A good share of the calls we take are resolved on the doorstep in under a minute. Here is that minute, so you can have it for free.
1. Is it parked at a charging point?
Start here, because it is the answer more often than everything else combined. These run on batteries that charge at parking points at the top and bottom of the rail. A lift left partway up the stairs is a lift not charging.
Move it to a parking point, leave it an hour, try again.
2. Is it actually plugged in?
Obvious and worth checking. The transformer is usually behind furniture at one end, and it gets unplugged for a vacuum cleaner, a Christmas tree or a decorator and not plugged back in.
Check the outlet works with something else, and check the breaker.
3. Is something on the rail?
Obstruction sensors on the footrest and chassis stop the lift if anything is in the way. A shoe, a toy, a pet bowl, a corner of carpet that has lifted.
Look along the whole flight, not just where it stopped. Clear it and try again.
4. Are the key switch and the seat position right?
Many lifts have a key switch that disables them, fitted for households with young grandchildren. It gets turned and forgotten.
And most will not move unless the seat and footrest are in the travel position and the swivel is locked. A seat left slightly turned is a common cause of a lift that seems dead.
5. Is the seat belt fastened?
On some models the lift will not travel without it. Worth ruling out before assuming a fault.
6. What is the fault indicator saying?
Most lifts show a code or a pattern of beeps. It is in the manual, and it is the single most useful thing you can tell us when you call.
If you have the manual, look it up. If you do not, note the pattern exactly. It frequently tells us whether we need a part on the van.
What to stop touching
Do not add lubricant. Harmar’s drive uses a nylon polymer gear rack requiring no grease, and adding some attracts grit and makes it worse.
Do not take panels off. There is nothing user-serviceable behind them and you may disturb something that was working.
Do not keep trying it repeatedly if it is straining. If it sounds wrong, stop.
Call immediately, rather than troubleshooting, if
- Somebody is on it and it has stopped. Use the manual lowering method, which should have been demonstrated at handover.
- The seat belt is damaged.
- It moves when the control is released.
- An obstruction sensor is not stopping it.
Those are safety items rather than maintenance items.
What to have ready when you call
Make, model, serial number, what it was doing, what it does now, and any fault indicator. The serial number is the first thing any service department asks for.
We service equipment we did not sell, including where the original installer has gone out of business. Our service page covers what we can pick up, and Bruno and Harmar both support their equipment through authorized dealers.
Our maintenance guide covers what prevents most of this. Consumables and general home equipment ship free from our online shop.
Sounds and what they usually mean
Slower than it was. Frequently batteries, particularly if it has been parking away from a charging point.
A new click on one section of rail. Usually something on the rail, or a fixing that has loosened. Worth a call before it becomes wear.
Stops and restarts partway. Often an obstruction sensor that has drifted, or something genuinely touching it.
Beeping while parked. Usually telling you it is not charging, which means it is not parked where it should be.
What prevents most of this
Park at a charging point every time. Keep the rail clear and wipe it occasionally. Have it serviced annually, and twice yearly outdoors. Do not add lubricant.
That is the whole maintenance regime, and it prevents the large majority of the calls on this page.
Keep this where you can find it
Print the six checks and put them with the manual, near the lift rather than in a drawer upstairs. The moment you need them is not the moment to go looking.
Write the model and serial number on the same page. It is the first thing any service department asks for, and it is usually on a label on the carriage.
If we did not install it
Tell us the make and model and we will say honestly whether we can support that platform before you book anything. Some we can, some we cannot, and we would rather tell you on the phone than at your house. Our service page covers it, and replacement consumables ship free from our online shop.