Worried about the door at the foot of your stairs?
Concerned that a stairlift won’t fit as the rail will cross the doorway?
Don’t be alarmed! If you have a door at the bottom of the stairs on the side best for installing a stairlift that is less than about 350mm from the stairs you can still have one!
You just need a hinged rail!
Hinged rails come in two main types….
Manual Hinged Rails – These are straight forward and simple. The hinged part of the rail is just lifted up and down as required. The technology is simple and it has a gas strut (like in a hatchback car) to keep the hinged part of the rail in the place you left it.
Pros – Simple & Cheap.
Cons – Best suited to “assisted use” (i.e. someone is there to help the user put the hinge up and down) as it requires a degree of mobility to operate that some stair lift users may not have. In addition some foresight is required. For example, if the user is upstairs and someone folds the hinge up vertically (to access through the doorway for example) and then goes out the user is stuck upstairs until the hinge part of the rail is folded down again.
An example of a manual hinge is shown here.
Power Hinged Rails – This type of hinge is fully automatic. The hinged part of the rail is triggered by the descending or ascending stairlift and either unfolds or folds up as required. The doorway at the foot of the stairs will always remain clear of the hinge.
Pros – Fully automatic. The user can just let the hinged part of the rail look after itself. As the stairlift comes down the rail the hinge will unfold automatically to allow the stairlift to park downstairs. As the stairlift goes up the stairs the hinged rail will fold itself back up.
Cons – Power hinged rails cost more than manual ones. They require a motor and associated electronics to operate.
Power Hinged Rails look like this.
Call us on 01953 850004 with any queries. Our Surveyor can call and fully explain the hinge options to you.
Norfolk Stairlifts give a two year guarantee on new stairlifts. This guarantee offers great peace of mind to the owner as it covers callouts, parts and labour everyday of the year up till 10pm.
The Stairlift is also serviced after the first year at no extra expense to the purchaser.
As the leading stairlift company in East Anglia, we’re confident we’ll be able to help.
We have a showroom located in Hingham NR9 4LF
Norfolk Stairlifts is an independent company that installs stairlifts throughout Norfolk and Suffolk.
We offer new and reconditioned stairlifts and install stairlifts for both private customers and for 7 District Councils including Breckland, Waveney, South Norfolk and West Norfolk & Kings Lynn.
At Norfolk Stairlifts, we understand how a stairlift can literally change people’s lives.
We know this because we have installed over 8,000 stairlifts throughout Norfolk and Suffolk and have seen the difference a stairlift can make.
To arrange a no obligation survey or to ask us about anything stairlift related, please click here.
For advice and assistance on choosing the right stairlift for you or your loved one, please call 01953 850 004 or visit; norfolkstairlifts.co.uk
