Hurricane Dorian Follow Up

Hurricane Dorian was kinder to our area than last year’s Florence, however the huge storm brought plenty of rain and wind. We hope you and your loved ones made it through the storm safely.

Hopefully, you did not receive a great deal of damage during the storm, however if you notice any problems with your unit, they will need to be addressed.  As always, we are committed to providing timely service to all our customers, and we urge you to contact us today at 888-634-1717 to schedule a service or repair if necessary.

As we handle any resulting issues from the storm, we remind you that you just like your car, furnace or air conditioning system, a residential or commercial elevator requires regularly scheduled maintenance.  We recommend a bi-annual service for all of our products, which consists of fine adjustments and lubrication and test of operational function.

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Indoor or Outdoor Elevator; Which One is Right for You?

So you’ve decided to install an elevator in your home, and now you’ve got one more big decision to make — where exactly do you want it installed? Your choice will be between an indoor or an outdoor elevator, and your needs, your space availability and your home’s layout will determine your ultimate decision.  Here are a few things to take into consideration when you are making your final decision between the two:

Space Availability:

Installation of an indoor elevator will require more interior space as you’ll have to make a place for it. You’ll have to adjust your layout slightly in order to accommodate your new addition.

If you’re short on space in your home, or simply don’t want to lose any valuable square footage, an outdoor elevator may be a good choice for you as you will not have to allot any interior space to make room for installation.

Aesthetic Preferences and Overall Convenience:

Consumers often choose an indoor elevator because installing it will not change their home’s outside appearance.  Since it is in the interior of the home, there is little indication from outside that it has even been installed.  If you don’t want to change the outside look of your home, an indoor elevator is definitely the right choice for you.

An outdoor elevator is, as the name simply states, installed on the outside of your home.  Installation requires little interior construction, minimizing disturbance during the entire process as there is no need to move plumbing, ductwork or electrical work to accommodate the new elevator. With an outdoor elevator, users can reach a higher level of the home without having to access the traditional entranceway, like the front door or garage door. For example, you could unload your car and travel from your ground floor garage to your second-floor kitchen right up to your third-floor bedroom in a quick trip.

Local Weather:

It is important to consider the weather in your area when you’re deciding between an indoor or outdoor elevator.  While outdoor elevators are built to withstand normal weather fluctuations, an indoor elevator would be a better choice if you live in a climate with harsh or extreme conditions, like long, snowy winters.

At Liftavator, we offer a wide range of indoor and outdoor elevator options. Our residential elevators provide up to 50 vertical feet of elevator service, and even small properties with limited space can take advantage of one of our indoor elevator options.  Our outdoor elevator is the most durable, weather resistance vertical platform lift on the market today. Short lead times and an easy installation process means creating access to your multi-story home is a quick, easy process!

About Liftavator

Liftavator, the number-one source for residential, limited use/limited application (LU/LA) in North Carolina, designs, builds, and installs only the highest quality elevators and platform lifts. In addition to the company’s revolutionary designs and ideas, it offers a 90-day guarantee on all labor and materials. Liftavator doesn’t consider a job complete until the customer is 100% satisfied.

For more information on residential and commercial elevators, home stairlifts, vertilifts, ramps, and more, visit www.liftavator.com or call (252) 634-1717 today.

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What Makes an Elevator Green?

It all started with Archimedes, who in 236 B.C.E. attached some pulleys to the top of a big wooden box and began to pull, thus creating the most primitive, but world’s first, elevator. This prototype was made of locally sourced, sustainably produced materials; whatever was available and would get the job done. Ironically, this ancient version of the elevator might be just the machine that homeowners and manufacturers are trying to emulate today. It has inspired the of a new crop of eco-friendly, residential elevators now availing itself to the growing green-building market.

