Every so often — usually when there's talk of blackouts on the news — the phone starts ringing with the same worry: will my stairlift still work if the power goes out? It's a completely understandable concern, and we're always glad to put minds at ease. Your stairlift will keep working in a power cut.
Your lift runs on batteries, not the socket
If your stairlift was made in the last couple of decades, it doesn't drive up and down off the mains — it runs off a rechargeable battery. The plug in your wall isn't powering the seat; it's simply charging the battery. So when the electricity drops, the lift carries on exactly as normal.
You can prove it to yourself in a minute. Switch off the socket the lift is plugged into and wait — within a minute or so you'll hear the lift beep to tell you it's off charge. If it had no battery, it couldn't beep at all.
Making the charge last during a long outage
In an ordinary short outage there's nothing to think about. If the power is going to be off for a long stretch, you can stretch the battery further by switching the lift off at its own power button between trips, then switching it back on when you need to travel.
Most lifts have a main on/off button on the side or back of the carriage, usually marked with an O/I symbol. Your manual will show you exactly where it is on your model.
One important warning
Never switch off or unplug the unit at the wall socket. That socket feeds the battery charger — turn it off and your lift can't recharge. Only ever use the lift's own power button, and switch the lift back on and leave it parked on its charge point once the power returns.
The real thing to watch is battery age
The only time a power cut catches people out is when their batteries were already worn to begin with. A healthy battery gives you plenty of trips to spare; a tired one won't, power cut or not. If yours are getting on in years, it's worth having them replaced before you need to rely on them. We fit batteries across all 26 counties — call 087 737 9265.
