Nearly everything we get called out to fix was visible months earlier. That is not a criticism of anybody; it is the nature of equipment that works perfectly right up until it does not.

Batteries, which are most of it

Stairlifts run on rechargeable batteries that charge at parking points along the rail. This is why the lift still works in a power cut, and it is also the single most common reason one stops working.

Batteries are consumables rather than failures. They typically last a couple of years in normal use, less if the lift is left parked away from a charging point. We stock them and replacing them is quick.

The most useful maintenance habit there is: park the lift at a charging point every time. Not partway up the stairs. Every manufacturer designs for this, and both Bruno and Harmar build continuous or multi-point charging for the same reason.

What you can do without a technician

Keep the rail clear. Nothing on the stairs, nothing hanging over the rail.
Wipe the rail. Dust and pet hair collect on it. A dry cloth is enough.
Check the seat belt. Buckle it every trip, and look at the webbing occasionally.
Listen. You will know the sound it makes. A change is information.
Do not oil it. The Harmar drive uses a nylon polymer gear rack that requires no grease or lubrication, and adding some attracts grit.

What an annual service covers

Fixings checked and torqued, because thermal movement and vibration loosen them. Drive components inspected. Safety edges and obstruction sensors tested, not just looked at. Batteries load-tested rather than voltage-checked. Travel limits verified. Seat, swivel and footrest mechanisms checked. Then the lift is run under load repeatedly.

On an outdoor lift, add corrosion inspection, drainage, and the condition of the cover. Annual service matters more outdoors than anywhere else we work, which our outdoor stairlift page explains in more detail.

What the noises mean

A new clicking on one section of rail. Usually something on the rail or a loose fixing. Worth a call before it becomes wear.

Slower than it used to be. Frequently batteries.

Stops partway and restarts. Often an obstruction sensor that has drifted out of adjustment, or something genuinely touching the sensor.

Beeping when parked. Usually telling you it is not charging, which means it is not parked where it should be.

Service contracts

Worth it on equipment somebody depends on daily, and on anything in a commercial or public building where a maintenance log may be a legal requirement rather than a nicety. Harmar notes on the SL600HD page that ASME A18.1-2020 requires a service and maintenance log be kept.

We service equipment we did not sell

Plenty of our service work is on lifts somebody else installed, including where the original company has gone out of business. Send us the make and model and we will tell you honestly whether we can support that platform before you book anything. Our service page covers what we can and cannot pick up.

Georgia licensing

Service and repair on this equipment is regulated here in the same way installation is, through the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. Whoever works on your lift in Georgia should be licensed to do it.

Consumables you can just order

Seat covers, cleaning supplies and general home safety equipment ship free from our online shop. Batteries and drive parts we fit ourselves, because getting the right one and fitting it correctly is the whole point.

A realistic service schedule

Every trip. Park at a charging point.
Weekly. Glance at the rail, wipe it if it needs it.
Monthly. Run it the full length with nobody on it and listen.
Annually. A full service by a technician.
Outdoors, twice yearly. Before and after the worst of the heat.

What shortens a stairlift’s life

Parking away from a charging point, by a distance. After that: ignoring a new noise, letting grit build on the rail, adding lubricant to a drive designed not to have any, and skipping the annual service on an outdoor unit.

What does not shorten it is use. These machines are built to run many times a day, and a lift that is used regularly tends to be in better condition than one that sits idle for months.

When to call rather than wait

Immediately if it stops with somebody on it, if the seat belt is damaged, if it moves when the control is released, or if an obstruction sensor is not stopping it. Those are safety items rather than maintenance items.

Within a week or so for a new noise, slower travel, or a charging indicator behaving differently. Catching those is what keeps a service visit cheap.

Who should service it

The company that installed it, ideally, because they know the configuration and hold the history. Where that is not possible, an authorized dealer for that platform is the next best thing, and in Georgia it needs to be somebody licensed for this equipment regardless.

The question worth asking any service company is whether the technician coming out is theirs or a subcontractor. Ours are ours. That matters most on the second visit, when somebody who saw the lift the first time recognises what has changed.

Keeping the paperwork

Model number, serial number, install date, warranty terms and a note of each service visit. It sounds fussy until the day somebody asks for it, and it is the first thing any service department requests.