Some estimates project that buildings, both residential and commercial, consume about 40% of the world’s energy, and elevators account for between 2% and 10% of a building’s energy use. In addition, today’s consumers are much more sensitive to their impact on the environment and want to purchase products that are environmentally friendly, likely to save energy and will lessen their carbon footprint.  Therefore, the leading residential elevator manufacturers are searching for ways to decrease the amount of energy an elevator uses, and one of the biggest opportunities to do so is by making them green.

What exactly makes an elevator green? The level of energy consumption is key, but that’s just a start. The materials, processes, and even technologies that go into the manufacture of an elevator system also make a difference. So, too, do the choices of interior paints, flooring, control panels, lighting, and HVAC systems. Here are some ways today’s manufacturers are incorporating green elements into elevator design:

  • Energy Savings. The drive system in more eco-friendly elevators uses either gearless traction or pneumatic vacuum technology. They use gravity as they descend and much less energy for ascending.  With halogen and LED lights in the cab and sensors to automatically shut off lights when not in use, these elevators can save up to 50% of the amount of energy used in a traditional elevator.
  • No Machine Room. Eco-friendly elevators do not require a separate machine room to house hydraulic machinery. Instead, all drive equipment is mounted at the top of the elevator shaft where it’s out of the way and safe from any possible flooding. Lack of machine room adds a two-fold green benefit in that it (a)allows for more efficient use of the home’s living space, and (b) there is no risk of hydraulic fluid leaking into or under the house and creating an environmental hazard because there is no hydraulic pump necessary to power the drive system,
  • Green Cab. As much as possible, the manufacturers of eco-friendly elevators utilize locally sourced, sustainable, recyclable, low chemical materials in the elevator cabs.

By incorporating all of these green options into building their elevators, manufacturers are able to lower their carbon footprint, which is one of the biggest environmental concerns of today.

At Liftavator, we are proud that our elevators incorporate many of these environmentally friendly features. Our products are either electric or cable-driven elevators that use a pulley, counterweight, electric motor, and track to move the car up and down the shaft or vacuum driven elevators that use air to move—what could be more environmentally friendly than that?!

The electric motor turns the pulley and moves the cables to raise and lower the elevator car. The counterweight helps the elevator use less energy, and the track ensures the counterweight and car don’t sway. No hydraulic pump or fluid is involved.

Our pneumatic vacuum elevators combine a smooth vertical cylinder with a coaxial car that moves up and down through air suction. The principle operation of the elevator is based on the ascending push generated by the difference between the air pressure on the top of the car and the air pressure under the car. The depression (vacuum) required to lift the car is achieved by turbines operating as exhaust fans which are located at the top of the elevator.  Vacuum elevators use only a fraction of the energy of traditional lifts. No energy is used on descent (air pressure handles this), and the turbines that power ascent are designed to be efficient and reliable. Consumers often underestimate the added energy costs associated with a traditional heavy elevator.

Many of today’s residential elevators combine the look of luxury with utility and energy efficiency.  They look beautiful, increase a home’s value and make homes more accessible, all while using minimal energy and leaving a smaller carbon footprint.

About Liftavator

Liftavator, the number-one source for residential, limited use/limited application (LU/LA) in North Carolina, designs, builds, and installs only the highest quality elevators and platform lifts. In addition to the company’s revolutionary designs and ideas, it offers a 90-day guarantee on all labor and materials. Liftavator doesn’t consider a job complete until the customer is 100% satisfied.

For more information on residential and commercial elevators, home stairlifts, vertilifts, ramps, and more, visit www.liftavator.com or call (252) 634-1717 today.

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Common Types of Elevators

Usually, when we think of an elevator, the image of pushing the button and waiting for the doors to open, stepping inside and being whisked up into the building comes to mind. This lift is the most common; a passenger elevator in a multi-story, commercial building, designed to carry people from one level to another. Many people are surprised to find that elevators and lifts actually come in a wide variety of styles and options, for commercial and personal use, and even for homes with only one flight of stairs.

