October 15, 2024 | Terry Smith

How are overhead ceiling hoists installed?

If you’re looking at ways to easily transfer a client or family member from A to B, you’ve most likely come across the ceiling track hoist option.

Ceiling track hoists are a permanent, installed solution, and as such, you may be wondering if your room is suitable for a ceiling track hoist installation.

Can a ceiling track hoist be installed anywhere?

Ceiling hoists can be installed in most rooms, due to the various installation methods possible, which we’ll look at in more detail.

Ceiling fixing

The most common method of installing a ceiling hoist is to fix the hoist tracking to the joists in the ceiling.

This results in a strong and tidy installation that doesn’t have any impact on the walls of the room.

The image below shows an H-track Robin ceiling hoist system fitted to the ceiling.

Wall fixing

Sometimes, fixing the tracking to the ceiling is not possible. For example, the ceiling may be suspended, the joists may not be in the correct place, or the joists may not be structurally strong enough to hold the weight of the hoisting system and a patient.

In this scenario, the next best option is to opt for wall fixings. Wall fixings are fitted at either end of the tracking, which means the tracking has to span the entire width of the room.

The image below shows a scenario where the hoist tracking has been fitted using wall fixings, due to the room having a suspended ceiling.

Gantry system

In the rare event that neither ceiling fixing nor wall fixing are available options, we can use what’s called a Gantry hoist system.

Gantry hoists are freestanding and typically feature a single piece of track between two posts that sit on the floor.

The advantage of a gantry hoist is that they are simple to install, and don’t require any modification to the room. However, they are limited to single-track transfers.