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During the renovation of our church pool, we've been discussing putting in a lift chair for handicap access to the pool. I've heard it called an AquaLift. Does anyone out there have knowledge about one of these?? We're looking for experiences, advice, or anecdotes concerning installation and/or operation of such a device. Thanks
Hal
I know very little except that commercial pools and pools at assisted living facilities have them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sumo1
Thanks, Carl. I'm hoping we have a builder or service person out there who can help.
Does anyone have any experiences with handicap pool access?
Hal
Hal,
Our pool was constructed with an entry ramp at the shallow end that starts in the middle of the shallow end, goes down slightly to one side of the pool, then continues to ramp down the side towards the deep end. My wife had polio as a child so has one leg shorter than the other and with an unstable foot so using a ramp instead of stairs is much easier for her. This ramp can also be used for wheelchair access, though there is currently a drop of a few inches from the edge of the pool to the start of the ramp.
I've seen some pools that have beach-like entries and those would clearly be easier for wheelchair access.
However, I do not have any experience with a lift chair. Hopefully, someone with experience with that sort of option will chime in.
Richard
Thanks, Richard. I've read about those ramps but don't think that's a viable option for this application. Does the ramp interfere in any way with other use of the pool? Does it affect your pool cleaner?
Hal
Hal,
It was designed in during construction of the pool so is plaster/gunite and is like an elevated ramp or column. Most of it acts like a wall that is just a couple of feet further towards the inside of the pool so that part doesn't affect the pool cleaner. However, if the pool cleaner starts wandering up the ramp itself (from near the deep end along the side), then it can get near the top and stop functioning at which point its "reverse" cycle usually gets it back into the main bulk pool water.
Most of the time, we have an opaque electric safety cover on the pool and the pool cleaner runs when we have the cover on so in that case I assume that if the pool cleaner starts up the ramp, that it stops at some point when there isn't room for it and then reverses at its next "backup" cycle. I rarely find the cleaner stranded on the ramp. Other than that, I don't find any issues with the ramp. We only have the ramp start halfway in the shallow end so that half of the shallow end is still full length so that long laps are still possible.
Richard