AC or DC Stair Lifts

You are out seeking a stair lift for either yourself or someone you know, and you see many different types but can’t decide which to buy or what company to go with. Here are some tips that should help you to make the best decision and get the product that is best suited for you.

One of the first things you might notice when browsing some stair lifts is the term of AC and DC stair lifts. What do these mean, and what are the true differences between them? AC and DC refer to the type of power that is used to run the stair lift. AC, or alternating current runs straight off of your house current, and nothing else. DC, or direct current runs off a battery. Some DC powered stair lifts run off of your house current and then switches to the battery as a backup for emergencies. This will let your stair lift continue to operate whether the rest of your house has power or not. Some DC stair lifts also seem to have a softer start/stop motion, but it also depends on the brand you go with, as some AC stair lifts can have just as smooth of a start/stop as their DC counterparts. AmeriGlide and Summit stair lifts are a good example of this.

If you live in an area that has some power outages, or you don’t want to worry if the power ever does go out, will you still be able to get back up or down the stairs, or will you be stuck on either the upper or lower floor of your own home. The DC stair lift will prevent this and bring even more peace of mind. The DC powered stair lift should also not be much more than the regular AC stair lift.

If you think you are going to go with an AC powered stair lift, be sure that everything is pre-wired and ready to just plug into your wall outlet. There are stair lifts out there that are that simple and ready to go, such as AmeriGlide. Everything is pre-wired with these, and all you have to do is plug it directly into your wall outlet after the initial installation of the lift.