Home elevator

There is an estimated 1.6 million Americans who are using wheelchairs to date. From a survey done by a group from the University of California, San Francisco in 2002, it has been found that mobility around the home on wheelchairs is a big problem for more than half of the respondents. For this reason, one can easily surmise that there really is a need for a practical home solution to make moving from one floor to another easy and safe while on wheelchairs. The answer? Home elevators.

The history of the elevator and its safety can be credited to an inventor in the mid 1800’s named Elisha Otis. He was the first to create a safety system that prevented the carriage from falling down in case of a cable break. Today, the Otis Elevator Company still exists, and is noted as one of the largest manufacturers of vertical transport devices in the world. Many variations of the elevator have evolved over the decades, and among the innovations that are steadily becoming popular among home owners is the home elevator.

There are many advantages to having a home elevator, and these uses are practical for wheelchair users as well as home owners. For persons on wheelchairs, it really is a challenge moving from one floor to another. This is why today, most homes can have custom fitted home elevators installed, with very basic mechanisms and with very few changes made to the structure of the house.

When buying a home elevator

Here are some basic considerations to note if you are deciding on getting a home elevator. First, you need to determine if you want your elevator to be able to reach more than one level of the home. Some wheelchair users would like mobility from the ground floor, to the basement, to the second floor of the house, et cetera. Some home elevators can cater to multi-level structures, while some can reach a maximum of only 16 feet in height.

Next, you need to think about how large the load on the elevator will be. Although most basic home elevators can carry a max of 400 pounds, there are more advanced models that can take on heavier loads. You will also need to consider the available space in your home, if it can accommodate an addition such as a home elevator. At the minimum, you will need a free space of about 3 feet by 5 feet for the carriage of the elevator to travel freely. You need to determine if there is an accessible means by which you can bring the elevator into the house before installing it, too.

Can the person on the wheelchair propel himself onto the elevator? If so, you must consider how you place the controls and safety devices of the elevator. Most home elevators have a safety feature in which the machine will not operate unless the door is closed. This prevents falling or injury.

There are low cost home elevators you can purchase that only require you to install a track on the wall. This is what the carriage follows as it ascends or descends, much like how a forklift operates. Since there is no need to install a shaft, this is much simpler and more affordable for most home owners on wheelchairs.

For more information on elevators in general see Thyssen Krupp.