Stairlifts & Power Outages – Why You Don’t Need To Be Worried.

Stairlifts Work Off Batteries

Not a lot of people know this, but stairlifts only use batteries to travel up and down stairs! If you own a stairlift that was built in the last two decades, then it’s absolutely safe to assume your stairlift works off batteries.

The reason that a stairlift works off batteries is because it’s first MUCH safer than high voltage like household power, and secondly because it allows the user to travel up and down even in a power cut.

Best practice is to have these batteries replaced every few years to ensure they are running at optimim performance, therefore not leaving you stuck when halfway up the stairs. If you haven’t had the batteries changed in a good while, then it’s best to change these prior to winter coming around.

The cost of replacement batteries can cost around €300 including call out, batteries and a service.

Are You Really Sure?

Yes, even our own customers have asked this same question! Yes we’re fully sure that your stairlift runs off batteries, it’s quite simple for yourself to verify this too.

If you’ve had a power cut in recent times, you may have heard the stairlift beeping or making noise until the electricity came back on. If you can’t remember this happening then you can verify this yourself by switching off the socket where the stairlift is plugged in. You’ll hear the stairlift beeping within a minute or so, if it didn’t have batteries then how would it be beeping?

Your Stairlift Will Give You Days Of Use

So let’s say you have a long power cut, how long will the stairlift last?

The first important thing to note is that stairlift batteries are designed to give someone multiple trips and down the stairs without issue, however if you haven’t changed the batteries in many years then it may yield fewer trips per charge.

But assuming the stairlift is looked after fairly well, I’d expect your stairlift to cover around 10 journeys on a fully charged battery, which is 2-3 days depending on how often you use it.

It’s important that during a power cut, the stairlift is switched off when not in use as this will seriously affect your battery life. Not to mention that a beeping stairlift that’s left on will keep half your house awake at night time! It’s worth noting that the stairlift should be switched back on when power is restored so the batteries can automatically recharge themselves again.

How Do I Switch My Stairlift Off?

Every brand is different, but generally every stairlift has a power shut off button located on the side or back of the stairlift. It’s best to check out your user manual first to located the main on/off button for your particular model.

Generally it’s a black button with a “O/I” symbol on it which will shut the stairlift down.

IMPORTANT: Never switch off anything that is plugged into your wall socket, as this is the battery charger for the stairlift!

If you don’t have a user manual, you can browse through ones we have put together on our other article here.

Here’s Some Important Tips To Note

I’ve put together a summary on today’s article alongside some good tips to take note of.

Battery Health Is Important

I’ve said it already and will say it again, this article is completely useless to you if your stairlift has had the same old set of batteries for many years. If you can’t remember the last time they were changed, then it’s time to change them. Older batteries might not last as long and may have issues recovering from being ran down during a power outage.

Winter is one of the most popular times for me when it comes to battery changes, as the cold weather can also have a negative effect on battery cells.

Only Use It When You Really Need To

When a power cut occurs, it’s easily assumed the power will be back on within a few hours. It’s best practice to only use the stairlift when you absolutely need to and limit trips for unnecessary items.

Being Reactive To Power Outages

The moment you have a power outage, switch off the stairlift and only switch it back on to use it when necessary. However, when the electricity returns it’s important to leave the lift switched back on so the batteries can recharge.

Carry a Mobile Phone

It’s important to always carry a mobile phone when using a stairlift. Whether it’s a power cut or not, stairlifts like anything else mechanical can break down, by bringing a phone you can at least call someone if the worst was to happen.

Summary

Hopefully this article can remove any concerns you have coming into next winter. Once your stairlift is in reasonable condition, recently serviced, and made in the last 20 years then you’ve nothing to worry about!

With everything going on with the war in Ukraine and constant worries about electricty supply and prices – I thought it would be worth putting something together to give you peace of mind.

If you’re based in Ireland and would like your stairlift batteries replaced before coming into the winter, then feel free to Contact Us for a free quote over the phone.

Thanks for reading and please share this to anyone that has a stairlift.

Ricki Brennan

Managing Director