Dear TanningBeds.org,

I have an old Perfect SCA Wolff tanning bed that still works great except for one thing. The top half no longer comes down auctomatically (when you push the down arrow) like it should. I was wondering if you think this would be due to a blown shock or maybe just a fuse issue? Thanks so much.

Dave
————————————–
Dear Dave,

If that is the model I think it is, it has an electric motor to bring the top up and down, and if it isn’t working, it is likely the motor itself. This is not an easy thing to find. The last SCA with the electric lift that I worked on was 10 years ago, and I had to replace the motor. Finding the motor took a while, and I am not sure if they are still available. If this is the case, you might have to do some serious searching at a electical parts house, such as Grainger. The motor itself isn’t that large (6inch by 4 inch, give or take), but you have to replace it with something that has a very similar horsepower rating (or higher) and the same RPM rating (or VERY close).

Before you go searching, however, I would check for bad connections, etc. I don’t think they are fused at the motor, but even the switch could possibly be bad. If it is the motor, and you can’t find a replacement, well, there isn’t much you can do. I always liked the idea of an electric motor to open and close tanning beds, but the market for it never really developed, leading to the shortage of parts. Even now we have looked at using the same setup on a tanning bed I have on the drawing board, but there are still problems with the design and a percentage of people don’t like the idea, often afraid “what would happen if I was inside and the power went out?”.

Good luck, and let me know what you find!

Dennis