Small Passenger Lifts

Whilst most buildings comprising two or more floors require a lift installation, the lift design, even in comparable buildings, can vary enormously. The 3 key questions that determine lift design are:

  1. How many people will use the lift, and with what frequency?
  2. How many floors will the lift need to travel through?
  3. Is it possible to install a lift shaft?

Where small passenger lifts are required, our customers will often ask whether a platform lift could be installed instead of a passenger lift. In this blog, we also explore the differences between the two alternatives.

Where Would Small Passenger Lifts Be Installed?

A small passenger lift carries around 6 people between as many floors as required. Tower Lifts engineers regularly install this size of lift in residential care homes, small apartment blocks, retail environments and museums. We have designed bespoke small lifts for private homes which are required to provide vertical transport for 2 or 3 people between floors.

Small Passenger Lifts or Platform Lifts?

Small passenger lifts are installed where is anticipated that they will be used as the major form of access between floors. If a building has 3 or more floors, it’s reasonable to assume that most users will prefer to use a lift. Where the volume is not expected to exceed 6 people at any one time, a small passenger lift is an excellent solution.

Where buildings have 2-3 floors and a reasonably active population – an office building for example – stairs are a viable alternative to a passenger lift installation. There will need to be access provided to each of the floors for disabled users of the building. In these circumstances, a platform lift would be the recommended option.

The Difference Between Platform and Passenger Lifts

Vertical platform lifts are designed to enhance access for passenger with limited mobility, or wheelchair users. They don’t require a lift shaft and are an ideal solution where vertical transport is required between 2-4 floors. Platform lifts fall under the Machinery Directive and cannot travel faster than 15MPS, therefore. For this reason they are not recommended for use as a traditional passenger lift.

A small passenger lift can be designed to accommodate disabled passengers and wheelchair users over as many floors as required, and typically a journey will take around 18 seconds between floors. Installing a passenger lift requires a lift shaft which will house the passenger cabin and the lift mechanism.

Professional Installation From Tower Lifts

The Tower Lifts design and installation team has nearly two decades of experience in providing vertical transport solutions for residential and commercial settings. We’re able to offer guidance and recommendations regarding your lift installation, and we’ll always aim to create the ideal solution that fits your passenger profile, your building environment, and your budget. Tower Lifts provides a comprehensive lift installation package, from design, through manufacture and installation, to ongoing maintenance and repairs.

Small passenger lifts offer the ideal solution for multi-storey buildings with a low volume of passengers. Call Tower Lifts for info on 01525 601099

Tower Lifts carry out design and installation on a varied range of lifts throughout the UK including:

Domestic Lifts • Food Lifts • Bespoke Platform Lifts • Service Lifts • Platform Lifts • Goods Lifts • Scenic Lifts • Heavy Duty / Car Lifts • Passenger Lifts • Dumbwaiter Lifts • MRL Lifts • Fire lifts • Residential Lifts • low-Headroom Lift