To begin with, there are the passenger elevators built for commercial use. Aside from the one mentioned above, there are express elevators, which do not service all floors of a building, and usually move passengers from the building’s lobby to the top floors.  Urban transport elevators carry passengers through open urban space, like from the bottom of the hill to the top. The size and number of passengers a commercial elevator carries depends on the building’s use, structure and design. High-rise office buildings, hospitals, and government buildings and other commercial spaces are required to have elevators so that accessibility is guaranteed. In addition, freight, stage, vehicle and boat elevators, though not built to move passengers, are also commonly used in the commercial world.

On a smaller level is the residential elevator, which is designed primarily for home use and enhances the mobility of the homeowners.  Residential elevators are available in several price points, from utilitarian to luxury and several points in between. There are indoor and outdoor residential elevators, which are built into the structure of the home, and home stair lifts which attach to the stairway and allow the user to sit and be lifted up the stairs.  Each of these residential types take the place of stairs so that the homeowner can move easily throughout the home.

Not only are there several different types of elevators, but they each operate in several different ways.  Aside from where the elevator will be used, the differences in these types also comes down to the way the operating system works.  Hydraulic and electric or cable-driven elevators are the two most common types.  Each of these two types can be found in both commercial and residential settings.

Hydraulic elevators have a basic design of a car attached to a lifting system. The car, inside the shaft is attached to guide rails or a rope. Motion for the car comes from the hydraulic ram, a fluid-driven piston mounted inside a cylinder underneath.  The hydraulic elevator is a safe and reliable option, but a big drawback of this design is that it requires a large “machine room” to house a 20-gallon reservoir filled with petroleum-based hydraulic oil in a separate room in your home, which takes up valuable floor space. They have a high risk of fluid leaks and are quite expensive to repair due to the abundance of complex engine parts. In addition, studies have shown they use 30 times more energy than an traction elevator, driving up energy costs over time.

Electric or cable-driven elevators use a pulley, counterweight, electric motor, and track to move the car up and down the shaft. The electric motor turns the pulley and moves the cables to raise and lower the elevator car. The counterweight helps the elevator use less energy, and the track ensures the counterweight and car don’t sway.

Electric or cable-driven elevators do not use hydraulic fluid, making them more environmentally friendly and the required maintenance needed less frequently. They do not demand a pit and machine room, which cuts down labor costs during installation. Instead, all drive equipment is mounted at the top of the elevator shaft where it will be out of the way and safe from any possible flooding.

An electric elevator installs quickly and seamlessly and provides a smooth, stable ride by incorporating a variable speed drive. The system also features a programmable controller with on-board diagnostics. And, if you add another floor to your home in the future, the elevator’s rail length can be extended.

In addition to electric and hydraulic elevators, other systems include pneumatic, winding drum, and counterweight. Some of these require a machine room which is either below or above the hoist way. These rooms are for storing the hydraulic pump or electric motor along with the controller cabinet. There are smaller elevator systems that don’t use a machine room as all components fit inside the hoist way and car. In small commercial systems a cabinet with a computer is often added above.

With offices in New Bern and Charlotte, NC, Liftavator Accessibility Solutions offers residential and commercial elevators and lifts across North Carolina and many areas of the Southeast.  No matter your budget, we will can help you find, install and maintain the perfect unit for your needs, and we look forward to helping you make your home or office more accessible. Explore our website or give us a call today to learn more about the many types of high-quality solutions we offer.

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The M2 Vertical Platform Lift

Stairs, decks, porches and elevated platforms often pose a barrier to the elderly and people in wheelchairs, and ramps and/or home stair lifts may not be suitable for all applications. Vertical platform lifts (VPL)  are commercial or residential elevators that allow wheelchair users to move from one level of the building to another without leaving their assistive device.

Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, our M2 VPL makes accessibility convenient and affordable.  With a capacity of 750 lbs, the M2 lift easily accommodates a wheelchair or other mobility equipment. A complete solution, the M2 lift includes a flush solid gate for the top landing for your safety and code compliance.

