If you are tired of lugging things up and down stairs, you’d be very pleased to know that there is a solution.  While you might have only heard of them in movies, dumbwaiters are ideal for taking all the heavy work out of lugging things.  Just put your items in one and you’re ready to go!  Here are some of your options in dumbwaiters.  For more information or to enquire about fitting one in your home, speak to your local lifts professional.

What is a Dumbwaiter?

Simply speaking, a dumbwaiter is a small service lift that is designed to carry goods from one level to another.  It saves you from having to do all the lifting and carrying yourself.  Your dumbwaiter can be used to transport groceries, small pieces of furniture, luggage, laundry, and much more.  They can be used in both residential and commercial buildings.

Hand Operated Dumbwaiters

Hand operated dumbwaiters, as you might have guessed, are operated manually.  You operate the controls yourself in order to raise or lower the dumbwaiter.  They are surprisingly easy to use as they have an intricate combination of gears, brakes, and counterbalances which means you need to use very little effort and they are also very safe.  The automatic brake system that is included means that you’ll never accidentally drop the dumbwaiter as you are using it!  hand operated dumbwaiters have operating capacities of between 25 kilograms and 300 kilograms so you are sure to find one that suits your needs. They generally come in standardised sizes but you can have them custom made if you need.

Electrically Operated Dumbwaiters

Electrically operated dumbwaiters are nearly foolproof as they operate with just the push of a button. They use either the standard 240 volts, or they can operate using 415 volts.  Three phase power is most commonly required but single phase power options are becoming more common.  The equipment necessary to operate the dumbwaiter such as the motor, controller, gearbox and pulleys is hidden in a control box.  In some cases, the motor and equipment will need to be below floor level but many modern dumbwaiters have an all in one shaft so there is no need to excavate the fit the motor in.