Thyssenkrupp levant stair lift brake how to remove?

Discussion in 'Electricians' Talk' started by MGW, Sep 17, 2017.

  1. MGW

    MGW Screwfix Select

    Found the bung, found the 6.3 hex drive on end of motor, but can't find how to release the brake. Been parked centre away from charging station needs winding back onto charging station, but can't find how to remove brake.
     
  2. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    You are correct, but some lifts you also had to unplug the lift from the mains as well.
     
  3. MGW

    MGW Screwfix Select

    The mains power can't effect the stair lift once away from charging station, the lift is battery operated, both Thyssenkrupp and Stannah use same idea, 24 volt from two 7 Ah VRLA batteries will power the lift up and down the stairs about 14 times without any connection to mains, so if there is no power as with a fire the lift will still work, with the Stannah in mothers house there are three charging points, top, bottom and on centre landing although the bottom one is on a folding leg so not really useable. And with the Stannah there is a 6.3 mm hex drive between the users legs and a switch to disengage the brake. The Thyssenkrupp has the 6.3 mm hex drive to the right of the user, meaning the rescuer does not need to lift a ladies skirt to reach it, however there are no instructions on the lift on how to disengage the brake, with the Stannah the instructions are plain to see on the lift, it does say there is a crank handle which when I came to look for it was not there, but otherwise it was good instructions, and although it took a long time, I could crank the lift back to the charging station. No instructions either on the lift or in the user manual on how to get the Thyssenkrupp lift to a charging station. Lucky my father-in-law with the Thyssenkrupp can still walk up the stairs without it, my mother would have been a completely different kettle of fish, with only one leg it would have been a case of call the fire and rescue service.

    Other than the landings it is hard to pass the stair lift, and really it was dangerous for my father-in-law to try and climb around the lift. He is 91, and my mother 92 and in both cases they are showing their age, I was not impressed with the Stannah stair lift, but compared with the Thyssenkrupp it is so much better.

    With the Stannah I complained when the batteries fail i.e. volts drop below 11.5 volt each, it locks out and stops working, I would have expected a warning light or buzzer first before it stops, however from the battery voltage it would seem there is no lock out with the Thyssenkrupp it stops working when there is not enough power for relays to work, with the Stannah when the battery gets too low, if you push the lift you can bit at a time limp it back to charging station, I know as I have done it, the Thyssenkrupp went up about 3 foot just enough to block stairs, then stopped and would not go up or down.

    The charger for stannah is fixed at top of stairs supplied from a FCU with a dedicated supply from consumer unit, very unlikely to by accident lose supply to charger which supplies 30 volt DC, the Thyssenkrupp uses what looks like a lap top power supply completely free standing plugged in to a convenient 13A socket and a coax power plug into the stair lift rail, and supplies 27 volt AC.

    Since the batteries were about 7 years old I renewed them, however the only other way I could have got it working would have been to have swapped the batteries with the Stannah lift, I am sure there is a brake release, but I couldn't find it.
     
  4. MGW

    MGW Screwfix Select

    I wrote to Thyssenkrupp answer was:-

    I have replied:-

    Please give details of a qualified engineer able to give 24/7 service in the CH7 post code area of the UK, clearly if it fails and my father-in-law presses his pendent alarm we would want to be able the rescue him in as short as time as possible, I note the Stannah chair lift has instructions on the lift as to how to rescue anyone stuck on the lift, I would assume this is for “Health and Safety” reasons, can’t understand why you don’t do the same?

    I await a reply with interest, as it stands my father-in-law can still get up and down stairs without using it, however he is 91 and at some time in the future he will get like my mother who could not get up the stairs without the stair lift, may not be the idea situation, but if required I could manually rescue her from a disabled Stannah stair lift, to try and rescue anyone mid way on the stair lift without actually moving the chair I would think would involve some very real danger, if people are able to walk up and down stairs it is hardly likely they would install a lift.
     
