Hydraulic Elevator Modernization – Chicago, IL

 

We recently started a 3 car hydraulic elevator modernization at a group of buildings with Westinghouse relay logic controls. We started working with the building in 2018, taking over from Schindler. The building was having a lot of problems and wanted a new look at the elevators, but where not ready to modernize yet. We quieted down the problems and the cars where running really well. 

The building had time to plan for modernization and where ready to pull the trigger on the elevator modernization in late 2022 for a 2023 delivery. They hired an elevator consultant who solicited multiple bids from elevator contractors. In the end, the building choose to work with Colley based on our positive ongoing relationship and competitive modernization pricing 

Existing elevator & project scope – We replaced the elevator controller, fixtures, door operators w/associated door equipment and hydraulic power unit. 

New equipment providers

Controllers – Smartrise Engineering

Door operators – GAL MOVFR w/new Adams/Westinghouse hatch door equipment

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Power unit – MEI w/Maxton valves

Cab interior – Cabworks

Hatch and car doors – Peelle Company 

Elevator controller – The existing elevator had Westinghouse relay logic controllers which were very popular in the Chicago market. Great when they are working great; when they begin to have issues they have a lot of failure points. That's the nature of a relay logic control system with so many contact points and wires. We installed a Smartrise Hydraulic Elevator controller with Siemens solid state starter.

 

[Existing Westinghouse relay logic elevator controller] 

[New Smartrise hydraulic elevator controller] 

Elevator door operators – We replaced the original Westinghouse door equipment that had the 3 micro switches on the open and close. We put a new GAL MOVFR door operator on, replaced the Westinghouse hatch equipment with new Westinghouse hatch equipment, and new GAL door tracks and car door equipment. The cabs are tall cabs.

[The spec called for new door tracks and new car doors]

[New hatch doors from Peelle Company]

Elevator fixtures – We installed Innovation Industries hall and car fixtures to replace the original Westinghouse fixtures. We used some cool bar buttons and have future considerations for a security fob.

 

[Existing Westinghouse car operating panel] 

[New Innovation Industries car operating panel] 

Hydraulic power unit – We removed the Westinghouse submersible power unit with an EECO UV5 valve. The new equipment is an  MEI submersible power unit with a Maxton UC4 valve.

 

[New machine room & submersible power unit from MEI w/Maxton UC4 valve] 

Elevator interiors – Chicago’s own Cabworks did an interior refresh on the elevators.

[Existing cab interior before modernization] 

 

[New cab interior by Cabworks] 

Attention to detail – The team who completed this work did a great job on the big parts of the project as well as the non-essential parts. One of the stand out items were their painting of the elevator pit which put the finishing touches on this great elevator modernization.

[Pit equipment pre-MOD] 

[Pit equipment post-MOD] 

Turnkey – The building wanted a turnkey project and we had great partners to complete our fire alarm and electrical components. The elevator was inspected without a punch list by the City of Chicago Building Department on its first inspection.

Take away – We encourage building owners take a proactive approach to equipment replacement. When equipment gets to 20-30 years old and a building’s expectations are that the elevators are to run reliably, it's a good idea to start thinking about when your equipment should be replaced and develop a plan.

Team work– The sales person and the project team who finishes typically get the glory on a project. In between the initial contract sale and the final acceptance are many other people who work on the project to make it successful. From the truck driver to the engineer to the billing department to the assistance when needed, 14 Colley Elevator employees where involved in the project and we had tremendous team work. Thank you everyone. Without you we would not have had such a successful delivery! Thanks also to our great material supplier participation!

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

Independence Day – 4th of July 2023 – 115 Years of being an Independent Elevator Contractor

 

It is Independence Day in the States and we have been an independent elevator contractor for over 115 years in the Chicagoland area. 

We have large multinational companies who do a majority of the new construction and elevator installation.  The challenge with having an OEM or multinational elevator contractor install your equipment is that you may be stuck with them as a vendor until the market can catch up with becoming competent with their equipment.  If multinational company XYX installs your elevator, no one else has technical support to assist in repairing the elevator system, this is a challenge for us until we collect the knowledge and domain experience in troubleshooting their specific elevator system.   You will either pay up front for elevator installation or on the back end. 

 As an independent elevator contactor we have the freedom to maintain your elevators at what we believe is the correct level.  We will come monthly or quarterly as it states on our contracts.  Many elevator contracts indicate “as needed” or “periodic/systematic” which means they may not come to your building regularly and you may have no idea of when they will be there unless you call them for a shut down.  When many companies are removing elevator maintenance records from elevator machine rooms, we still have them there.  The State of Illinois code requires you to have maintenance records in the elevator machine room.

As an independent elevator contractor we can assign a reasonable amount of elevators to our routes so we have time to get to the elevator on maintenance, take care of your service calls, complete your testing and still perform a reasonable level of maintenance.  Many multinational elevator contractors assign too many elevators for the elevator mechanics and the level of maintenance falls at the building.  We have no plans of replacing elevator mechanics labor hours with predictive modeling.  We believe there is merit to having an IUEC trained elevator mechanic at your building to perform elevator maintenance.

