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Decide first whether the lift will be locked to the deck while the pool is open or rolled out for one swimmer at a time. A public pool can use a portable lift only while it is fastened down, so the S.R. Smith PAL2 with its Secure-It kit, Global's C-375 and C-450 with a portable kit and anchor, and Aqua Creek's Mighty Voyager with its fixing anchor are the commercial picks. At home, the counterweighted Portable Pro Pool 2 needs nothing set in the deck, and the Power EZ 2 is run by a helper.
A portable lift is held down in one of three ways. A fixing kit bolts it to a plate or anchor in the deck: the S.R. Smith PAL and PAL2 come with the Secure-It kit, Global's portable C-375 and C-450 come with the kit and, on most part numbers, a tri point or drop in anchor, and the Mighty Voyager rolls on casters to its ADA fixing anchor. A counterweight holds Aqua Creek's Portable Pro Pool 2 on a flush deck, filled with concrete or sand bought separately. Aquatic Access's water powered IGAT-180 and IGAT-180 AD stand in a socket in the deck and come out when the pool closes.
For a pool with a ramp or zero depth entry, Aqua Creek's PVC access chairs and S.R. Smith's Mobile Aquatic Chair are wheeled into the water by an attendant, with no motor at all. Aqua Creek and Aquatic Access lifts ship within about a week, S.R. Smith and Global within about two.
Lifts that stay in one place are on commercial ADA lifts and home pool lifts; lifts for raised walls and spas are on above ground and spa lifts. Spare batteries and chargers, covers and anchors are filed by the lift they fit. The parent page is pool lifts.
Can one portable lift be shared between our pool and our spa?
Not at a public facility. Each pool and each spa needs its own accessible entry in place while it is open, so a lift wheeled between them counts for only one of them. At home there is no such rule, and a fixing point at each spot lets one PAL2 or portable Global C-series lift move between them.
How does a portable pool lift stay put without an anchor?
By weight or by a kit. Aqua Creek's Portable Pro Pool 2 is held down by a counterweight of concrete or sand, bought separately, and sits on a flush deck within 6 in. of the edge. The Mighty Voyager is filled with sand and also locks to its fixing anchor. The PAL2 stands on its own base and bolts down with the Secure-It kit whenever it has to stay.
Is a pool access chair the same thing as a pool lift?
No. An access chair is a wheeled seat that an attendant rolls down a ramp or zero depth entry into the water; nothing lifts or turns. Aqua Creek's PVC chairs come with 18, 21 and 24 in. seats and will not rust, and S.R. Smith's Mobile Aquatic Chair does the same job. A pool with no sloped entry needs a lift instead.
Does a portable pool lift need someone to run it?
Most do not. The PAL2, Global's portable C-375 and C-450 and the Mighty Voyager work from controls the swimmer reaches alone, as the ADA asks, and the IGAT-180 runs on water pressure with controls the swimmer works independently. The Power EZ 2 is the exception: Aqua Creek rates it for use with a helper, which suits a home pool but not one open to the public.