A hydraulic lift is a lift driven by fluid pressure inside a hydraulic cylinder, in line with Pascal’s law, so the car can travel up and down. Hydraulic lift systems are commonly found in car repair shops, warehouses and factories, where they raise heavy objects or vehicles, and the same technology has now been adapted for the home lift market as well. In this article we take a closer look at what a hydraulic system actually is, what a hydraulic home lift looks like and how it works, which components matter most, and what its advantages and disadvantages are.
Who Invented the Hydraulic System?
Blaise Pascal, the man behind Pascal’s law
In truth it is hard to name a single inventor, because the idea behind hydraulics goes all the way back to ancient civilisations. As we understand it today, however, the modern hydraulic system owes its foundation to Blaise Pascal , the French mathematician, physicist and inventor. In the 17th century Pascal set out the principle that bears his name, which states that “when pressure is applied at any point to a fluid confined in a closed container, that pressure is transmitted throughout the fluid so that every part of it receives the same increase in pressure.”
Joseph Bramah, the father of hydraulic engineering
When it comes to putting the principle to practical use, the inventor Joseph Bramah , an English engineer, is usually credited with inventing the hydraulic press in 1795. His work laid the groundwork for applying hydraulics across industrial machinery and manufacturing, and over time many other engineers and inventors added to the technology, making hydraulics an essential part of countless industries today.
What Is a Hydraulic System?
A hydraulic system uses pressure from a “liquid” of any kind, whether water or oil, as the medium that transmits power, converting the energy of that pressure into mechanical energy. This is what drives the hydraulic cylinder (Actuator or Hydraulic Cylinder) and the hydraulic motor (Hydraulic Motor). Because the process is simple and highly versatile, hydraulic systems are used widely in both small and large-scale industry. Today Cibes Lift takes a look at how the system works inside a hydraulic lift (Hydraulic Lift).
What Is a Hydraulic Lift and How Does It Work?
A simplified diagram of how a hydraulic lift system works
A hydraulic lift, or hydraulic home lift, is a lift whose car is driven directly by the pressure inside a hydraulic cylinder. Driving it that way calls for a large hydraulic pump generating high pressure to feed the cylinder. The size of the force pushing the lift depends on the pressure and the diameter of the cylinder, while the travel speed comes from the power of the hydraulic pump, which is generally a hydraulic pump (Hydraulic Pump) rated at 2.2 kw or above.
An example of a hydraulic pump
A hydraulic cylinder works on the principle of a sealed piston travelling inside the cylinder barrel. If that seal starts to leak, the cylinder loses its load-bearing force. Seals usually fail because dust gets into the barrel, and those dust particles create friction inside it that damages the seal. Keeping dust out is therefore critical for this type of lift, yet in real-world conditions dust is very hard to keep out, which is why a hydraulic lift needs its cylinder inspected on a regular basis. It also needs very high-grade seals to stop the rubber from degrading.
Key Components of a Hydraulic System (Hydraulics)
Any electrical or powered equipment naturally consumes energy, and that energy can usually be drawn from a range of sources to keep running costs down, solar power (Solar cell) being one example. A hydraulic lift is no different: it needs energy to drive the motor. Cibes Lift has summarised the key components of a hydraulic lift below.
- Hydraulic electric motor the main source of power that drives the hydraulic lift, just as every other type of home lift relies on an electric motor to move the car vertically.
- Hydraulic oil reservoir
- Hydraulic piping
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Hydraulic Lift
Advantages of a Hydraulic Lift
- The system is easy to understand and easy to operate
- Its operation is clearly visible
Disadvantages of a Hydraulic Lift
- The electric motor draws high power, so a lot of electricity is used to run the lift
- The system runs on pressurised oil, which becomes a problem if a pipe leaks and oil escapes
- Not well suited to buildings with a large number of floors
- Takes up space to house the equipment, or requires a dedicated machine room
- Not well suited to lifting excessively heavy loads
Screw-Driven Lifts: An Alternative to Hydraulic Lifts for Your Home
The screw-driven lift (Screw-Driven Lift) is hugely popular in Europe and is now spreading to other regions such as the Middle East and Asia. A screw-driven lift is considered a very safe type of lift and is widely seen as the home lift of the future. It is a home lift driven by the rotation of a screw (Screw) against a nut (Nut), which makes it work differently from a hydraulic lift (Hydraulic Lift) in both the drive mechanism and the far lower electric motor consumption. Because the nut simply rotates up and down along the screw, a screw-driven lift offers greater safety in operation.
What Makes a Screw-Driven Lift Stand Out
Beyond its focus on safe operation and easy assistance in an emergency, a screw-driven lift brings a number of other benefits, including:
- It takes up less space in the home, leaving more usable floor area because the structure of a screw-driven lift is simple and does away with the heavy structural work a home lift does not really need.
- It comes with its own shaft available in either solid or clear glass finishes, so homeowners do not have to build a concrete shaft to house the lift as conventional systems require.
- No time lost digging a pit because the lift is screw-driven, there is no need to install an emergency stop buffer at the bottom.
- No space sacrificed on the top floor because a screw-driven lift does not need a motor to haul the car up and down, so no machine room is required at the top of the house. In other words, the lift can run all the way up to the rooftop of a house or building.
- A wide choice of sizes the smallest needs just 1 sq.m., or you can go large enough to take a hospital bed, making it suitable for hospital lifts or small medical facilities.
If you are looking for a lift company that can install a lift in a home with limited space, or you want a premium lift designed to match your home’s style, get in touch with Cibes Lift.
Good to Know About Screw-Driven Lifts
Building the shaft from something other than concrete makes a huge difference to its weight, which reduces the load the floor structure has to carry. In some cases, installing a screw-driven home lift lets the homeowner skip the step of driving piles inside the house altogether.
