Keep Her Chair Lifting: What to Check Each Month on a Power Lift Chair

A lift chair is a machine that sits in the room where she spends her day. It works well for years when someone looks after it, and it stops working in small, annoying ways when no one does. The checks below take a few minutes and are meant for the person who sits nearest the chair.

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Know whose chair it is

Find the manufacturer, the model number, the date of purchase on the receipt, and the warranty card. Put the manual in the pocket of the chair or in a folder near the outlet. Name one family member as the person who calls for repairs. A chair with no named owner tends to stall in silence while everyone assumes someone else has made the call.

The monthly walk-around

Once a month, check these in order. Look at the power cord along its whole length for cracking, heat marks, or a plug that feels warm. Confirm the outlet is not shared with a space heater or a cord that is always in use. Press each remote button and watch the chair respond. Lower the chair fully, raise it fully, and watch whether it rises evenly on both sides rather than tipping to one edge.

Listen and look for drift

Listen for grinding, clicking, or a motor that sounds strained. Watch the footrest travel out and back. If it stops early, drops unevenly, or pauses halfway, note the time and what happened before. Check underneath the chair for loose debris, dust build-up around the mechanism, or fabric caught in the moving parts. Keep the area around the chair clear so the back can recline without hitting a wall, a lamp, or a side table.

Check the battery and the backup

Some lift chairs have a battery or backup power option. Read the label on the battery compartment and the instructions for its charge indicator. If the chair is plugged in during a power cut and has a battery, you need to know how long the backup holds and whether it needs a periodic charge. Write the date you last checked the battery on the inside cover of the manual.

What to leave to the repair person

Do not open the motor housing, pry at the lift arms, or force a chair that is stuck partway. If it stalls mid-lift or the remote fails, call the dealer or manufacturer listed in your paperwork. She should not be left partly reclined while someone decides who to call, so keep that number on the first page of the folder.