In our area our labor pool is the same as our multinational counterparts and we have many elevator mechanics who have worked at Otis, Schindler, Kone, Westinghouse, Dover and Thyssen Krupp.

We take pride on being wholly American owned, privately operated and the longest running independent elevator company in the Midwest!  Don’t get stuck with a company who may not have your interests in mind when maintaining or upgrading your equipment.

Colley Elevator are proud members of the Elevator Contractors of America collective bargaining group!

Happy 4^th of July!  Go Independent!

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

US Elevator – 3 Board Hydraulic Elevator Microprocessor Control Systems

 

We have been quoting and modernizing quite a few US Elevator 3 Board hydraulic microprocessor control systems. In our area US Elevator completed a lot of new hydraulic construction in condos and healthcare facilities. If you still have one of these elevator controllers, there are a few things to consider.

Availability of parts – To our knowledge there are no more new parts for these elevators. While the circuit boards historically have been fairly reliable and robust, when they go, you cannot buy new. You have to install used or go the repair route. We are collecting the old parts and storing them but eventually they will be all gone; used and repaired.

Elevator mechanic domain knowledge – As the years go by, fewer mechanics know how to diagnose and repair these elevator controllers. Those that are good at it were a small group to begin with and are part of an aging population. Add those two together and it's time to think about replacing it with a controller that more elevator mechanics are familiar with. You do not want to have a significant failure that may cause the elevator to be out 8-12 weeks while you wait for parts. In our area[Chicago] we had a "US Elevator Wizard" who worked at Thyssen Krupp. Great with customers and knew this equipment backwards and forwards. He has recently retired and took all of the knowledge with him. When these great elevator mechanics with specific domain knowledge retire, buildings they took care of are put in a compromised position.

Repair options – We have several repair companies who will attempt to repair these solid state boards. Our experience is that it is a 50/50 shot of the repair company resolving the issue that is causing the elevator to malfunction.

Good news – US Elevator used the most popular door operating system, and other parts of their elevator system, so an elevator modernization is a good fit for most companies. Some OEMs[Original Equipment Manufacturers] i.e. Westinghouse, Otis and Montgomery used their own door systems and other parts that create a more challenging modernization.

 

[US Elevator used GAL door equipment - great equipment]

[US Elevator used Maxton Valves - great equipment]

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

Elevator 101 – Elevator Education For Property Managers – Recap

 

We had a great first Elevator 101 lunch and learn on Tuesday June 6^th, 2023.  We went through a lot of topics and had some good discussion points.  We had some larger property management firms, mid-sized property management firms and even some condominium board members.  This is a class for everyone that lives in a condo or manages one. We are looking forward to trying to get our course accredited and offer CEU’s for the next Elevator 101

Our class goal - The goal of the presentation is to have you become more knowledgeable about elevators, codes, requirements, mandates, obsolesce, modernization, maintenance and other related items so you can educate your Condominium Boards and be a better resource to the buildings you serve.

Our learning agenda was as follows:

Agenda

            Types of elevators
            Governing codes & certification requirements
                        Chicago
                        Suburbs – Suburbs with agreements & “Open Territory”
            Common elevator violations
            What you should have in a elevator machine room
            Fireman’s service exercise & hoist way access
            Testing requirements
                        CAT 1/5 testing & FAID
            Obsolete equipment
            Circuit board supply chain issues
            Technicians with domain knowledge
            Maintenance agreements
            Modernization projects 

We are pretty stoked to continue working on this project and getting more people involved and in seats.  We had some great food and gave away some great Colley swag from Yeti and Northface.

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

Elevator 101 – Elevator Education For Property Managers

 

One of the bigger challenges in buildings for property managers can be their elevators and managing their elevator contractors. Get an inside view of what you should know to educate your buildings when times are good as well as when they could be better.

Join us June 6th at 11:00 am for our first ever Elevator 101 Lunch and Learn workshop. We will be discussing:

 

• The basics about elevators and their main components.
• The most common violations and how to avoid them.
• Code updates and how they affect your equipment.
• Realistic expectations based on the elevator's usage and traffic patterns.
• Dealing with obsolete equipment.
• Capital planning for the future.
• Program designed and given by Qualified Elevator Inspectors[QEI]

Lunch will be provided.

Angelo’s Ristorante
247 N. York
Elmhurst, IL 60126

Tuesday June 6th, 2023

11:00am

RSVP to Cathy@colleyelevator.com

We will also be raffling off some Yeti and Northface Colley Elevator gear. Show up, sit down, eat and learn. The next time you are at a board meeting and there are elevator questions and headaches, you will be better informed and can help the building make better decisions.

