Westin Healthcare
Equipment maintenance tips
Keep a wheelchair, mobility scooter, stairlift or hospital bed running smoothly. Most emergency calls we attend were avoidable. Charge after every use, and book a check once a year on lifts.
How often
A yearly check on lifts. Batteries and tyres on chairs and scooters.
For stairlifts, patient lifts and ceiling lifts we recommend a check once a year, and manufacturers generally expect it as a condition of warranty. Powerchairs and scooters benefit from an annual look at the batteries and tyres.
Battery care
Replace them in pairs, and charge after every use.
Mobility equipment runs two batteries in series. Replacing one and keeping the other is a false economy, because the old one drags the new one down within weeks. Sealed lead acid batteries prefer to live topped up. Deep discharging shortens their life. Leaving equipment uncharged over a Canadian winter kills batteries outright.
Always both, never one
A new battery paired with an old one is dragged down to the old one's condition. You will replace both within months anyway.
After every use, not when flat
Sealed lead acid batteries prefer to sit charged. Waiting until the gauge is low is what shortens their life.
Cold cuts range
Expect less distance in February than in July. Never store equipment uncharged over winter.
Range drops first
A scooter that used to do the round trip and now does not is telling you the batteries are near the end.
By equipment
What to watch on each machine
These are the four pieces the old page named. We have not invented extra intervals. If something sounds, smells or feels wrong, book a visit rather than waiting.
Power and manual chairs
On a powerchair, look after the batteries and tyres once a year, and charge after every use. A chair that used to finish the day and now does not is usually the cells, not the motors. Manual chairs need the tyres and castors checked so they still roll true.
Power wheelchairs →
Mobility scooters
Charge after every outing. Replace batteries as a pair. Cold weather cuts range. If the scooter struggles on a trip it used to finish, that is the usual first sign the set is tired. We fit replacements in Brampton or at your home.
Mobility scooters →
Straight and curved lifts
Book a check once a year. Manufacturers generally expect that as a condition of warranty. Stairlifts also carry small backup batteries that keep them working in a power cut. Those are easy to forget until the power goes. Worth checking annually.
Stairlifts →
Homecare and hospital beds
If a handset, motor or rail stops working, book a technician rather than forcing it. ADP does not fund hospital or homecare beds. A short need is usually a rental. We deliver, assemble in the room and show you the handset.
Hospital beds →Guides
Battery care guides
The previous page pointed at these three articles. They are still the right place to read about AGM, gel and SLA cells. The batteries hub is the 2026 shop and fitting page.
Questions about maintenance
How often should equipment be serviced?
For stairlifts, patient lifts and ceiling lifts we recommend a check once a year, and manufacturers generally expect it as a condition of warranty. Powerchairs and scooters benefit from an annual look at the batteries and tyres.
When should I charge a scooter or powerchair?
After every use, rather than waiting until it is low. Sealed lead acid batteries prefer to sit fully charged. Leaving equipment uncharged through a winter is the most reliable way to kill a set of batteries.
Does ADP pay for replacement batteries?
No. ADP does not cover repair costs, and batteries are treated as a consumable rather than part of the device. WSIB and Veterans Affairs often do cover ongoing maintenance including batteries.
What if something has already stopped working?
This page is for keeping equipment going. If it has already failed, book a visit on service and repairs or call 905 451-7743. If someone is stuck on a lift, phone rather than using the form.
Something already feels off?
Book a technician, or read the repair policy if you are asking whether warranty still applies. We service what we sold you and plenty we did not.