Power Wheelchair and Mobility Scooter Servicing
Ppower chairs and disabled scooters require regular maintenance and servicing. In this article Michael Rasbridge, who has been servicing both powerchairs and scooters for some years, looks at what is involved in the maintenance and service, as well as what needs to be left to a qualified engineer.
Basic Maintenance
A qualified person should always carry out a scooter or power wheelchair service - getting it wrong could lead to an accident.
However, general maintenance can be carried out by a reasonably able person. General maintenance such as this can include checking tyre pressures and, if necessary, inflating the tyres. However, NEVER use a garage inflator, as this can over-inflate a relatively small powerchair tyre quickly to the point where the tyre may even explode!
Batteries need to be checked before use to ensure there is sufficient charge. When batteries are low they should be charged for a minimum of eight hours. When storing the batteries for a long period, either arrange for the batteries to be recharged on a fortnightly basis, or disconnect the batteries while fully charged. When the battery is in use monitor the battery level gauge to make sure it is not dropping quickly.
Tyres should be checked regularly to keep them clear of debris. In addition, make sure that the tread is both visible and continuous.
The general condition of the power chair should also be noted - is there a noisy back axle, and/or motor. The battery level gauge should be observed - is it dropping quickly?
Power Chair/ Scooter Service
During a professional service the following basic work should be carried out.
All moving parts should be greased, usually with a motor cycle chain spray, as this is very effective and will cause less mess, especially if the unit is being used in or kept within the house. Tyres should be checked for pressure, wear and general condition.
Motor brushes should be removed and examined, and if necessary replaced. An experienced engineer will be able to tell a lot about the general condition of the scooter from this. The parking brake and the electro magentic brakes should be examined whilst the machine is on rollers. Better engineers will use sets of rollers to simulate the scooter or chair being driven under load, which makes voltage and ampage checks easier and more accurate.
The ampage (the amount of power the unit is taking) should be measured both when the motor is cold and when it is hot. Excessive consumption would indicate a worn motor, back axle, or a dragging emergency brake, should one be fitted.
After running for about 15 minutes, the motor and back axle temperature should be noted, together with the temperature of the electronic brake. If there is doubt about the brake, the resistance should then be measured, and components replaced if necessary.
Basic battery condition can be assessed during on-site servicing, but an accurate measurement can take up to 8 hours per battery.
Finally, the charger should be tested, simply by monitoring the charging cycle for a short time.
Of special relevance to Power Chair servicing, the ampage that the two motors are using should be carefully monitored, as uneven consumption will cause erratic and possibly dangerous manoeuvring of the unit.
After all these procedures have been carried out, the engineer should simply take the scooter or power chair out for a drive as a final check.
Note: Michael is the Managing Director of both Scooters Direct UK, the mobility scooters company, and of Wheelchairs Direct UK, the power chair company. However, he still likes to get his hands dirty with a bit of on the job maintenance whenever he has the chance!
