Posted on December 6, 2018August 29, 2021 by spacelift

Attic Water Heater Perfect for SpaceLift™ Attic Lift

We learned about how a SpaceLift™ attic lift can help with your attic water heater from a satisfied customer, Tom Runge of Louisana. He wrote, “I am particularly excited about the fact that due to the size and allowed weight of the lift, I will be able to easily replace my 50 gallon water heaters when the time comes. They are both up in the attic, and it is not an easy task to swap them out with the use of a nine foot fold down attic stair, which I have already done once.”

Locating hot water heaters, air conditioners, heaters and other HVAC utilities in the attic is a popular building method. It is especially popular where slab construction means a home with no basement. Locating home utilities in the attic saves valuable living space. In southern states it is also popular because there is little chance of waterlines freezing. Plus, solar heating of the attic space means the water heater works less. In this case a hot attic results in substantial savings on gas or electric bills. However the attic water heater can create some challenges, especially when it’s time to replace a unit.

Attic water heater a bonus application for our attic lifts

Not that Tom installed his SpaceLift™ attic lift just to replace his water heaters when they wear out.

As he says on our testimonials page: “Wanted to tell you again how proud I am of my attic lift. I use it about 4 or 5 times a month. The lift travels up and down in a total of 25 seconds. Due to age and arthritis it had become dangerous for me go up and down the attic stairs. SpaceLift provides the means for us to safely and quickly transfer items to and from the attic. My wife and I work as a team, with one in the attic and one down below. It is fast and efficient. I highly recommend the SpaceLift to anyone who desires a safe, fast and efficient means of utilizing their attic storage space. Hope your sales are reflecting the quality of the product. Wish I could do more to promote it for you”

SpaceLift attic lift customer Tom Runge told us about how is attic lift made it so much easier to replace the hot water heater in his attic. — SpaceLift™ customer Tom Runge from Louisiana with his SpaceLift™ attic storage lift wall mounted control.

SpaceLift design perfect for attic water heater replacement

Because a SpaceLift attic lift uses computer controls to pull from all four corners, there is no vertical height restriction. The lifts are rated for 200 pounds. This makes them ideal for carrying a hot water heater, or heater, or air conditioning unit.

Tom added, “FYI – a 50 gallon water heater (empty) weighs about 150 lbs, and are almost always tall and narrow, allowing them to fit on the lift. This might be worth mentioning on your website, as a LOT of new homes have the heaters in the attic. “

On the web forum for the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, InterNACHI, James H. Bushart, Certified Professional Inspector (CPI), answered an attic water heater inquiry, “There are some legitimate reasons for locating a water heater in the attic since it is usually warmer than a basement, crawlspace or garage (depending upon your location). The pull-down-stairs to the attic allows access . . . but is unlikely to hold the weight of anyone trying to remove a bad water heater. There should always be a catwalk built to the water heater for replacement and service with plenty of room for access to all sides of it for inspection and maintenance. Being in the attic makes it easy for venting through the roof and, in most cases, it gives you much faster hot water distribution to your plumbing fixtures.”

Bushart also describes cautions for proper installation of a catch pan and drain to handle any water overflow. And he suggests that if the water heater is already located in the attic, it is best to ensure proper precautions but leave it there.

His concern about removing a spent water heater and carrying its replacement into the attic on the attic stairs is well founded. If you have the pull-down type attic stairs or ladder, they are generally rated at about 200 pounds’ capacity. That’s not enough strength to support the water heater and the man or men lugging it into and out of the attic.

Attic water heater tips from pros

An article by Family Handyman describes how to install a hot water heater. It states that water heaters weigh about 150 pounds and last seven to 15 years.

Building trades website Houzz describes the importance of having access to change out an attic water heater and summarizes some of the code requirements.

(Of course every attic is different. You can consult our installation manual on our website. Many SpaceLift attic lifts are installed as DIY, do it yourself, projects.)

