When is it time to modernize your elevator

When is it time to modernize your elevator

We often get questions from buildings asking “when should I modernize our elevator?”.  The buildings who ask these questions are often the buildings that have modernized their elevator or do not have problems.

As a building owner, manager or someone who lives in the building being on top of the major capital expenditures is very important.  Roofs, Windows, Boilers, etc are all large expenses that buildings see around the same time the elevator may need to be replaced.  An elevator should run fairly reliably for a building for 15-20 years after installation.  After 15-20 years depending on environment, usage and quality of equipment installed you may start seeing reliability issues with the elevator system.  Colley Elevator has elevator systems that have been installed for over 50 years that the buildings have not modernized the elevator systems, while we do not recommend retaining equipment this long the elevators still run fairly reliably.

I was at a building this week that had needed to engage their elevator company for an modernization much sooner than now.  This elevator was shut down when we came in and should have been going through this process years ago as it does take time to get materials and schedule the work.  

[The elevator controller shown here should have been replaced years ago] 

For buildings owners, managers and unit owners here are some tips for you

Item 1 – Find out how old your elevator components are and what condition they are in from your elevator maintenance company.   Have them give you a time line and costing of when the major components need to be replaced.

Item 2 – Meet with the elevator company rep to have them explain this information to you.  As elevator professionals we deal with the equipment every day, as someone who doesn’t deal with it every day it may be confusing and it is very expensive.  Have us come out and walk you through the process and point out the equipment.

Item 3 – Other trades are involved, get pricing on the fire alarm portion and the electrical portion of the work.   These are items that should be spelled out by your elevator company in their proposal.  Along with fire alarm and electrical you may need other trade work, the elevator company should help you with what you will need to do to comply with the building codes. 

Item 4 – Get an understanding of how long your elevator will be out of service.  Yes the elevator will be out of service for days, weeks or months.  This is one of the items that some elevator professionals leave out when talking about elevator modernization.

Item 5 – If your elevator company is confusing you or you do not feel comfortable with the elevator company you can hire an Elevator Consultant.   An elevator consultant should walk you through the process; review all the information that the elevator companies give you so you are comparing apples to apples.  You can interview the elevator consultants as well, as there are elevator companies that may be a better fit for your building, there are elevator consultants that have different strengths in different areas that would be more appealing to you as a decisions maker.

Item 6 – Budget for the project or pull the trigger.  If you are budgeting for the project remember to add 3%-5% a year as costs go up and codes do change that will make the project cost a bit more.

The goal for the building and the elevator company is to make sure you have a safe and reliable elevator.

If you have any questions or would like information from Colley Elevator you can go to www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.