  5. MGW

    MGW Screwfix Select

    Up date they have sent details of a firm in Manchester, some 60 miles away, it would be unlikely they could respond in less than an hour, which would mean my father-in-law climbing over the lift to get to the toilet, I have told them this is not safe, and I do need to know how to recover the lift to where it can be passed safely. I have told them I no intentions of repairing the lift, all I want to be able to do is recover it to a safe place. I will see what they say.
     
  6. Bazza-spark

    Bazza-spark Screwfix Select

    Hi MGW

    Try contacting the company in Manchester and explain your question to them. They may be more helpful.

    Kind regards
     
  7. MGW

    MGW Screwfix Select

    I think we need to gather as a family and talk about his equipment in general, this is not the only item which he seems to have bought on the cheap and does not work as it should, garage doors, solar panels, gas cookers and the list goes on. When ever I try to sort things there seems to be an attempt by rest of family to wash their hands and go for another holiday abroad. So now I think it's time for me to do the same, and tell his son there is a problem, and let him sort it.

    They do seem to have some odd ideas, just when we thought we should be installing internet cameras to monitor his other daughter has internet removed. We said the gas cooker was not safe he would forget and leave it on, and they fitted another gas cooker, so learnt not to spend too much time getting things put right, they will only pull them out again. So now giving up.
     
  8. Mr. Handyandy

    Mr. Handyandy Screwfix Select

    Perhaps, for rescue purposes, someone ought to have a portable 24v power supply to attach straight to the battery.
     
  9. MGW

    MGW Screwfix Select

    That would seem to make sense. However seeing the two stair lifts both Thyssenkrupp and Stannah I question the whole idea of stair lifts and there safety features. I can see why people should need a licence to fit and repair them, the one my mother has goes around a 180 degree turn half way up the stairs so bottom can not be seen from the top, it will not operate until a leg with final part of track has been extended and although the chair which is clearly in sight of user has all sorts of safeties the leg which needs to be extended before it can be used is not visible and there are no lights to show where it is. Now not used, but when my dad was alive quite often he would miss judge how long to hold the button for and the leg would block the only wheel chair route out of the house with the controls wrong side of the leg for my mother in the wheel chair to be able to use. We tested with strong cardboard box, and the leg came down an crushed it. As to if Stannah was responsible for this or the guy who fitted it, employed by Stannah I don't know, but it was not what I would call a safe installation. Today used to take coffee upstairs just to test it, but would not really want to use it to take mother upstairs even though that was why it was installed by the council, I have seen it fail a few times, both battery failed and plugs coming unplugged under the seat. The latter would not help having a battery pack, and to gain access to batteries while some one is on the lift would not be easy.

    As an aid for some one having problems with the stairs I think they are good, as the one and only way to get up and down stairs I have to question the safety aspect. As a result my mother lives totally down stairs and although there is a lift she does not use it. OK a lift can also brake down, however regulations on lift maintenance are quite strict, the council fitted mothers stair lift and serviced it for 5 years, and then abandoned it, been fitted some 12 years now, and social services says it is now ours and we need to arrange for maintenance. I have considered removing it, it makes it very hard to move furniture, but on the odd time it is handy. I feel one should be able to travel to the mid way point before extending the leg, that way one could see what you are doing.

    The point is I suppose we should not rely on a stair lift, it is just an aid, however there is a need to be able to manually move it out of the way if it brakes down, with mothers you flick a switch and put a 6.3 mm socket into the battery drill and you can move it, may be slowly, but it will move out of the way and the instructions are written on the lift, with my father-in-laws the only way I could find to move it was to remove the mills pin at the top and then remove the sections of rack above the chair then slide the chair up complete with the section of rack it is engaged on, in other words dismantle the lift. Since there is a bung opposite to the drive on motor it is clearly designed to be manually moved, however the manufacturer decline to say how to release the brake.
     

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