While our team here at Morgan Ellis are experts in all things home lift, we understand that myths and misconceptions can really shape the way people think about residential elevators. From worries about their safety and security to myths around the cost, size and operation, we have gathered together some of the industry’s most common myths and debunked them for you. Take a look below for the truth about our home lifts!
Myth: Home Lifts Take Up A Lot Of Space
If you live in a smaller or average-sized property, you might be under the impression that you just don’t have the room for a residential elevator in your property. The reality, however, is very different. The home lift industry has come on leaps and bounds in recent years and as technology has advanced, lifts have been able to become more compact. Many are self-standing and don’t require a built-in elevator shaft, and rarely require much room for the mechanics. You usually won’t need to cater for a machine room, and in many cases, minimal head or pit room is required.
Myth: Pressing the button repeatedly will make the lift move faster
It’s a common misconception both with home elevators, and commercial lifts, that pressing the call button repeatedly will make the car move faster. While it can certainly feel like that sometimes, the reality is that pressing the button more than once won’t do much at all. Once the button is pressed, the car will begin to move to where it needs to, and pressing it again won’t make it operate any faster than it typically does. If you want to get going faster once in the lift, you can press the door close button to close them sooner than usual.
Myth: Power failure puts you at risk of a falling elevator
Lift technology has come on leaps and bounds over the years, and while it can be easy to panic over the drama we see in movies and TV when elevator cars fall to the ground, there are actually plenty of safety features involved that will prevent that from happening. If the power fails, home elevators are equipped with backup battery systems that will ensure you are lowered to the lowest level safely and gently so you can exit without any harm. Similarly, if the worst were to happen and a cable or connection were to break, lifts are fitted with emergency braking systems that will stop the car from falling as soon as it senses the problem.
Myth: If you get stuck, you can run out of oxygen
If the elevator does get stuck between floors, you may be worried about running out of oxygen over time. However, elevators are well-ventilated as standard, particularly home elevators, and have to adhere to a huge number of different regulations and standards to even make it to production. Without proper ventilation, a lift would never make it out of safety checks, so rest assured that you won’t lose oxygen in the rare case the lift gets stuck.
Myth: Home elevators are expensive
As technology and demand has changed and developed, home lifts have become far more accessible to a wider range of people. With lifts ranging from the family home-friendly Stiltz lift, to the luxurious and sleek PVE vacuum elevator, there is certainly no shortage of options available. Our Stiltz home lift, for example, is the most affordable in our range and offers accessibility throughout most homes. Self-supporting and through-floor, it doesn’t require a huge amount of space or an elevator shaft, offering the movement you may need without a costly price tag.
For more information about home lifts, or to get answers to any of the questions you may have, feel free to get in touch with a member of our team here at Morgan Ellis, today.