Durably built with rust-resistant aluminum components, you can count on this lift to perform and look great for years to come – even in cold and coastal climates.

Ideal for home use as a porch or deck lift, the M2 lift installs quickly and is easy to operate. A reliable chain drive system provides smooth, quiet operation. It is available in 3 lifting heights: 40″, 60″ and 75″.

The M2 lift comes with several standard safety features including emergency stop button, under pan sensors to stop the lift operation (if an obstruction is detected in its path), alarm on car, and slack chain safety switch. A battery-operated unit charged through a standard electrical outlet allows the lift to be operated even during power outages.

We invite you to `contact us for more information about the M2 VPL.

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Going Up? Elevators Invade Suburban Homes

(by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL)

Rhonda Fine’s morning ritual generally goes like this: Get out of bed, throw on sweats and wake up the dog for a walk. Pretty standard stuff except for one more step: She pushes a button in her third-floor bedroom for an elevator to take them to the ground floor.

Some house-hunters insist on gourmet kitchens, others on antique moldings or sprawling backyards. Now comes a new, even more ostentatious status symbol for the condo, townhouse and suburban home: the passenger elevator.  This isn’t just for the very old or the very rich. Nor is it just for those in very big homes: Elevator vendors say even some people in two-story homes are buying them.

Part of the interest results from the introduction of a smaller, less-expensive model that is much more practical for a single-family home. Called a pneumatic vacuum elevator, it was developed two years ago specifically for the residential market. A basic two-story or three-story pneumatic version will cost $20,000 to $28,000, including installation. Standard lilts run from $15,000 to $100,000.

Both the pneumatic variety and their more-expensive counterparts are increasingly enticing a variety of homeowners, from people who are too lazy to lug the laundry or the kids’ sports equipment up the stairs, to those who think the addition is a smart investment that will increase the value of their property. Then there are aging baby boomers whose interests run to both fashion and convenience: Elevators are cool contraptions, and it would be nice not to have to take those stairs when they get a little older. Other buyers are retirees who view them as a practical way to stay in their multistory homes.

When Ms. Fine noticed her 13-year-old dog, Max, was having trouble climbing stairs last year, she decided to purchase a Miami townhouse with an elevator just for him. “My children are 17 and 19-they can climb the stairs,” says Ms. Fine. vice president of a home-design firm. But, “Max is part of my family and he sleeps upstairs with me.”

The increase in sales of residential elevators is outpacing sales for apartment and office buildings at some companies, though sales overall are far smaller. In the past three years, Otis Elevator Co., one of the biggest elevator-makers in the U.S., has seen sales for individual homes or condos jump about 12% to 15% a year, compared with 3% to 5% a year for office and apartment buildings.  “Elevators used to be a very high-end thing,” says David Russo, vice president of Farmingdale, N.Y., elevator retailer Access Elevator Ltd., which has seen residential elevator sales grow 25% a year in the last five years. “But now they’re more of a swimming pool-type of item.”

The pneumatic lifts usually fit only one or two people and can be installed more quickly and inexpensively than regular elevators because they don’t require a shaft or a control room to house hydraulic machinery. They also take up less space.

The contraption basically consists of a tall, see-through tube, an enclosed cab, and an 11-inch pump box at the top. It moves up and down using the force of suction. “We’ve had a lot of yuppie customers who just think it’s cool,” says Dawn O’Connor of Daytona Elevator in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., which has installed about two a month since it began selling pneumatic elevators last year.

The old-fashioned variety can be considerably more expensive. Otis, for example, sells elevators with marble or oak paneling that can cost as much as $100,000.  Installation, including building a shaft, can set you back an additional $20,000 to $30,000. Also, you have to hire an architect to draw up plans for installation. Then, once the elevator is installed, you may have to get a permit for it, depending on where you live, which could cost an additional $200 to $1,000. In municipalities that have elevator inspectors, an inspection is required, too, which could tack on a few hundred dollars more.  Despite the expense, the National Association of Home Builders has noticed a growing interest in elevators in its yearly survey of homeowners, especially those with expensive homes. Last year, 25% of those surveyed who had homes valued at owners in an equivalent category said an elevator was a must or a want, says Gopal Ahluwalia, staff vice president for re­search.

