Lofts can be highly useful rooms in your house, especially when they have been improved or remodelled to have a specific function. That being said, they are often underutilised since standard loft access uses a conventional loft ladder, which is manual – meaning each trip will require you to pull down a ladder, and this makes it too inconvenient for many.
BPS, however, is here to offer the most convenient electric loft access solutions. Read on for more information on how to minimise the effort involved in accessible ease you can in reaching your loft space, and increase the functionality of your home.
What are Electric Loft Ladders?
Electric loft ladders function much the same as ordinary loft ladders. However, instead of having to manually pull down the ladder within your hatch, you’re able to have the ladder retract for you at the push of a wall-mounted switch or remote control. By activating your loft ladder, you power the motor which powers the lifting arm mechanism to extend or retract to your desire.
This adds a great deal of convenience. No longer do you have to use operating poles to pull and push up ladders. For some higher ceilings, and people of a lower height, using an operating pole may be outright impossible without needing to balance on something such as a step stool, small ladder, or even a chair.
For others, who are elderly or have a disability of some sort, manual loft ladders may just not be a practical option. This is where an electric loft ladder comes into its own.
Additional benefits of the Electric Loft Ladder:
Aside from the ease of use, electrical loft ladders offer several other advantages including:
- Insulation – Electric loft ladders have the benefit of being entirely airtight, insulated and draught-sealed. This isn’t a feature exclusive to electric loft ladders, as some manual loft ladders can have this same effect, the difference here is that due to being automated, the results are consistent and foolproof (unless damage has occurred).
- Safety Sensors – If the threat of a mechanical mishap causing an injury is a concern, know that our modern electric loft ladders neutralise any possibility of this happening. Safety sensors installed prevent accidents from happening when using an electric loft ladder. It does this by automatically stopping all use of the motor mechanism whenever an obstruction is detected. This will negate all possibility of being injured as a result of being trapped between the mechanism and the hatch.
- Fail-safes – An additional safety mechanism that has been put in place on electric loft ladders is the battery pack. Considering that lofts and attics can be converted into all types of useful rooms, people may be spending a decent amount of time there. As a result, a battery pack has been installed to protect users from power outages. This ensures that if one does occur, use of the ladder is still possible, preventing you from being trapped on either side of the mechanism. Alternatively, an emergency manual winding handle must be provided.
What types of Electric Loft Ladders are available?
Whereas manual loft ladders come in a large variety of shapes and forms, there are two main types of electric loft ladders, each with its benefits.
Wooden Electric Loft Ladder
The first big advantage of having an electric folding loft ladder is the fact that it’s wood. Wood is a highly effective material, being not only attractive,l but also very strong. The high weight rating is part of the reason why wood is popular. That being said, wood has one potential weakness, if it comes in contact with moisture, the integrity of the wood can be impacted.
Due to electric loft ladders being indoors, you are practically immune to this setback, allowing you to enjoy the full benefits of wooden electric loft ladders. The treads of a rigid ladder are also much wider than that of metal ladders, adding to the comfort and ease of use of an electric ladder.
Concertina Loft Ladder
Concertina loft ladders are usually made of aluminium. It has a much different look to wood, suiting a much more modern look. The metal is strong enough to have a good weight rating while also being light enough to function effortlessly.
Concertina was widely considered to be one of the most convenient electric loft ladders available. Much like the instrument that it’s named after, concertina ladders simply needed to be pulled on to be extended out to the floor.
Our recommendation
BPS fully believes that you should get your money’s worth when it comes to home improvement installations such as loft ladders. Our electric concertina loft ladder is an example of brilliant innovation that will bring easy access for almost everyone.
Our electric motor-powered concertina loft ladder is a top-of-the-range model that provides luxury loft access. It comes fully equipped with a handrail for added stability and has a considerable weight rating of 150kg – making it one of the hardiest loft ladders on the market. This means you can use this for both convenience and heavy use.
It comes fully equipped with counterbalances to make the opening smooth and effortless for the motors, as well as a 1.1W/m2k engine for highly reduced energy costs. On top of that, it is all powered by a remote control.
All of this whilst offering a top-tier electric loft ladder ladder at a competitive price. We won’t be beaten on price. We also offer a lifetime no-quibble guarantee. In the unlikely event that your product develops a fault, we will send out a technician to repair or replace affected parts.
Alternate Loft Space Access Solutions
If electric ladders are not your thing, there are additional solutions to your loft access problems. One of these is a loft stairway. A loft stairway can come in many forms, such as spiral staircases, to respect the limited loft access space, differing heavily from traditional fixed stairs.
FAQs
How much loft opening space do I need for an electric loft ladder?
Loft openings come in different sizes, but there are set standards. The typical structural opening length is between 1100mm to 1300mm, and the width is around 550mm to 700mm.
I have a gabled roof, what does this change with an electric loft ladder?
A gabled roof means that lofts have less headroom than usual, and it can be tricky to provide gabled loft access if the loft hatch is in a location that provides little headroom. If the ceiling heights of your loft are too low at the access point, then we can only recommend relocating the loft hatch.
That being said, other than that, having a gabled roof doesn’t change much other than the possible uses of the room, as there will be less space than usual so this may limit what it is used for and your need to access it regularly.
