Servicing and Maintaining Your Mobility Scooter

This may seem obvious, but for an easy life always make sure your scooter or powerchair is regularly serviced and maintained according to the manufacturer's recommendations, (normally once a yaer). Correct tyre pressures are key to good mileage economy as well as safety. Avoid unnecessary risk of punctures by replacing your tyres when they are worn. Check that your lights are working and if bulbs have blown, replace them immediately - it could mean the difference between being seen and having an accident.

Charging a Mobility Scooter

Mobility scooters are powered by 24 volt electric motors, which are supplied with DC current from 2 x 12 volt ‘sealed lead acid’ (SLA) batteries.

Gel batteries are also available for mobility scooters and powerchairs at an extra cost.

SLA batteries last an average of about 2/3 years if they are looked after properly and given a correct charging regime:

1. Only use the manufacturer’s charger which is supplied with your scooter.
2. Before you use your scooter, charge the batteries for 24 hours.
3. The scooter will then be ready for use, but the first time you use it the batteries will only give about 70% of their capacity.
4. As soon as you get back from your first run, charge the batteries overnight.
5. The next time you use the scooter, your batteries should give about 80% of their capacity.
6. Again, after use, give the scooter another overnight charge.
7. After perhaps 15 of these charge & discharge cycles, the batteries will give 100% of their capacity.
8. Every time you use the scooter, regardless of how short a journey you may have been, charge your batteries overnight.
9. If the scooter is not being used for an extended period, charge the batteries overnight once a fortnight. You cannot over-charge SLA batteries using the correct charger, but by consistent under-charging, you can cause irreparable damage to them and shorten their life and range and invalidate your warranty.

On-board/off-board chargers

A few years ago some manufacturers introduced the idea of ‘on-board’ charging. This meant that instead of having a separate charging unit which would be kept at home, a built-in charger was used which, of course, would be transported wherever the scooter went. The idea was that if the scooter’s batteries ran out of power whilst you were out and about, it could be re-charged from any convenient mains socket.

Although this idea had merit, it also had one or two disadvantages. The charger was situated at low level, so that you had to bend close to the ground to reach for the plug. As many scooter/powerchair users suffer from arthritis and/or back pain, it can be difficult for them to bend down to retrieve the mains plug and connecting cable from the storage compartment of the scooter.

Also, the on-board charger was subjected to bumping and jolting as the vehicle went along the road or pavement, and this tended to reduce the overall reliability of the charging unit.

Although on-board chargers are still available on a few models, off-board, (separate), chargers which are kept at home and plug into the scooter at about waist level have proven to be the most popular.

Storage

Mobility scooters do not mind going out in the rain, nor do they care about going through small puddles, but a scooter should not be kept outdoors. A dry shed or garage with a mains socket fitted is an ideal place to store your scooter. If there is no shed or garage available to you, the hallway of your house will be OK, but ensure that your scooter does not present an obstacle to stop you getting access to the door easily in the event of an emergency. Tip: If you’re keeping the scooter in a hallway at home, some plastic carpet protection may be a good idea - scooters can’t wipe their feet!

If you do store it outside under a cover or tarpaulin, the condensation in our damp British climate will eventually get to the circuit boards and electronic connections. This may cause short circuiting, and render the machine unreliable and invalidate the warranty causing costly repairs. Better to invest in a storage shelter.