In fact, developers, sensing an expanding market, are starting to put more in newly constructed homes in the first place. Waupaca Elevator Co., of Appleton, WI says 80% to 85% of its growth in single-family home elevator sales are to builders who are putting them in new homes. Some developers are building single-family homes with elevators as a way to maximize square footage on smaller plots of land. KB Home, for example, is currently building a set of four-story townhouses in Playa Vista, Calif., that come with elevators that extend from the garage to the fourth floor. Tom Di Prima, president of KB Home’s greater Los Angeles division, says the idea is to make multistory homes attractive to a wider net of home buyers. “Some people are not going to look at it if they don’t want to climb three sets of stairs every day-even young people,” he says.

Having an elevator in the home can bring hassles as well as convenience, starling of course with those who fear getting stuck in an elevator. If you are in the elevator and no one else is home, who is going to hear the emergency buzzer?  “Cellphones could work but you’d have to have your cell phone with you and you probably wouldn’t be carrying it around at home,” says Dan Quigley, director of marketing and business development for Otis in North and South America. He suggests installing a phone in the elevator, which could cost $50 to $200, and having an emergency contact handy.

Even the smallest versions of regular hydraulic elevators, which fit two to three people, will take up an average of 22 to 25 square feet of space on each floor. Hydraulic elevator mechanisms also require a pit that is at least six-inches deep beneath the elevator and, sometimes, a space about the size of a small closet for machinery.  Pneumatic elevators are 37 inches in diameter and don’t require a pit or a separate machine box. The current versions have doors that are about 20 inches wide, however, making it too small for a wheelchair to pass through. Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators LLC, a Miami maker of these new elevators, is planning to introduce a larger version in October. Because the pneumatic elevators are so new, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, which writes safety codes for elevators in single-family homes hasn’t included it in its code yet. The organization says the elevators aren’t illegal- they are currently looking into writing new code that will address them.

Still, some elevator owners say the lifts have some perks that they hadn’t counted on. Ms. Fine finds the lift awfully welcoming at the end of a long day of wea1ing three-inch heels.  Evelyn Thompson recently installed an elevator in her two-story, single-family home in Port Orange, Fla., after her 84- year-old husband began having problems climbing the stairs after a series of back surgeries. Now she uses it regularly to transport laundry and cleaning supplies and to tote luggage upstairs when visitors arrive.  Besides, she adds: “My grandchildren think it’s the next best thing to Disney World.”

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Honoring Our Commitment to Superior Customer Service following Hurricane Florence

Unfortunately, Hurricane Florence has taken quite a toll on our area.  Even after being downgraded to a Category 2 storm, she brought massive amounts of wind and rain and displaced thousands of residents from their homes.  We have been working on getting our shop and homes back in order and hope you have been able to do the same.

During this time of recovery, we are committed to providing timely service to all our customers.  And now, more than ever, it is important to have your elevator or lift inspected to ensure that it was not breached by the elements during the storm.  In addition, many units likely have obvious damage that needs to be addressed.  We urge you to contact us today at 888-634-1717 to schedule a service, repair or consultation about replacing a damaged unit.  We are working our hardest to get to each of our clients as quickly as we can.

As we continue to recover from the storm, we remind you that you just like your car, furnace or air conditioning system, a residential or commercial elevator requires regularly-scheduled maintenance.  We recommend a bi-annual service for all of our products, which consists of fine adjustments and lubrication and test of operational function.

