My new power lift recliner...

[Mechniki]

I was wondering how naive you were.

[Burgerman]

Me naive?
How?
Having already done all that I say previously. I think its the opposite way around.

I dont think you read this...

Rather clutching at straws now. You dont need any licence, or anyones permission to trade. Depending on WHAT you do you dont need liability insurance either.
You dont have a phone or a PC already? Even those on benefits that never worked have those!!!

Those things you are now talking about have a different name. Excuses. Those are the excuses that all the poor or out of work, or those in coal mines that dont like what they CHOSE to do use. Those that claim they cannot and do not ever attempt to help themselves use as an excuse.

I dont care where I live, or what my current "resources" are, if I was able bodied enough I would start another business tomorrow. My only problem is that I spent much of the last 3 years in bed with sores turned one way or the other... And with bladder infections etc. I spent the previous 10 living on what I earned previously. You dont need anyone to lend, give or help you. You start small, then you build up whatever you need to get bigger from that. Even if you just buy and sell on eBay or whatever. There are rather a lot of people buying in bulk from china, and selling in ones at UK prices that are earning at least 10k a month like my nephew. Or not if you are happy with just a wage, expand or do something different.

[ex-Gooserider]

You guys need a better electricity company. I have options and a generator. In case.
But also only 1 power cut in my lifetime for around 3 hours? Last year. And 3 or 4 for under 15 mins or less in 59 years. *

* Other than in the 70s we had a bunch for about 8 hours over several weeks because of the coal miners striking... So we got rid of the coal mines and miners. And used other sources. Read all about the coal miners and the margaret thatcher years... She was right, hated the EU, unions, and more of a man with bigger balls than any that followed.

The problem with outages that we have is not because the power company is unreliable - the problem is the 'final mile' between the power substation and our house...

All those wires and poles are vulnerable to extreme weather and bad drivers, etc... (we also have problems with the occasional squirrel....) Our only outages are either due to things like hurricanes or blizzards that knock stuff down directly, or knock over trees that fall on poles / wires, or drivers trying to go through a pole instead of around it....

We also occasionally have squirrels that try crossing from live wires to ground - a mistake they only make once, as they get vaporized.... However the arc can draw enough juice to blow the local breaker on the pole.... (flaming squirrels can also start brush fires....)

We do have a manual start generator that can run the house by (illegally) back-feeding my welder outlet, but we have only had to use it about 3 times in the last 15 years or so...

ex-Gooserider

[Burgerman]

The problem with outages that we have is not because the power company is unreliable - the problem is the 'final mile' between the power substation and our house...

But those belong to the power company? Its their job to look after them and/or remove trees or fit squirrel guards or whatever.

Its their job to make sure those are clear of trees, etc. We have those too. But mostly either very high voltage, high pylons, or underground. Theres the odd tiny villiage or farm fed by 3 phase 11kv on wooden poles. We dont have the single transformer on a pole thing that you all seem to use. Mostly bigger sub stations and 3 phase 440V under the streets.

[ex-Gooserider]

The power company does trim trees, but the home-owners get all bent out of shape about it, let alone having them actually cut down a tree....

But even getting rid of the trees doesn't stop drivers from trying to take shortcuts through the poles....

We also get a lot of storms in the winter where there is a lot of build-up of snow and ice on the wires - adds huge amounts of weight, couple w/ strong winds and pop....

Trouble with those weather failures is that there tend to be large numbers of them at the same time, so it can take a while for them to get around to fixing all of them.....

ex-Gooserider

[flagman1776]

As much as I love this chair's range of motion... as predicted, I strongly dislike the super soft, non-supportive memory foam seat cushion. I'm wondering how I can get it fixed.

[flagman1776]

[quote="flagman1776] I ordered APC Back-UPS 850VA UPS Battery Backup & Surge Protector with USB Charging Ports https://www.ebay.com/itm/APC-Back-UPS-8 ... 2749.l2649 [/quote]

I'm back on line after around 60 hours without electric service. I have the APC Back-UPS 850VA UPS Battery Backup & Surge Protector with USB Charging Ports described above feeding my new... 3 motor power lift chair that I sleep in. It had power all the first night. I did my 3 normal up, 3 normal down travels over the course of the night. During the day, yesterday, we ran my old Honda 6500 generator as we juggled needed loads, heat pump, water well pump, refrigerator, 1 range burner, 1 microwave, misc lights... and the APC back up power units. (A smaller version one on my computer.)
The APC backup units didn't like the power coming out of the generator. We heard them both clicking very frequently. Most importantly, both backup units gave a series of warning beeps before shutting down for low battery. Neither charged from the generator.
At bedtime, my power-lift recliner was inoperable. So it worked for one night but not 2.

PS Our new solar install does not have a batteryy backup / inverter system.

