Dumbwaiters are used in many homes and businesses as a means of carrying goods between floors without relying on the stairs. They are like miniature elevators, but are much less expensive and take up much less space. They are of course not intended to carry people and should only be used for the movement of goods and products.
Dumbwaiters date back hundreds and hundreds of years and almost all large early homes and castles had them. They were frequently used to carry food to other floors that would have otherwise taken several trips, or might have resulted in the food loosing its heat before it was carried up the stairs. Now, people frequently use them to move laundry, groceries, household supplies, and of course food. In terms of laundry this offers double the convenience of a laundry shoot, because a dumbwaiter will not only carry your linens to the laundry room, but it will also carry them back upstairs when clean.
In home settings a dumbwaiter is often built into the house. This provides for the simplest installation and increasingly home builders are including dumbwaiters as a means of increasing the value and attractiveness of homes. Many dumbwaiters are also easily retrofitted into existing homes, and the installation is fairly simple. Dumbwaiters like the, AmeriGlide Express, are designed to require as little installation as possible. This units, and ones like it, are shipped with the drive system pre-installed. The cart is already attached to a section of track as well, which makes it much easier to install. By eliminating some of the harder and more tedious steps, the main portion of the installation will be installing the track. Even with these improvements the installation is in most cases best left to a professional. Typically, in part because of the improvements in design, it is relatively inexpensive to have one of these units installed.
In order to outfit your home with a dumbwaiter, you must first decide where to put it. You typically need an area between your walls that is a little less than 2' by 2'. The dumbwaiter will need to travel in a completely vertical line, so this 2' by 2' area must extend throughout the floors. Many people find that they can be installed in the back of closets rather easily. The houses blueprints can also be used to evaluate where to put the dumbwaiter. The location of wires and plumbing should also be taken into consideration when making these decisions.
Once you have evaluated where to put your dumbwaiter, and ensured that you have enough room, all that is left is ordering the dumbwaiter and having it installed. While it is possible to install the unit by yourself, it is a very big undertaking. Even if you are sure that you can do it yourself, it is a good idea to get an estimate from a professional installer. When starting a project it is always important to weigh the cost of your time with the cost of having it done by someone else.
A dumbwaiter can be a great addition to the home and can make things like laundry day and grocery day much easier. Remember to also consider the weight capacity, and do not buy one that can not support at least 100 pounds.
Steve Wynler is a contributor and writer for http://www.usmedicalsupplies.com For more information on the AmeriGlide Express dumbwaiter or home medical equipment visit or call the folks at US Medical Supplies.