The Houzz article says, in part, “Down in the sunbelt where there is little to no chance of a waterline freezing in the attic space it has become a common practice to put the water heater in the attic to conserve livable space, especially in contractor turnkey construction, but due to the physical problems and additional code requirements it is generally not considered economical for a retrofit.

In addition to all the regular code requirements for a water heater, when the water heater is installed in an attic you must first have an attic access hatch that is a minimum of 24″x36″, and even more for larger water heaters. Remember, the water heater must fit through the hatch to permit future change outs. The final location for the water heater may not be more than 20′ from the access hatch.”

Real estate site Trulia offers some maintenance tips to help your attic water heater, or any hot water heater, last longer:

Clean/flush your tank annually or bi-annually. This will remove and reduce sediment. While increasing both the life of the unit and it’s efficiency (saving you money both ways). This can double the life of your unit.
I would make sure you have a drain pan and a properly functioning Min. 3/4″ drain line to outside.
If it’s a gas unit, have the gas company check out the burner/vent stack function annually.
Replace the anode rod as needed and the unit will continue to “self-clean.”

For homeowners in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georia and Florida, and any other places with an attic water heater or other home utilities your attic, a SpaceLift attic lift can offer you a very nice benefit when it comes time to service or change the units.

Of course, the SpaceLift attic lift was invented for some of the same motivations that cause builders to place water heaters in the attic. Using your attic for storage helps you claim more living space, reduce clutter and better organize your home or garage. As you can read in our other blog postings, attic storage is perfect for seasonal items, holiday decorations, storage of items you want to keep but use infrequently and much, much more. Replacing an attic water heater that will someday need replacing is a bonus benefit.

Sources:

Testimonial, Tom Runge, Louisana

https://www.spaceliftproducts.com/products/testimonials/

Forum on International Association of Certified Home Inspectors InterNACHI:

https://www.nachi.org/forum/f22/water-heater-attic-58761/

Family Handyman How to Install a Hot Water Heater

https://www.familyhandyman.com/plumbing/water-heater/replacing-a-water-heater/view-all/

On Houzz:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2533019/pros-cons-waterheater-in-attic

Posted on October 2, 2018August 16, 2021 by spacelift

We don’t make plastic storage bins, but we love them! Properly managed, plastic bins help you claim more living space by moving items to attic or basement storage. You can reduce clutter, organize your home and reduce stress with a storage bin system. Plastic bins last better than boxes, are generally stackable, come with handles and sometimes even wheels. Pairing a good storage bin system with a SpaceLift™ attic lift makes storage so convenient, you’ll wonder how you did without one. Just ask some of our customers. We’ve gathered six of the best ideas for storage containers to help make your life easier.

Clear Clutter Before Company Arrives

Whether it’s a party or a casual drop-in, you want your home to look neat when company comes calling. Most of us go about cleaning the wrong way. We run around stuffing our everyday clutter into hiding places. The problem is that like a squirrel and its acorn stash, we tend to forget what got hidden where.

One of our best ideas for storage containers is to create a dedicated “company clutter” storage bin. Put all the last minute clutter stuff in just one or two containers, especially designated for the purpose. Then hide those containers. (If your house is like mine, you’ll want a separate container just for the dining room table clutter.)

If you have a SpaceLift™ attic lift this is extra easy. Drop the lift down, stack on the containers and push a button. After company leaves you push the button again to reclaim your stash of daily essential clutter.

An adjunct idea is to create a dedicated “donation items” storage bin. You can easily tuck it away in the attic. Then instead of doing a clutter-elimination sweep, you can just add items to the bin as they come to mind. When the bin is full, drop it down on your attic lift and take it to the donation center or call for pickup. Many organizations will gladly come to you for quantity donations of clothing and household goods.