Liftavator by the numbers

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Savaria Vuelift – Achieve Peace of Mind without Compromising Style

Savaria’s Vuelift elevator is unique, crafted from either clear acrylic or low iron silica glass and offering sweeping 360-degree views from inside. It is a stand-alone solution that comes complete with an integrated hoistway, and it ascends elegantly within existing architecture, requiring no construction prior to its installation. The Vuelift can be installed quickly with no mess, and the components fit through standard doorways, down narrow hallways and do not require special lifting equipment, making it an ideal choice for a renovation or a penthouse apartment.

As with all Savaria products, quality is second to none when you choose a Vuelift. It is designed and constructed with care, using only the most reliable components that meet or exceed every safety guideline. With its winding drum drive train system using two aircraft cables for a smooth ride, the Vuelift will provide you with dependable service throughout the years. Vuelift is Savaria’s masterpiece of art and engineering, offering the perfect combination of function and form, a beautiful focal point for your home.

The Vuelift offers many key features, adding to its ease of installation and use:
• Automatic operation
• Illuminated push-button hall call stations
• Bifold glass cab gate
• Balcony attachment or through the floor setup
• Integrated touch-pad phone
• Automatic on/off LED cab light and ventilation fan
• Textured semigloss black powder-coat frame safety features
• Emergency battery back-up for cab lighting and lowering
• Manual lowering
• Emergency alarm and top switch
• Over-speed governor
• Safety brakes
• Elevator door interlocks
• Panoramic cab ceiling
• White, silver, or custom powder-coat frame color
• Straight through or 90-degree entry/exit configurations
• Up to 6 stops

If you are looking for an elevator with ease of installation that will add an element of sophistication to your home, look no further than Liftavator, North Carolina’s exclusive dealer of the Vuelift. It is an elegant way to achieve piece of mind without compromising style – your investment in beauty and convenience for today also ensures mobility and independence for the future.

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Mobility Help Available to Disabled Veterans

As a disabled veteran, remodeling for better accessibility can keep you in a home you love; but, the process can be beyond budgetary resources for many disabled service members and their families. If you desperately need a chair lift or wheelchair lift, what can you do?

Fortunately, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has grants available to assist with renovation or to even buy a new home to accommodate disability. These grants supplement other funding options available to the general public, and the money can be used to make major modifications to improve independence or just add small aids such as grab bars, wider doorways, or a handicap ramp.

If you’re a disabled Service member or Veteran, find out if you can get a grant to help meet your housing needs.

Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant

The SAH provides up to $67,555 to veterans injured in service so they can create a home that is fully accessible. The money is available to veterans who were disabled permanently and totally as a result of activities during wartime service (100% service-related disability). The majority of veterans who qualify are confined to a wheelchair and require modifications to existing house plans for wheelchair access.

This grant may be used for new home construction or for substantial housing modifications that help eligible veterans function independently in their own homes.

You may be able eligible if you’re using the grant money to buy, build, or change your permanent home (a home you plan to live in for a long time), and you meet both of the requirements listed below.

Both of these must be true: You own or will own the home and you have one of these service-connected disabilities (disabilities related to your service):

  • The loss or loss of use of both legs, both arms, or an arm and a leg;
  • The loss or loss of use of a lower leg along with the residuals (lasting effects) of an organic (natural) disease or injury;
  • Blindness in both eyes having only light perception along with the loss or loss of use of one leg;
  • Certain severe burns; and/or
  • The loss or loss of use of one or both lower extremities (feet or legs) after September 11, 2001, that makes it so you can’t balance or walk without the help of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair.

Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Grant

This grant can be used for any home improvement that will help those with service-connected disabilities (100% service-related disability) increase mobility throughout their existing homes. Maximum grants are currently $13,511 and are available to veterans with permanent and total disability (blindness or loss of limbs) as a result of military service. The majority of those who qualify are confined to a wheelchair and require modifications to existing house plans for wheelchair access.

You may be eligible for the SHA grant if you’re using the grant money to buy, build, or change your permanent home (a home you plan to live in for a long time) and you meet both of the requirements listed below.

