Glossary term
footplate
The fold-down platform a stairlift passenger rests their feet on, carrying obstruction sensors on its underside.
What it means
The footplate is the shelf at the bottom of a stairlift chair. It folds up when the chair is parked so the stairs stay usable, and folds down for travel. Underneath it there are sensors: press the plate from below and the chair stops. On many models the footplate folds with the seat, so one lever puts the whole chair away.
Where you see it
On the front of every stairlift chair, level with the tread the chair is passing. On some models the footplate is powered and folds automatically with the seat.
How it works
The underside sensors are sprung panels with switches behind them. A slipper poking out from under a runner rug, a shoe left on a step, or the edge of a lifted carpet touches the panel and the chair stops before anything is crushed.
The footplate is also the part that gauges the fit of the installation. It has to clear every tread by a consistent margin. If the stair carpet is replaced with something thicker, that margin shrinks, and the underside sensors begin to catch on the treads.
Why it matters
Nearly every mid-stair stop on a stairlift is a footplate sensor doing its job. Before reporting a fault, it is worth walking the flight and looking at the carpet along the entire travel path, especially where a runner or a stair rod ends.
Commonly confused with
The footplate is sometimes mistaken for the whole platform of a platform lift. On a stairlift it is the small fold-down plate under the user's feet, and the sensors that stop the lift live on its underside and edges. People also confuse a footplate obstruction stop with a flat battery, because both stop travel.
Wear, service and lifespan
Footplate sensors take knocks from shoes, bags and vacuum cleaners, and their linkages loosen over time. At service the engineer tests each sensor by applying pressure to the underside and edges and confirms the lift stops instantly. The folding mechanism is cleaned and adjusted so it locks up and down without force.
Signs to watch for
- The chair stops at the same tread on every journey.
- It stops going down but travels normally going up.
- The plate looks scuffed along one edge.
- The chair stopped working after new stair carpet was fitted.
- The plate no longer folds flat against the chair.
Troubleshooting footplate
The stairlift stops part way and will not continue
What it usually means: The footplate sensor thinks something is under it
Safe check: Look along the whole staircase for shoes, a rug edge, a toy or a pet bowl, then try again.
It stops in the same spot every time
What it usually means: A fixed obstruction such as a skirting board, banister spindle or carpet gripper
Safe check: Stand at the bottom, look up the run and note the exact step number where it halts.
The footplate will not stay folded up
What it usually means: The latch or spring has worn
Safe check: Report it; do not force or tape the plate into position.
How to report it
Say the step or stair position where it stops, whether it stops going up, down or both, and whether the stairs are clear. That one detail decides whether the visit is about the staircase, the sensor or the wiring in the rail.
Ask us about footplate on your lift
Tick anything you can see or hear from where you normally stand, add a note in your own words, and we will put it into the message below for you. Never open, force or enter any part of the lift to check.
0/800 characters. Please leave out personal details you would rather not email.
Get help by email
Tell us what your lift is doing
Send the make, model, error code and what the lift does now. We reply by email and point you to the right help.
Related terms
Definitions that usually come up alongside footplate when you are describing a fault.
- stairlift
A powered chair or standing platform that travels along a rail fixed to a staircase, letting one person ride between floors while seated.
Lift types
- obstruction sensor
Any sensor that stops travel when something is in the way — under a stairlift footplate, beneath a platform, or across a doorway.
Safety devices
- swivel seat
The turning stairlift seat that locks either facing the stairs for travel or facing the landing for a safe exit.
Safety devices
- charging strip
Contacts on the stairlift rail that charge the batteries whenever the chair is parked correctly.
Controls and electrics
- interlock
A lock and switch combined, so a door cannot be opened unless the car is there and the lift cannot move unless the door is locked.
Safety devices