Rise & Recline Care Guide
A rise and recline chair is a piece of everyday equipment as much as a piece of furniture. For many people it is what makes standing up unaided possible, and that changes what good care looks like: reliability matters more than appearance, and a fault is not an inconvenience but a genuine problem. The chairs themselves are robust and the maintenance is light. What matters is doing it consistently — keeping the lift path clear, checking the handset and cable every week rather than when something goes wrong, and knowing which faults you can resolve and which need us.
The number of motors decides how independently the back and legrest move, and it is the main thing to get right for the person who will be using the chair.
| Single motor | Dual motor | |
|---|---|---|
| How it moves | Back and legrest move together on one motor, in a fixed relationship. | Back and legrest have their own motors and move completely independently. |
| Positioning | A set path from upright, through recline, to the rise position. | Any combination — legs raised with the back still upright, for example. |
| Handset | Two buttons: up and down. | Four buttons: one pair for each motor. |
| Long periods of sitting | Fine for shorter spells and straightforward use. | Better where someone sits for hours and needs to change position often. |
| Best for | Occasional use, or where simplicity of operation matters most. | Daily, long-duration use, or where a particular posture has been recommended. |
| Cost | Lower. | Higher, for the second motor and its control. |
Choose for the person, not the room
If the chair is needed because standing unaided is difficult, involve whoever advises on that person's mobility before choosing. Seat height, seat depth and the number of motors matter far more than the colour of the fabric.
A rise and recline chair is used more than most furniture and matters more when it stops working. Five minutes a week is a habit worth keeping.
Clear the lift path.
Check nothing has appeared behind, beside or beneath the chair. The base must be able to tilt forward and the back must clear the wall.
Check the cable and plug.
Trace the lead to the socket. It should be free — not stretched, not under a chair foot, not beneath a rug — and the plug should be cool and undamaged.
Test the full range.
Run the chair right through its travel, up and down. On a dual motor chair, test each pair of buttons separately. Do this weekly, not at the moment you need it.
Wipe the surfaces.
Clean the arms, headrest and handset. The handset takes a dry or barely-damp cloth only; clean the upholstery according to its own material guide.
Check the feet and stability.
Every foot flat on the floor and no rocking. A chair that rocks under load is a chair that will develop a fault.
Switch off and unplug before cleaning
Always switch off at the wall and unplug the chair before cleaning it or checking anything underneath it.
Work through these before arranging a visit. If the chair is someone's main means of standing unaided, call us as soon as you have checked the basics rather than waiting to see whether it settles.
What to check
Socket switched on, plug fully home, handset lead seated at both ends, and the connector beneath the chair pushed fully together.
Never do
Keep pressing the handset with no response.
What to check
On a dual motor chair, the other button pair — this usually isolates the fault to one motor or one lead.
Never do
Assume the whole chair has failed and carry on using it.
What to check
That the lift path is completely clear and the chair is on a level floor, not part-on a rug.
Never do
Load the chair beyond its stated maximum user weight.
What to check
Stop and unplug. This usually means an obstruction or a disconnected actuator.
Never do
Keep operating it while the motor labours.
What to check
For anything behind or beneath the chair, and whether the cable goes taut at that point.
Never do
Force the chair past where it stopped.
What to check
The lead along its whole length for damage, then reseat both connectors and test the socket with another appliance.
Never do
Open the handset or splice the cable.
What to check
Note where in the travel it happens, and stop using the chair.
Never do
Carry on using it in the hope it settles.
What to check
Stop using it and contact us — this points to the actuator, and there is nothing user-adjustable.
Never do
Attempt to adjust or dismantle the mechanism.
Stop using it and call us
If a lead is damaged, a plug is warm or discoloured, there is a burning smell, or the chair moves unexpectedly, switch off at the wall and stop using it. Call us on 02476 705 600. Never attempt an electrical repair, and never fit a motor, transformer or handset that did not come from us.
These matter more here than on ordinary furniture, because the chair is doing a job someone relies on. Tap each to expand.
The base tilts forward as the chair rises and the back needs room behind it. Anything in that path — a side table, a walking frame, a rug edge, a pet bed — will stop the chair or damage the mechanism. This is not a one-off check, because things move.
A standard chair stays where it is in a power cut. If someone depends on it to stand, being left reclined is a serious problem, so a battery backup is worth having. Ask us about it rather than discovering the gap later.
Every model states a limit, and it applies to one person at a time. Exceeding it overloads the motor and the lift frame, and it is the quickest route to a failure that leaves someone stuck.
The legrest supports legs, not body weight, and the arms are not load-bearing in the way the frame is. This matters most when someone uses the arms to push themselves up: they should be pushing down on them, not sitting on them.
Radiators and direct sun age the upholstery and can affect the electronics. Damp is worse — never position the chair where condensation collects, and never operate it with wet hands or wet clothing.
It is the part that gets dropped. Keep it clipped or resting where it cannot fall or be trodden on, wipe it dry only, and never let liquid near it. A damaged handset is the single most common fault on these chairs.
These chairs work far harder than ordinary furniture. If it is in daily use, have the mechanism and electrics looked at rather than waiting for a fault — particularly where someone depends on it.
Quick pointers not already covered above.
A single motor moves the back and legrest together on one fixed path. A dual motor drives them independently, so the legs can be raised with the back upright, or any combination. Dual motor is the better choice for long periods of sitting, or where a particular posture has been recommended.
A standard chair stays in whatever position it is in. If the person using it cannot stand from a reclined position, that is a real problem, which is why a battery backup is worth considering at the point of purchase. Ask us which models offer one.
Switch off and unplug it first. Clean the upholstery according to its material — fabric, leather, Leather Aire and faux each have their own guide. The handset gets a dry or barely-damp cloth only, and never any liquid cleaner.
No. The stated maximum user weight applies to one person at a time, and these chairs are chosen to fit the person using them. Overloading the lift motor is a mechanical risk and a safety one for whoever is in the chair.
On a dual motor chair that usually isolates the fault to one motor or one lead, which is useful information for us. Check the other button pair and the connectors first, then call us with what you found. Stop using it if the movement is at all unpredictable.
No. Use only original parts supplied by us and fitted appropriately. A non-original motor or transformer can be mismatched to the chair's electrics, which is unsafe and will invalidate the warranty.
It needs clearance behind for the back and in front for the legrest, and the base tilts forward as it rises. Check the figures for your model and keep that space permanently clear — the usual cause of a stuck chair is something that has been put there since.
There is no fixed schedule, but a chair in daily use is doing far more work than ordinary furniture. If it is someone's main means of standing, having the mechanism and electrics checked periodically is sensible, and any new noise or change in movement should be looked at rather than lived with.
Not without checking first. Adding a cushion changes the seat height and the angle at which the chair lifts, which affects both comfort and safety. Speak to whoever advises on the person's mobility, and to us, before adding anything to the seat.
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