Both of these must be true: You or a family member own or will own the home and you have one of these service-connected disabilities (disabilities related to your service):

  • Blindness in both eyes (with 20/200 visual acuity or less);
  • The loss or loss of use of both hands;
  • Certain severe burns; and/or
  • Certain respiratory or breathing injuries.

For FY 2018, you may be able to get up to three grants—for a total of up to $16,217—through the SHA grant program.

Home Improvements and Structural Assistance (HISA) Grant

The HISA program offers home improvement and modification grants of $2,000 to $6,800 for veterans with service-related and non-service-related disabilities, respectively. This program is open to a wider range of veterans and includes those who are disabled as a result of non-service-related conditions. The money may be used for any home improvement necessary for the continuation of treatment or for the veteran’s disability access to the home and to essential sanitary facilities.

To receive this grant, the Veteran must have a prescription from a VA facility or from a physician providing covered care to VA patients outside VA facilities. Some of the provisions that HISA will pay for include:

  • Lowering electrical outlets and switches;
  • Allowing entrance and exit from the Veteran’s home;
  • Improving access to sanitary facilities;
  • Improving walkways and driveways; and
  • Improving access to kitchen and bathroom counters.

The HISA grant is available to veterans who have received a medical determination indicating that improvements and structural alterations are necessary or appropriate for the effective and economical treatment of a disability. The HISA program does not cover major modifications that are generally covered by the SAH grant program. For instance, handrails installed in showers are covered under HISA, while widening a bathroom doorway is not.

A veteran may receive both a HISA grant and either a SHA grant or a SAH grant.

Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grant

If you need money to make changes to a family member’s you’re living in for a short period of time, you may be able to get a TRA grant if you meet both of the requirements listed below.

Both of these must be true: You qualify for an SAH or SHA grant and you’re living temporarily in a family member’s home that needs changes to meet your needs.

How to Get Help

You can apply in one of four ways:

If you have any other questions, please call (800) 827-1000.

The knowledgeable staff at Liftavator is also on hand to answer any questions you have as you look at mobility improvements. If you’d like, a member of our team is available to visit your home to determine which of the solutions we offer can meet your specific needs.

When a final decision is made, we’ll book a day for installation and you’ll be able to use your new installations the same day!

For more information on residential and commercial elevators, stairlifts, vertilifts, ramps, and more, visit www.liftavator.com or call (252) 634-1717 today.

(Sources: Department of Veterans Affairs; Military.com; USA.gov; and Julian Gray Associates.)

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The Great Debate Solved: Electric Tops Hydraulic

The in-home elevator has become quite a popular accessory thanks to its numerous benefits. Baby boomers looking to “age in place” are installing them to ease the burden of bad knees and bad backs. So are families juggling children, pets, and groceries—both groups can greatly benefit. Builders say lifts are increasingly showing up in home renovations, custom-build homes, and high-end speculative properties.

When it comes to home elevators there are two broad categories: Electric and hydraulic. Both have advantages and disadvantages and a homeowner should be well aware of these before deciding which type to put in the home. Which is best? Which needs more maintenance? Which is most cost effective? Let’s take a look.

Up First: Hydraulic Home Elevators

Hydraulic elevators have a basic design of a car attached to a lifting system. The car, inside the hoistway, is attached to guide rails or a rope. Motion for the car comes from the hydraulic ram, a fluid-driven piston mounted inside a cylinder underneath.

The cylinder is connected to a system of a tank, pump, and valve that pumps hydraulic oil. The pump moves hydraulic oil from a tank to a pipe connected to the cylinder, where the valve is. When the valve opens, the fluid goes back into the tank. When the valve is closed, the fluid goes into the cylinder, where it builds up and pushes the piston, and the elevator car, up. Once the car is approaching a floor, the elevator system sends a signal to the pump. When the car goes down, this process reverses.

