How safe is a Homelift?

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Home Elevator Safety

Seeing a Homelift fitted for the first time can be both awe-inspiring and thought-provoking. It can also lead to a stream of questions running through your mind, especially where home elevator safety is concerned. Though lifts just like these have been around to close to 40 years, the idea that a home elevator can be safely installed in your home with no physical barriers whatsoever may still be a bit daunting. Feel unsure? Worry not – we’re here to put your mind at ease. Keen to find out about the mechanisms incorporated into a Homelift to ensure everyone in its vicinity is as safe as possible? Read on.

How safe is a shaftless home elevator?

Before we talk about how safe a Homelift is, let’s first explore the need for home elevators to be shaftless. The main benefit of the Hoistless design is, essentially, that the elevator’s footprint remains small, requiring only as much floor space as the cabin itself takes up, rather than needing extra walls to be put up, a shaft to be constructed, or a pit dug. Far fewer installation requirements means that these lifts become immediately more flexible and can therefore be installed in a broader range of houses, allowing more people than ever to travel between floors safely and effortlessly.

As the elevator operates independently of a shaft, it means there are no walls around it. However, with no barriers to stop people and animals from walking under them, are shaftless lifts safe? In short, yes, they are. Though these Homelifts aren’t physically hemmed in by the walls of a traditional residential elevator, which provide them with both safety and structure, home elevators benefit from extensive electronics, including pressure sensors and monitors, to do just the same job. The result? Your Homelift will not operate in any direction if an object or person is in its travel path. Though there are many systems out there, the Homelift by Cambridge has the most up to date, solid controllers on the market, which, tying into the elevator’s safety systems, ensure they’re operating effectively – and, more importantly, safely! – at all times.

Home elevator safety mechanisms

Beyond the pressure sensors and monitors that ensure the safety of anyone outside the lift, other safety mechanisms include brakes, which, as you would imagine, are an in-built safety feature of any vertical lift. Home elevators are no exception! Each Homelift is built with an overspeed governor brake mechanism consisting of a cable, spring and brakes. This means that in the (extremely unlikely) event of a catastrophic electronic and sensor failure, the overspeed governor cable & spring would immediately trigger both brakes, which are fitted with aggressive teeth. When activated, the breaks spread out like wings and latch onto each rail. The more tension is applied, the more the teeth will hook into the rail system, stopping the lift in its tracks and making sure everyone, both inside and out, is kept as safe as possible. The main benefit of this function? It’s mechanical, which means there are no electronics involved – that means technical failures are impossible and that the mechanism would still be activated in the event of a power cut or surge, operating under any and all circumstances to keep everyone safe.

What happens if the power goes out? Am I stuck? The short answer is no. You are not stuck as the Homelift is outfitted with a battery back-up system, allowing you to safely travel down to the landing floor and exit. The battery itself is constantly being charged when the Homelift is in use.

Preventative maintenance to ensure the safety of your home elevator

As with any electronic device, a Homelift needs yearly maintenance to make sure all its components are functioning just as they should be. As part of our recommended annual Preventative Maintenance service, the lift’s brake mechanism is inspected by our qualified technicians. If they notice any wearing on the cable (which is bound to happen with any lift due to normal usage), it is replaced, ensuring it is always set to spring into action. Concerned about your home elevator and want to get it checked out more regularly? That’s certainly an option, though in our experience, and according to guidance provided by the manufacturer, once per year is more than enough.

Safety is our number one concern and is the goal of any installation. Our experience and trusted name ensure that your installation is carried out with the utmost professionalism.

Ready to get your freedom of movement back in your own home? Get in touch.

To learn more about our Homelifts or these financial programs, contact Brian today for your free in-home consultation to see if a Homelift is the right product for you to ensure you can stay in your home for as long you want.

How safe is a Homelift?

Home Elevator Safety

How safe is a shaftless home elevator?

Home elevator safety mechanisms

Preventative maintenance to ensure the safety of your home elevator

Brian Granger

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