Organize Your Bins with Bins

Use containers inside containers. Fewer large containers are easier to organize and store in your attic than lots of little boxes and bags. Give some thought to creating storage bins of “collections” of things you want to tuck away. Rather than a jumble, use smaller, stackable containers inside a large bin. Another of our best ideas for storage containers is to be sure to place an inventory sheet under the top or affixed to the side of the container. A simple sheet of notebook paper inside a zip closure plastic bag and secured with a bit of duct tape does the job.

Use Purpose-Built Storage Boxes Inside Bins

To safely store specialty items like china plates and stemware, Christmas ornaments and such like, there are a variety of specialized boxes and bags meant to properly hold and protect them. Then, following our suggestion in number 2, use larger storage bins to consolidate the collection to make it easier to move the whole set into storage and retrieve it later. Just be cognizant of our number 4 suggestion.

Don’t Overload

Our SpaceLift attic lifts have a 200 pound per trip carrying capacity, so that’s not the issue in safely moving your valuables in and out of attic storage. But most plastic storage containers are not rated for a lot of weight. They can crack or break through the bottom, especially the versions with built in wheels. A broken bin defeats the whole purpose. Plus, it is much easier to move two 50-pound containers than one 100-pound container.

Consider Canvas Where Appropriate

Okay, not technically an attic storage bin, but there are some great, heavy-duty, canvas bags to store special items like artificial Christmas trees, wreaths and such. These can also be used for things like Halloween decorations, seasonal sports equipment, outdoor décor, etc. Some come with handles and built-in wheels for convenience. A distinct advantage of the SpaceLift attic lift is no vertical limit on the platform and a low profile design platform. So you can wheel a nine-foot Christmas tree upright, in its bag, right onto your SpaceLift and whisk it to the attic with the push of a button. Extra tip: throw a couple of dryer sheets inside the bag to deter insects.

Create a System and Label Everything

You think you’ll remember, but you won’t. It is far easier to start out with a storage system and refine it, than to hunt for missing items among the attic storage bins. Start with a simple inventory list, and maybe even an attic storage placement map. This can be secured in a zip closure plastic bag and hung on a hook from a roof rafter right above the attic stairs or ladder. Color coordinate storage containers and your inventory list. Clear bins are great to see what’s inside; with these use colored permanent markers on duct tape labels to keep your organization system clear.

We hope you can use our best ideas for storage containers. Please write us to share yours and follow along on our Facebook page as we add more useful tips and tricks.

best ideas for storage containers shows clear plastic storage bins with Christmas decorations. Storage bins combined with an attic storage lift creates a powerful storage system. — Storage bins come in all shapes and sizes to suit most every need. Combined with a SpaceLift™ attic storage lift, you have a powerful and convenient storage system. SpaceLift is unique in that there is NO vertical stacking limit.

Posted on July 2, 2018August 25, 2021 by spacelift

Have You Done the Self-Storage Math?

Updated May 2021
Renting a self-storage unit is certainly an option for keeping your stuff, and according to the U.S. Census Bureau an option rapidly becoming more popular (see chart). In recent years, self-storage has mushroomed into a $39.5 billion industry in the U.S.A., renting 1.9 billion square feet of space. More than 10.6 percent of U.S. households rent a self-storage unit. Have you noticed how giant self-storage facilities keep sprouting in every neighborhood? We propose an alternative to self-storage rental.

alternative to self-storage rental chart shows construction spending by month, 2013 - presen. Source U.S. Census Bureau. Do the self storage math and consider a SpaceLift attic storage lift instead.

Nationally, the average cost to rent a self-storage unit is $89.12 per month, $1,069.44 per year, according to SpareFoot data (2021) comparing costs in more than 200 U.S. cities and towns. You can expect those rental fees to increase year, after year, after year (see chart).

alternative to self-storage rental chart shows average storage unit cost nationwide 2020

We have an alternative to self-storage rental.

Frankly, those of us who work at SpaceLift Products are baffled.

A one-time investment in a SpaceLift™ attic lift offers easy storage access virtually forever. Plus it raises the resale value of your home. We think it makes more sense to invest in your own storage and your own home, instead of paying rent for someone else’s profit and equity.