Hydraulic elevators need more than hoistways and cars, however. A full system will need to be built into your home—including a pit and machine room. Before the elevator is installed, contractors must survey your home and put together drawings for each of these features. Installation may take a few days, as the hoistway and entrances need to be constructed and power wired to the controller.

A hydraulic elevator is reliable, but a big drawback of this design is that it requires a large “machine room.” You’ll need a 20-gallon reservoir filled with petroleum-based hydraulic oil in a separate room in your home, which takes up valuable floor space. And, in case you weren’t aware, hydraulic oil does not have a pleasant smell. A rubber hose connected to the hydraulic cylinder must be changed every six years. Unfortunately, this hose can leak fluid (leaks may also appear in fittings, seals, or even the oil reservoir) and these leaks are usually not discovered until you smell the pool of fluid that’s collected in your home.

A few more drawbacks should be noted:

• Hydraulic elevators bounce and relevel upon entry.
• The elevator also relevels when pressure is lost which can cause the motor to run at all hours.
• Features more complex components which can lead to maintenance issues.
• Hydraulic elevators use outdated technology.

According to an article written by Henry Gifford for Home Energy Magazine, a hydraulic model uses 30 times more electricity than a traction elevator. As you can see, these units are less energy efficient which means you’ll spend more on electricity—maybe several times more.

Up Next: Electric Home Elevators

Electric or cable-driven elevators use a pulley, counterweight, electric motor, and track to move the car up and down the shaft. The electric motor turns the pulley and moves the cables to raise and lower the elevator car. The counterweight helps the elevator use less energy, and the track ensures the counterweight and car don’t sway.

These types of elevators are more popular than hydraulic elevator systems because they don’t use hydraulic fluid (no leaking oil!), making them more environmentally friendly and the required maintenance needed less frequently. They also don’t demand a pit and “machine room” which cuts down labor costs during installation. Instead, all drive equipment is mounted at the top of the elevator shaft where it’s out of the way and safe from any possible flooding.

An electric elevator installs quickly and seamlessly and provides a smooth, stable ride by incorporating a variable speed drive: It starts out slow and gradually increases speed until the desired floor is reached. The system also features a programable controller with on-board diagnostics. And, if you add another floor to your home in the future, the elevator’s rail length can be extended.
The Eclipse residential elevator offered by Liftavator is a smooth-riding elevator that takes up less square footage and usually takes less time to install than hydraulic elevators. It’s the perfect choice for homes with limited space. Construction requirements for the Eclipse are simpler than most other home elevators—making it easier to install into an existing home.

Safety is the top priority with the Eclipse elevator. Its features include:

• Battery-operated emergency lowering and lighting;
• Hand crank manual lowering;
• Motorized braking;
• Lockable control panel;
• Elevator door interlocks;
• Emergency stop switch in car;
• In-use indicator lights on hall stations; and
• Slack chain brake system.

Liftavator can also show you the many ways you can make the Eclipse the perfect complement to your home with a variety of finishes and fixtures to suit virtually any décor. You can even add Savaria automatic slim doors for superior convenience and a modern appearance.

It’s pretty clear which option we think is best for in-home use. Give us a call and let us help you make your home more accessible.

About Liftavator

Liftavator, the number-one source for residential, limited use/limited application (LU/LA) in North Carolina, designs, builds, and installs only the highest quality elevators and platform lifts. In addition to the company’s revolutionary designs and ideas, it offers a 90-day guarantee on all labor and materials. Liftavator doesn’t consider a job complete until the customer is 100% satisfied.

For more information on residential and commercial elevators, stairlifts, vertilifts, ramps, and more, visit www.liftavator.com or call (252) 634-1717 today.

 

(Sources: Savaria; Seniors and Boomers Services Alliance; HomeAdvisor, Inc.; InfoSpace Holdings LLC; Contractor Culture; House Design Coffee; How Stuff Works; Household Decoration; and WegoWise, Inc.)

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