase which we were presented with. With a corridor at the bottom, and doors either side; it presented a bit of a challenge!
Stair Lift For Very Narrow Stairs
The homeowner needed a stairlift urgently in order to use her home properly after a recent operation. After one company turned down the installation, because their stairlift wouldn’t fit, we took on the job after a referral.
Here’s the end product of the stairlift in place and folded up at the bottom of the staircase:
Read more about this particular installation in our recent case study “stair lift for narrow stairs”.
Stair Lift For Very Narrow Stairs – The Flow 2 A
The stairlift we used for this particular installation was the Flow 2 A stairlift from Access BDD (previously Thyssen Krupp). The Flow stairlifts are super cool because they have a patented technology called ASL (Advanced Swivel and Levelling).
This technology allows the stairlift to tilt, pivot and travel simultaneously. Most stairlifts can’t do this and although certain models allow a pivot at the top and the bottom (for easy access), most won’t do what this stairlift does!
This feature is super important especially for difficult and awkward staircases like this one was. There were also a few features of this particular stairlift which made is most suitable for this difficult fitting:
- The single rail – allows for a space saving installation
- Park feature – allows parking of the lift anywhere on the rail
- ASL – Advanced Swivelling and Levelling technology
- Folding seat, footrest and arms
Stair Lift For Very Narrow Stairs – Why Most Stairlifts Fail
Most stairlifts will fail with such a staircase for the simple reason of leg length. Here’s a picture which explains better:
Here’s a Stannah 600 straight stairlift which is often the best model for many installations. Of course on a curved staircase, this isn’t suitable because it’s made for a straight rail. In the picture above though you can see the issue encountered for many stairlift installers. The main issue is the distance from the leg to the wall which limits many installations.
The Flow 2 (and Flow X) stairlifts get around this problem with a downward facing chair. As the stairlift climbs the stairs, the seating position is pivoted to allow maximum leg room, with the user facing downstairs. Here’s the stairlift in place and another installation we did showing the downward facing position of the lift.
Got A Problem? We Have A Solution!
We even fitted a stairlift on a spiral staircase for one client! Here’s a picture of the installation:
So if you’re struggling getting about your home, and have a need for a stairlift for very narrow stairs, we might be able to help! Give us a call on 0800 046 3438 and speak to one of our friendly team. Or visit our contact page and leave a message.
We have also created a stairlift guide for anyone looking to purchase a stairlift but is feeling overwhelmed:
Here’s the stairlift installed in video format:
Checkout our YouTube channel here.