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

Hydraulic Elevator Modernization – Itasca, IL – Freight Elevator – In Memoriam Ray Zomchek 1935-2023

In 1963 Ray Zomchek did the engineering for a project at the Itasca Country Club – Itasca, IL for Gallaher & Speck Elevator[Dover/Rotary Rep at the time].  In 2023 Craig Zomchek did the engineering for a modernization project at the Itasca Country Club – Itasca, IL for Colley Elevator.  We came across the original construction drawings a number of years ago when we did a site visit to the building that have RAZ[Raymond Anthony Zomchek] listed as the draftsman.

[Title block of final engineering drawings listing RAZ]

[Original blue print for construction]

Existing elevator & project scope – The elevator is/was a very small freight elevator installed in 1963 with manual gates and doors.  This elevator is the heart beat to the building that has events and functions all year long.  Over the years we had seen a decline in the elevator’s ability to service the building reliably.  We recommended a full overhaul of the elevator system with exception of keeping the hydraulic power unit that was replaced within the last 5 years.

New equipment providers

Controllers – Smartrise Engineering

Door equipment & Cab – EMS Freight doors

Sling, platform & cylinder - EECO

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Power unit – Quality w/Maxton valves[existing]

Elevator controller – The existing Rotary/Dover relay logic control system was having some challenges keeping up with the building’s demand. We installed a new Smartrise Engineering hydraulic elevator controller that will be a good fit for now for the next 25-30+ years.

 

[1963/64 Rotary/Dover Elevator hydraulic elevator controller]

[2023 Smartrise Engineering hydraulic elevator controller]

Elevator door equpiment – I’m not quite sure whose door equipment was in prior to modernization but it was replace with new EMS freight door equipment & cab.

 

[Old elevator interior]

[New EMS cab and gate]

[Old hoistway doors]

[New EMS Freight elevator hoistway doors]

Elevator fixtures – We installed Innovation Industries hall and car fixtures to replace the original Dover/Rotary.   Notice the A17.1 2019 Visual display on the new car station.

 

[Old CJ Anderson car station]

[New Innovation Industries car station w/A17.1 2019 visual/text communication]

Hydraulic power unit – We removed the Rotary dry power unit with a new Quality submersible power unit with a Maxton UC4 valve[2019].

[Old elevator machine room]

[Machine room after modernization]

Elevator cylinder – We removed the Rotary/Dover elevator cylinder and installed a new EECO jack unit.

[Elevator pit and cylinder before modernization]

 

[Elevator pit and cylinder after modernization]

Take away – We encourage building owners take a proactive approach to equipment replacement.  This old beat worked well for the building for many many years and was fine.  We were encountering brittle wires and general fatigue in the control system.  The building decided to do an “everything but the rails” approach so they can have a reliable elevator for many years to come.

Team work– The sales person and the project team who finishes typically get the glory on a project.  In between the initial contract sale and the final acceptance are many other people who work on the project to make it successful.  From the truck driver to the engineer to the billing department to the assist when needed 14 Colley Elevator employees where involved in the project and we had tremendous team work on it.  Thank you everyone without you we would not have had such a successful delivery!  Let’s not forget our great material supplier participation!

In memory of Ray Zomchek 6/13/35 to 5/18/23.

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

Mechanic charged with homicide in fatal NYC elevator plunge

 

NEW YORK (AP) — An elevator mechanic’s failure to execute basic safety procedures caused an elevator at a New York City building to plunge six stories and crush a co-worker to death, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Mechanic Peter Milatz, 67, was charged with criminally negligent homicide for the Feb. 18, 2021 death of apprentice mechanic Joseph Rosa, 25, at a Bronx building where the men were working to modernize the elevator.

According to prosecutors, Milatz and Rosa were working on replacing the steel ropes between the elevator cabin and the counterweight when Milatz told Rosa to go to the pit at the bottom of the shaft.

At Milatz’s instruction, prosecutors said, Rosa secured the counterweight, then used a small saw to cut through the ropes. The elevator cabin plunged down the shaft and crushed Rosa. Prosecutors said Milatz had failed to carry out a procedure called hanging the elevator cabin, which prevents the elevator from falling when the ropes are cut. Additionally, they said, he had earlier removed a safety feature called the governor, which triggers the elevator’s braking system, in order to replace it with a new one. The replacement didn’t fit, but instead of reinstalling the old governor, Milatz allegedly continued to work on the elevator without the safety feature, prosecutors said.

“The defendant allegedly failed to comply with multiple safety protocols, and because of those faults the elevator car plunged six stories, killing his co-worker,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a news release. “If safety measures had been followed, the victim would still be alive today.”

Milatz, a resident of upstate Orange County, was arraigned in state Supreme Court in the Bronx and given supervised release. He is due back in court on June 8.

A phone message seeking comment was left with Milatz’s attorney.

Rosa had married a few months before his death and was looking forward to a bright future with his bride, Karina Stepanova-Rosa, the Daily News reported.

“He made my life as beautiful as possible,” Stepanova-Rosa told the newspaper. “He was a real big light in all of our lives. He is the most amazing person I ever met, and his friends, everyone is just shattered by this.”

Source - https://apnews.com/article/fatal-elevator-plunge-homicide-charge-new-york-b08eb309282d7f5b959b4808757102a5