Our attic lifts cost $1,895 for the smaller size unit and $1,995 for the larger one, with free shipping and a two-year warranty. At the average cost to rent a self-storage unit, you can have a permanent solution for less than two-years of rental fees. That includes some room for installation costs, although many of our units are installed by do-it-yourselfers. You may pay for your lift even sooner, depending upon the size of unit you rent and where in the country you call home.

If you have an attic or basement that’s not full, why are you schlepping your stuff to a storage-unit and paying month after month, year after year? We can only figure it’s because you haven’t heard about our elegant storage access solution.

We are big fans of keeping your stuff. It’s yours, you bought it and clearly you see a future use and value for it. That’s what storage is all about. We believe easy access to storage spaces is the key to successful management and seasonal rotation of your valued items. Your storage items are safe and secure in your own home. You can reduce clutter and claim more living space.

Here’s how to deal with that attic ladder.

Listen, we get the inconvenience of those pull-down attic ladder contraptions. That’s why we invented the SpaceLift attic lift. Install one of our computer-controlled units and enjoy instant, convenient, easy access to storage space right in your own home. No need to load up the car or SUV and drive to a self-storage facility where you then have to unload. Then when you want something from your rental unit, it’s back over to the storage unit to load up again. We change all that to the simple push of a button with our storage lift.

It’s like having your own mini freight elevator or dumbwaiter for your stuff, right in your own home. Customers tell us that once they install a SpaceLift attic lift, they find more uses for it. Some report using it several times per week.

SpaceLift unit raising boxes into the attic

References: SpareFoot self-store industry statistics.

Posted on April 10, 2018August 25, 2021 by spacelift

When it comes to choosing a storage container for attic use, there are literally hundreds of containers, totes, footlockers, bins, boxes, baskets and bags. How do you know which ones are best for attic storage? Just as importantly, how do you get them up into your attic?

Attic storage has unique characteristics. You will want to first consider some of the following before you head off to Home Depot, Lowes, Target or Wal-Mart or start clicking on Amazon to buy storage containers.

First, head up the attic stairs or ladder and take a fresh look at your attic space with storage bins in mind. Bring along a tape measure and notepad. Your goal is to make a plan of what you want to store where and then match your needs to the panoply of storage containers on the market. Remember this is all about convenience, your convenience. Some of the following considerations affect the types and sizes of containers you’ll want to buy for each of the different storage spots in your attic.

Attic Flooring

Do you have an attic flooring system over part or all of the attic space? Sturdy bins can span between the attic floor joists, but if you slip as you’re moving them around, even a moderately heavy bin could crack or even break through the garage or home ceiling on the other side of that unprotected space between the floor joists. If you are going to span the floor joists you’ll need a storage container long enough with some overhang. So measure and note the distance between joists.

Moving bins by carrying or sliding them around your attic is easier if you have at least some flooring space for staging. More flooring makes moving the bins easier. If you have sturdy attic flooring, many of the bigger bins and footlockers have wheels and handles built into them. You can load these heavy and roll them into place. If you have only partial or minimal attic flooring, think about the weight of your loaded storage containers. How will you need to carry them to their resting place? Are you sliding them or carrying them, perhaps hunched over? Sometimes using more and smaller containers makes storage easier than fewer and larger containers. Will you need totes with handles built in to make them easier to carry?

Attic Ceilings

Now that you considered the floor, take a look at your attic ceiling or the house roof. Height is an important limiter of your available storage space. In most attics the roof angles upwards from the sides. Planning ahead lets you maximize the available vertical space.

For example, you can maximize storage space with bins of different heights; lower ones tuck in closer to the eaves while taller ones or stackable containers fit better toward the center. Measure the different heights from floor to ceiling. Later you’ll divide these measurements by the heights of the storage containers you purchase. Some containers are made for stacking. But the problem with stacking bins is that you have to pull out the whole stack to access items. An alternative is to build some inexpensive shelving.

