Hydraulic Elevator Modernization – Highland Park, IL

We visited a building in the height of Covid in 2020 that was part of a group of buildings where we did the other 2 buildings.  They wanted to work with a new company for a years and start thinking about modernization of their old Otis Elevator system.  We got to meet a good group of board members and was awarded maintenance in the beginning of 2021 and modernized in 2025 after working with them on a capital plan.

Existing elevator & project scope – We replaced the elevator controller, fixtures, door equipment, doors and cylinder.

New equipment providers 

Controllers – Alpha Elevator 

Door operators – GAL MOVFR[retained] – replaced Otis car and hatch equipment with GAL.

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Power unit – MEI w/Maxton valve[retained]

Doors – Peelle

Visual communication – Kings III & KTECH

[Existing Otis Slim line relay controller]

[New Alpha Elevator controller]

Elevator controller – The existing elevator had a Otis slim line relay controller from 1970 which worked great for many years. The building had a capital plan to replace their elevator system so they where prepared!  You can see the difference in technology from 1970 to 2025.  No we have about 4 different things hooked up to our elevator controller for different code requirements. 

[Old Otis Car station]

[New Innovation Industries car station]

[Old 1st floor hall station]

[New Hall station & new hatch doors]

Elevator fixtures – We installed Innovation Industries hall and car fixtures to replace the original Otis buttons.  We had to move the hall stack to the left side of the elevator for 2 reasons, one the building put framing around the frame which shrank our usable area in the door frame for hall stations and the building had a door that swings right into where the new button would be.

 

[Old knife switch disconnect - good to get rid of]

[New mainline and 110vac car lighting elevator disconnects]

[Building had replaced their fire panel recently so we worked with their company for new controller]

Turnkey – The building wanted a turnkey project and we had great partners to complete our fire alarm, air conditioner and electrical components.

Visual communication - VAM – We worked with Kings III and provided cellular service for their phone and visual.  The building ended up with a net savings versus their existing phone line.

Take away – We encourage building owners to take a proactive approach to equipment replacement. When equipment gets 20-30 years old, and a building’s expectations are that the elevators are to run reliably, it is a good idea to start planning when it should be replaced.  We had some challenges with the elevator cylinder hole, we had a well driller come in and clear the hole to the depth we needed and we where back on track.

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, 11 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!

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.

End Of Life/Obsolete Elevator Equipment – TAC 20/TAC 22

 

This is big news for buildings with Thyssen Krupp/TKE or TK TAC 20 or TAC 22 controller platforms.  In a letter dated 1/6/25 sent to buildings with this elevator installed indicating the CPU board has been officially discontinued.  These are not old elevators, they where installed in the 2000’s and 2010’s

 

What’s the story?  Thyssen Krupp/TKE now TK is retiring their TAC 20 & TAC 22 product line.

Who this impacts – If you have a Thyssen Krupp/TKE/TK TAC 20 or TAC 22 control system you should begin putting money away for a control modernization.  There are still parts available, we have parts, but when they are gone, they are gone. 

Are parts still available? – Yes and no.  There are 3^rd party manufacturers that stock some of the boards.  There are a few elevator solid state board repair shops that will repair the boards.  The warning with any board repair is that while the intention is to be successful, sometimes board repairs are not successful or take a few tries.  If you don’t want these challenges, replace the elevator controller prior to going down this painful road. 

Is software available once your replace boards? – Yes and No.  We have ordered software for elevators and it has taken 4-8 weeks to get.  Why does this matter?  Sometimes when you are switching boards you will need updated software or the original software to load on the control board.

Take away – If you have one of these controllers in your building get a plan together with your elevator contractor.  See if they have replacement parts and how many.  When it rains it pours, be aware that there are a lot of these out there and if a few have issues at the same time and require spare parts, you are pulling from the same spare part pool which is finite.  

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. 

State of Illinois Fire Marshal Elevator Safety Review Board Meeting 3/9/25 – Door Lock Monitoring DLM

 

The State of Illinois Fire Marshall Elevator Safety Review Board met on Thursday 3/6/25. The main item that was addressed was to adopt the new elevator code A17.1 2022. This code adoption has large implications on new/modernized elevators and even larger implications on existing elevators. The largest item is existing elevators and the requirement of door lock monitoring. THIS CODE HAS NOT BEEN 100% ADOPTED YET AND IS GOING TO SPRINGFIELD TO COMPLETE THE FULL ADOPTION PROCESS.

 

41 ILLINOIS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE 1000 1000.30 - TITLE 41: FIRE PROTECTION CHAPTER II: ELEVATOR SAFETY REVIEW BOARD - PART 1000

ILLINOIS ELEVATOR SAFETY RULES

iii. Modification: Door Lock Monitoring. System to Monitor and Prevent Automatic Operation of an Elevator with Faulty Door Contact Circuits.

a) Automatic passenger and freight elevators installed or permitted for installation prior to effective date of the adoption of ASME A17.1 (2022) shall comply with Section 2.26.5 by January 1, 2029.

b) Automatic passenger and freight elevators permitted for installation on or after the effective date of the adoption of ASME A17.1 (2022) shall comply with Section 2.26.5.


What does this mean for you? If you have an elevator that was installed prior to between 2000 to 2004, you most likely do not have door lock monitoring. This means the elevator will need to have it. If you do not have door lock monitoring you can get door lock monitoring 2 ways:

1. Replace the elevator controller – Replacing the elevator controller and door operator will ensure you have door lock monitoring and is the most reliable way to complete the requirement. This is also the most expensive way to get door lock monitoring because you will trigger other code requirements on the elevator and with the building. 

