The Wheelchair Guide

How to Install a Vertical Platform Lift

Vertical platform lifts are important tools used to make accessing the stairs easier and safer for those in wheelchairs. The vertical platform lift acts much like a elevator, in that the user is able to drive their wheelchair or mobility scooter directly onto a platform, which is then raised vertically to another level of the home. Usually, these devices are installed on the front porch of a home, which is why they are commonly referred to as porch lifts, but you will also hear them called wheelchair lifts.

Choosing the Right Location

Before ordering a vertical platform lift, it is important to ensure that you have a place where it can be installed in your home. These devices work by raising a platform straight up in the air to the top of a staircase, so must be placed directly next to the staircase landing. The placement is important, because when the platform of the wheelchair lift is completely raised, the user can drive their wheelchair directly from the landing onto the platform.

It is usually necessary to remove a section of the handrail from the landing. Some porch lifts offer a door that goes in place of the removed handrail, so it is not possible to drive or fall off the landing when the platform is not present. It is also possible to build your own door.

Preparing to Install

Wheelchair lifts require a solid base, which will be able to support both the weight of the lift and anyone that is using it. The best sort of base is one made out of concrete, but a wooden base will also suffice. For temporary installations, it is also sometimes possible to mount the wheelchair lift on a few 2 by 4′s, which are buried in the ground. However, this should only be used temporarily, while a concrete or permanent wooden base is being built.

In addition to providing adequate weight support, the platform should also have adequate drainage, so water does not pool under the lift when it rains. This isn’t usually a problem with wooden bases, but is common in concrete bases. If at all possible, a drain should be installed in the concrete base.

Another consideration is the way the water runs off of the roof, as most wheelchair lifts will be installed partially under the roof overhang. This means that gutters should be installed over the porch lift and they should be kept clean, to avoid water runoff.

Falling tree branches could also cause problems, so if there are any branches overhanging where the lift will be installed, they should be removed prior to installing the wheelchair lift.

An electrical outlet must also be located near the wheelchair lift.

Installing the Wheelchair Lift

Once the prep work is done, the actual installation usually goes very smoothly and quickly. Some wheelchair lifts do not require any assembly at all, but most come in a few pieces. However, even if there is some assembly required, it usually very simple.

After the lift itself has been assembled, it is necessary to move it onto its base. If the base is made out of concrete, it will be necessary to use anchor bolts drilled into the concrete. For wooden bases, it is simply a matter of screwing the bolts into the wood.

Once secured to the base, the wheelchair lift can simply be plugged in and it is ready to go.