Another height consideration is how much space you have between the container top and attic ceiling. Some containers have lids on hinges and you’ll need extra space so the hinged lid can open upwards if you want to access or view the storage items. Otherwise you’ll find yourself constantly pulling out containers to open and examine the contents, then pushing them back into place. For containers kept tight to the attic ceiling, consider types with flat lids that snap off.

Do you have rafters, an attic truss system, or some combination? You’ll want to measure the space between trusses. Then purchase storage containers that easily move around the trusses. Maximize available storage space by purchasing bins that fit neatly into the space between trusses.

plastic storage containers stored between attic trusses

Attic Storage Items

Make a list of the items you want to store in your attic. Your list will come in handy when you make your storage plan and catalog. With your list of items or types of items you can then match your needs to the types of bins available. There is a type of storage container for most every item. You’ll end up with a list of bins of varying sizes and types. These can then be mapped to your attic measurements for an efficient system.

Some items you may want to store in small, six-quart sized boxes while other items may be better suited to a 169-quart tote. Combinations work too. You may want to store a variety of shoes or holiday decorations in smaller containers to keep them organized, but then put all these small containers of like items into a big tote.

Plastic storage containers are available in a wide range of prices and quality. You can save money by purchasing lower cost bins for storage items that will not be accessed very often. Purchase higher quality bins when you expect to handle or move them around a lot. Generally it is in the handling where quality issues like the strength of the bin, the roller wheels, clasps and handles become more apparent.

Weight of the bin contents is also an important strength consideration. Capacity of your SpaceLift attic lift is up to 200 pounds. You probably do not want to have that much weight in a single plastic storage container, not only for the strength of the plastic, but for your convenience in moving the container around the attic. You can stack containers high on your SpaceLift attic lift and if you’ve stacked too much weight it will let you know.

Where possible, we prefer clear plastic storage containers because it is easy to see what’s inside. Even with clear bins, but especially with opaque ones, be sure to label. You think you’ll remember, but you won’t. A labeling system saves you hours of opening and closing containers searching for a particular item. Want to take it a step further? Make a list and maybe even a map of your storage items and containers and keep it on a clipboard at the attic entrance.

Storage Container Considerations

Okay. You have your list of storage items. You have your map of attic space. Now you can match the size and type of storage containers to the items and space available.

Now you’re ready to go shopping in person or on the internet. The Spruce offers this blog post, “The 6 Best Plastic Storage Bins to Buy in 2021.” They cover a broad range of container sizes and types.

three plastic storage bins stacked on SpaceLift attic lift

Posted on November 24, 2017September 9, 2021 by spacelift

Using your attic for seasonal storage? It’s a great place for things you need infrequently. Does some of your best stuff come out just once a year? Or maybe you need it once a season. Holiday decorations. Seasonal clothing like winter coats and summer frocks. Attic storage is also great for “outgrown baby or kids’ stuff, to be used again when the next child is old enough,” writes Home Storage Solutions 101.

Sports equipment changes with the seasons. Attic storage is perfect for snow skis or snowboards (boots, poles, pants, helmet, etc.). In summer bring down the camping equipment. Use your attic for seasonal toys like snow sleds, bicycles and summer lawn toys. Protect your investment in summer porch and patio furniture by overwintering it in the attic. Store snow tires; you can stack all four on at once on a SpaceLift.

Rotating seasonal clothing using a SpaceLift attic storage lift and a portable wardrobe lets you nearly double your closet space. See our “Clone Your Closet” post.

Decorating for the holidays is something you want to look forward to. If it’s too much work to haul out the Christmas tree, decorating becomes a dreaded chore instead of a cherished tradition. Let alone Hanukah decorations, Easter baskets, Halloween pumpkins, and so on.

shows customer's Christmas trees on her SpaceLift attic lift using her attic for seasonal storage — *Customer Lisa Winkler from Alabama sent this photo of her Christmas trees loaded on her attic lift. “SpaceLift saved my back!” is her simple testimonial. See more here.*

Organize Storage Items by Season

Group attic storage items by season or occasion. When you can, consolidate items into fewer, larger storage bins. This means fewer trips up and down from the attic. Big bins make it easier to find what you want. With an attic lift, you can use much bigger storage bins than you could carry on the ladder.