[Burgerman]

You need a proper integrated off grid system, with around 8 100Ah lead batteries to go a couple of days with light loads.

Or you need a proper backup generator system that turns on/off as needed automatically to either charge the batteries or to feed the AC (which can charge the batteries)

That small inverter you have may just work the chair for a day reliably. This is a case of spending a fortune on half a dozen unsuitable mismatched parts that will not work reliably, that you will inevitably keep replacing. When a bigger better integrated system should be in place from the start. Yes it looks expensive. But once you eventually decide that all the small bits and pieces are problematic, you will spend that AS WELL in the end.

[flagman1776]

I have bought a lift chair Y extension harness off ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/lift-chair-pow ... 2749.l2649
It arrived in yesterday's mail. The Y extension harness is intended for lift chairs with additional options. I ordered it after determining that my transformers were common to a variety of lift chairs. I have test fitted the Y harness to confirm the connectors fit.
I am about to cut one of the plugs off the Y harness and replace it with an Anderson SB50 like all my packs. With this I can run the chair from any of my "24" volt packs in an outage.

[flagman1776]

I'm sure it will work but the solid wire in the Y harness is quite small. .79mm2 3A off the cable.

[hobie1dog]

I went to the Ultra Comfort website and there are no retailers within the 500 mile area.

[Burgerman]

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ultracomfort ... _ss_i_3_12

[flagman1776]

My almost 1 year old deluxe power lift chair... my sleep chair... failed the last night, about 3AM. Fully reclined. I had to use my cell to call the house phone to get my wife up. After confirming is was dead, wife had to shift me towards the foot and then tip the chair tipped forward. I ended up on the floor, of course. We had to call for a neighbor for help... after a struggle got me up and into my old, broken recliner. I am banged up this morning with bruises and rug rash. It's has a life time warantee on frame, 3 years on electrical parts but only 1 year on electrical labor. It's barely under a year old... but the "stocking dealer" has no parts and is scheduling service for the 17th with no guarentee of parts.
Since there is power (led marker lights) to the chair but the handset is not lighting. The handset which is available online for $70.

Wife just wrestled my old broken chair out of the corner (where I tried and failed to sleep after all that) and tilted it (wooden shims under to try to get my legs up) & put fresh fleece throws on it.
((( SIGH )))

[expresso]

sorry to hear - bad luck with the chairs you been having - do they get abused or just bad quality from manufacturer ? i have one here for about 10 years - still working fine - but i dont use it to sleep on - you may need to get two chairs leaving one as a backup and never use it - if you have the room

[Burgerman]

Use a powerchair instead. One with lift, recline, tilt. And a padded headrest of course. With a comfy gel cushion and any comfort backrest not shown.

It can do that without lifting up if you dont like altitude! So ignore the height, thats optional!

Lift, legs, back, seat tilt are all seperate actuators. You can use any one, or seveal, and any position. And leg length is a 5th adjustment so it can go down to the floor. All powered. So 5 power channels.

[Burgerman]

Also has wide soft, jay P Shaped padded arms.

And unlike your recliner, it can drive about to the kitchen for a coffee! You dont have to get out of it. It will also go to the pub... And isnt bothered by power outages. Remember that some chairs can tilt FORWARDS to help you stand too.

Why limit yourself to JUST a recliner?

[Burgerman]

One of my carers having a rest... Couldnt get him to get off it.

[Burgerman]

You dont have to be high. You also do not have to tilt, or recline, and the amount you do each is up to you. You dont need to go daft.

[Burgerman]

Forward tilt

[flagman1776]

I don't think they are great builds but my original basic lift chair lasted 12 years before things started breaking on it. It only has up/ down (recline) limited travel, 1 motor. But it still works. I did have a control go bad 10 years in, replaced it for $12 off ebay. (For $12 I have a spare controler)
This chair has 3 motors, much more travel. lots more $$$$. I don't abuse them but I run through full recline every day. Only me. A ZKAD2 controler sells for $70 or more).

[expresso]

yes mines is simple up and down and recline thats it - i guess those with many features is like a permobil - gets complicated - more stuff to break - but it shouldnt for the cost of those things - i wonder if you can get extended warranty on those chairs like Square Trade etc, for electronics

[Burgerman]

Well almost. Theres no need for permobil to use all that bespoke electronics. Same function is available plug and play from PG drives.

And mine uses just 1 module for seating. Yet has lift, tilt, recline, leg angle, and leg length. 5 functions, and lighting all on one module. Up to 8 is possible with a ISM-8. Stability and gyro modules are also available from PG and work well for making front drive usable.

But permobil insist on their own actuator controls, modules, as well as their own stability/gyro modules. And that complicates things, inc firmwar issues, programming issues, and tying the user into their hopeless repair and tech systems. Hence all the complaining on here. That cable error may be a permobil thing, a cable, or one of their modules or anything. Only they will be able to sort it if they can... And its been shown that they are not very good.