Label each container, bag or box so you can easily find them next year. Super organizers create a master list of the containers and items, sealed in a plastic bag and placed on top of the seasonal grouping because they know it is hard to remember what went where 12 months later. One organizing trick, especially for the attic, is to create signs on strings. Then hang them from the roof rafters to make it easy to spot your seasonal groupings.

Attic Storage for Infrequently Used Items

Attics are great for storing seasonal — or infrequently used — tools. Change your snow shovels for garden shovels. Or perhaps you own a valuable tool that you need only once in a while. Our customer Bill T. owns a portable table saw. He moved to The Villages Florida retirement community. His home has limited storage space and no basement. So he installed a SpaceLift attic storage lift for attic access. He’s getting older and wanted a better alternative than using the pull-down stairs to access his garage attic. And with the SpaceLift’s 200-pound per trip capacity, he discovered he could move his table saw to the attic too. Oh and he still uses his attic for seasonal storage, even in Florida. After all, he decorates for halloween and Christmas. Even in Florida, people have sweater collections to store. You can read his story here.

not just attic seasonal storage, this photo shows a large table saw being carried into the attic by a SpaceLift attic storage lift — Portable table saw on Bill T.’s SpaceLift attic lift in his garage at retirement community The Villages, Florida. Hauling that up and down an attic ladder would have been impossible. His lift makes it easy with up to 200 pounds per lift capacity.

Claim More Living Space

A huge benefit of using your attic for seasonal storage is claiming more living space. Move seasonal items out of your living space and into a convenient storage space. This reduces clutter and frees up more space in your home. Wouldn’t it be nice to fit the car back in the garage or not have to navigate canyons of stacked storage bins?

Another organizing idea is to purge after each season or occasion. If you did not haul out a particular item this holiday, will you really want it next year? It’s just good clutter control.

Easy Access Key to Using Attic for Seasonal Storage

Attics are often underutilized. That’s largely because they can be a pain to access. Moving items in and out of the attic up and down rickety, narrow attic stairs, steep pull down steps or ladders is a real challenge. For one thing, you are really limited in how much you can carry in each trip. You also risk straining your back or even worse, falling. Your storage items can be damaged when carried or, heaven forbid, dropped.

Imagine lugging a full-size artificial Christmas tree box up the ladder. Yet, attic storage is perfect for holiday decorations: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc. Attic storage is great for seasonal sports equipment. Water skis and surf boards can overwinter. Meanwhile your snow skis and boards can swap places when winter turns to spring. Camping gear is perfect for attic storage. How about your garden tools? End lawn furniture abuse by overwintering it in your attic. Protect your investment.

camping gear with kids in tent shows attic storage is great for camping families

This is exactly why SpaceLift™ Products created its attic lifts. Working in tandem with your attic stairs, the lift is like owning your own mini freight elevator; it’s a dumbwaiter for your stuff. A powerful motor carries up to 200 pounds and 24 cubic feet of storage items at a time. Its superior design is low profile with no vertical limit. So your Christmas tree box will stand up on the platform then lift into the attic with ease. Heavy items can easily slide off of the SpaceLift™ attic lift and onto your attic, home or garage floor. You get so much more use of your attic storage space when you can move items to and from it with ease. No more fear of injury or damaged items. No more hassle and struggle lugging stuff up and down that scary attic ladder.

Resources:

https://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/attic-storage.html

Posted on November 12, 2015September 13, 2021 by spacelift

Convenient home storage has one impediment. Access. Attic access is perhaps the worst. Some have only a hatch. Others have those dreaded, pull down ladders. Older homes may have a staircase. Often attic stairs are narrow and twisty. Convenience is not a term that comes to mind.

Inconvenient home storage access may be why drive-up, walk-in rental storage units are popping up like mushrooms all across America. By the way, investing in your own home is always better than renting. Check out our blog and Do the Self-Storage Math. In the long run, using your own attic is cheaper.

Safety is an even greater concern. Lugging a storage container up that pull-down attic ladder is not just inconvenient. It is downright dangerous. Ladders and stairways are one of the leading causes of home injuries. Each month brings a new holiday. Every holiday is home storage season. Regardless of your age, climbing a flight of stairs with a load of storage presents a challenge. Think about it. Your risk increases significantly when you struggle to move bins and boxes on an attic ladder.

Then there are some things near impossible to lug up a ladder. For example, do you have utilities in your attic? This customer had to replace a 50 gallon hot water heater in his attic. Perhaps you want to store a valuable, but little used tool? This customer keeps his job site table saw up there.

Convenient Home Storage Secret: Lift Don’t Carry

The solution? Install a SpaceLift attic storage lift. With the press of a button those awkward bins and boxes are carried up into your attic storage space. The low-profile SpaceLift design makes it easy to load and unload. Because it pulls from all four corners, there is no impediment to storage stacking height. You can stack storage as high as your attic ceiling allows. Think full-size artificial Christmas tree. Or a 10×10 tent. Or a bag of snow skis. You can use a portable wardrobe and your attic lift to clone your closet, rotating seasonal clothes to attic storage.

Heavy lifting is an advantage over any ladder. Our lift carries up to 200 pounds per trip. Greater capacity means fewer trips.

Install a SpaceLift attic lift and see your attic in a whole new light. You can, at last, clean out your garage. Claim more living space. Reduce clutter. Or as Lisa Winkler from Alabama says, “My SpaceLift saved my back!”

Shows a portable wardrobe with seasonal clothes in and out of attic storage. Convenient home storage is looking up! — Once you install an attic lift, you find all kinds of useful applications! Here a portable wardrobe is loaded on the lift and used to swap seasonal clothing to create more closet space in the home living area.

What is an Attic Lift?

Think of it as a modern dumb waiter with smart controls. It’s a mini freight elevator for attics. The SpaceLift attic lift is electrically powered. Its computer controls offer important safety features. Perhaps the most important is obstruction detection. If the lift is blocked by anything, it stops. Some competitor lifts warn against broken storage items, even broken bones, if anything gets in the way of their lifts.

Also the SpaceLift attic lift protects itself. If you try to overload it with more than 200 pounds, it just won’t go. No damage to the motor.

We invite comparison. If you want convenient home storage, you want to get the right lift. It should be the one that is convenient to load and unload. Easy to use. Safe. And of course, cost is always a consideration.

P.S. Basements for Convenient Home Storage Too

Yes, we say convenient home storage is “looking up,” a play on words for attics. But if you use your basement for storage, there’s no reason a SpaceLift storage lift does not also work for you. It is meant to carry items between two floors in your home or garage. It installs neatly between the floor joists. If your floor joists above the basement are 7 inches deep or more, the lift can be hidden beneath a trap door. (At six inches or less, the unit protrudes above the floor. Four inch deep joists are minimum.) SpaceLift Products has lots of installation support, including free, downloadable guides, videos, even CAD files. Many are installed as DIY, do it yourself, projects.

P.P.S. Commercial Installations

This blog posts cites “convenient HOME storage.” However, SpaceLift attic lifts are robust enough for commercial use. They are installed in warehouses, stores and commercial kitchens. Like a dumbwaiter or mini freight elevator, they are perfect for bars and restaurants. Stop lugging cases of booze and kegs of beer up from the basement! Because our lift has no vertical stacking limitation, it fits a keg just fine. Jon Rocket sells model rockets and parts. Its office is in a loft. The owner calls his SpaceLift attic lift a “trade secret.”