[flagman1776]

I think I've come up with an alternative evacuation drill.

When fully reclined, my rear is in a deep V with my head slightly lower than my feet. The base of the chair, on the floor, is maybe 3 feet long. What we did was wriggle me towards the foot until the chair tipped forward and I couldn't help sliding down to a sitting position on the floor, against the chair. At present, I can stand up from a seat (with difficulty) IF I CAN GET MY FEET UNDER ME. Once the chair started to tip, it could only have ended with me on the floor. I'll add my requests to get more help in sooner were ignored.

I'm proposing to use a foot stool... we have several of various heights... and put one under the foot part of the chair. Then wriggle down until the chair tips but arrested by the stool half way. Block or brace undfer the top of the chair to stop it from crashing when my weight comes off the other end. Now, get helpers to turn me like we do on a hospital gurney, feet off one side., weight counterbalancing, somebody pushing my back to sit me up. So I end up SITTING off the side of the chair's leg area. Then have helpers help me stand from sitting and transfer to a chair. SOoo much better than going to the floor.

The only other alternative I can see is to wrestle me to a turned position in the deep V of the seat and stand me directly over the arm of the chair. It's more of a brute force approach. With enough brutes it would be successful but at the risk of skin from being manhandled. (I have swollen legs / blisters already.)

[flagman1776]

Realizing that hindsight is always 20/20. We think with the additional helper, she could have inserted the foot stool under the foot before I shimmied down. She couldn't insert anything under the head because it was all she could do to hold it up. But if we stabilized the disabled lift chair in the half way position, we now think I could have been helped straight off the end. I am unable to sit up on my own from flat so would have needed that help.

[Burgerman]

Sounds like you are putting off the inevitable. Would you not be safer and better in one of the powerchairs above? And these are free to you are they not?

[flagman1776]

No, power wheel chairs are not free in the US though they should have the majority of the cost covered by insurance. My issues are very different than yours.

I don't sleep in a bed... I'm totally helpless, can't even turn over. I do very well in a lift chair, so long as it functions. A power wheel chair with tilt recline would cause me more troubles at night than it solves.

Day time mobility is a different issue. Whether scooter or power wheel chair, once we have wheels under us our range is greatly increased. However, I live in the country, not a city. There's no pub or restaurant or shop within scooter / WC range. Going to a power wheel chair will mean a van conversion which I don't have, there's no funding for and probably I can't drive.

[Burgerman]

Out of interest, how far is the nearest shop/cinema/gas station/doctor/train station/resturant/bar etc. And what IS nearby?

I don't sleep in a bed... I'm totally helpless, can't even turn over.

I do, but cant turn, move, get off it till carer arrives in morning. Too many spasm, pain, problems and paralised from T4 (chest). I couldnt get into your recliner chair! Cannot get on/off bed either without assistance, or dress/undress. I also have to be turned and cusions wedged in left/right every few hours. So at night start of turned with pillows wedged in place, and in the middle of the night pull them out and so end up flat on back to move, and help prevent sores. Even so I have small bed sores on hips, and cocxyx... And one where I sit on my isheal tuberosities (sitting bones). And any kind of standing isnt ever happening! But I still build chairs, get to the pub, town, sea front, model plane feild, college to use their workshop and do 101 things.

[Cornbread]

No, power wheel chairs are not free in the US though they should have the majority of the cost covered by insurance. My issues are very different than yours.

I don't sleep in a bed... I'm totally helpless, can't even turn over. I do very well in a lift chair, so long as it functions. A power wheel chair with tilt recline would cause me more troubles at night than it solves.

Day time mobility is a different issue. Whether scooter or power wheel chair, once we have wheels under us our range is greatly increased. However, I live in the country, not a city. There's no pub or restaurant or shop within scooter / WC range. Going to a power wheel chair will mean a van conversion which I don't have, there's no funding for and probably I can't drive.

A receiver hitch could be added to your current vehicle. Then either a carrier/lift or a trailer can be used for the chair. A full conversion isn't needed.
Might ask to try one out and see if a chair with the needed features might work. I imagine it would be nice to have even if you didn't use it all the time.

[flagman1776]

Our street.
Nearest convenience store, restaurant bar, diner, pizza is 8 miles, nearest gas station 12 miles, where we grocery shop / fast food is 20 miles.

I have been researching the hand controls. Amazon sells them. Tucked in the reviews are claims the solder job to the hand set circuit board is fragile. If I get to keep one. I'll be checking it out. I will be buying a spare.

[Burgerman]

Thats not a street! I see your point.

A powerchair with lithium will get you there, and back twice on a nice day. Those power lines look a bit fragile/low too close to trees. Do they feed your house? No wonder the power is always off!

I suggest a 10kwh lithium backup battery, and a bunch of solar.