• Expense – High
• Reliability and chances of compliance - High

2. Install an auxiliary DLM panel on an existing controller– This is the quickest and least expensive option. Older elevator controllers and door operators are not recommended to have this completed because it may make your elevator system less reliable due to the additional devices that need to be added. You may also have issues with the wiring of a new door lock monitoring system to an elevator that has had wiring changes over the years (and may not have them documented correctly with wiring diagrams). Older elevators or elevators without accurate wiring diagrams will be challenging, if not impossible, to have a door lock monitoring system added.

• Expense – Lower
• Reliability and chances of compliance - Lower

There are other more typical code updates coming with A17.1 2022 which will have additional impact on new construction and modernization projects.

Moving forward - Code adoption will move to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (J-Car) next and then needs to get on the state agenda. Possible date for adoption would be around the third quarter. 

Does my elevator have door lock monitoring? Call your elevator maintenance provider and ask them. For buildings that need to prepare for a project, it will be expensive and you will have an elevator outage for a significant period of time, so start planning! January 2029 will come quick. 

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.

CAI – Community Association Institute – 43rd Annual Winter Expo - Elevator

February 21^st we got to be on the other side of the coin and exhibit at CAI’s 43rd annual winter exposition.  This is where property managers and condominium board people get to go visit with vendors to find new ones or talk to existing ones.

[Show floor]

1,700 industry professionals and homeowner volunteer leaders for the most comprehensive event for community associations in the state of Illinois!

[busy booth]

This year’s CAI-IL Condo – HOA Conference & Expo will help you discover how to “Under the Big Top” and offer education sessions on legal updates, security issues, innovative trends, hot topics, and industry best practices, as well as opportunities to share, learn, network, and discuss challenges and solutions.

Colley Elevator introduced our newly approved CAI continuing education program approved for required credits for property management to the properly managers on the floor.  Our new program will have information on the new elevator coming and HUGE implications it will have to your buildings.  April 8th 11am to 1pm @ Moretti's in Morton Grove, IL.  

[Thank you sponsors]

This was a great time to visit with some existing customers and strengthen relationships and meet some people who might be looking for a change.   We had some cool giveaways for the visitors and met people who we previously only communicated with over the phone or via email.  A great event!

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.

Elevator Picture Hall of Fame 2025 – Superbowl of Elevators

The Hall of Fame posts are typically some of the more popular blogs in the Colley blog history. We get to see a lot of elevators during the year on our initial visits for pricing or while engineering projects. Of the hundreds of elevators, and thousands of pictures, these are some of the gems we've seen this past year.

Try and fix I dare you - Not sure what this Wizard was thinking. The Wizard, a movie featuring Fred Savage, was one my childhood friend Robert and I watched a dozen times. It was a great promotional piece for Super Mario Brothers 3. In the 1980s when we got Mario Brothers 1, on the first level there was a place where you could jump past the finish line above the level and find the secret pass where you fell down into a cavern. You had the choice of three tubes to go down, but, you had to know how to get down the tubes[pushing the down button]. Well… My mom didn’t know how to go down the tubes and she was stuck in this area frequently. When she got stuck, my brother and I would wait for her game timer to go down to 10 and do the 10, 9, 8, 7… and start screaming each time she ran out of time. She probably really appreciated that. There are terminals in the box that could have been used.

 

Don’t turn on - It is hard to read the notes on the pieces of paper but they clearly say THIS IS A FRIDAY NIGHT FIX, PLEASE HELP ME WHEN YOU COME BACK.

 

Glass is half full -  It is an MCE greenboard controller.

Hit the showers - When I was in Junior High, the gym teachers used to make us all go in the showers after gym and they sat and watched us walk under the water, every day for 2 years. The towels they gave us were about what you see on the door restrictor. I wonder if my old Jr. High gym teachers live at this place.

 

Field innovation – I’ve never seen this one before. 

 

Tar pits – When I saw this picture and I was told the building owner rep wanted a new door operator all I could think of was “how did it get so bad?” Then I thought about Big Foot and while this foot print isn’t so big, if Big Foot ever did go in this pit we could totally find him because he would track this tar/oil substance all over the building and into the parking lot. I wonder if this person took his boot off before getting in his car to drive home or to the next place. That reminds me of when I was at the Cardinal's house and I got a big glob of grease on my boots and tracked it up the stairs. I had 3 Nuns watch me scrub the carpet with resolve. I think the guys who were actually doing the elevator work at the building where having a bit of fun having the boss scrub the 45 year old carpet and Nuns from a foreign land giving me constant feedback on my job progress. KEEP YOUR FEET CLEAN!

 

Pasta night – Maybe they didn’t have a smaller junction box to give them. Maybe they saved so much time reusing the junction box it was worth it. Maybe ¼ of the way into working with this junction box they thought this wasn’t a good idea.

 

Anyone going to say something? – The building owner found a good deal on smoke detectors. It so happens that Mike who lived in the building was a fire alarm installer and he did it himself during the nights and weekends. Last year Mike was an arborist and was cutting down trees. The year before that he worked as a spray foam insulation specialist. Hire a professional company, please.

Wizard of OZ –. My daughter is obsessed with Wicked the movie. The first of 2 movies came out in November 24’, she loves it, she had her birthday party at the movie. She has a Wicked shirt, Wicked sweatpants and a Wicked sweatshirt. The 2nd of the 2 movies will come out November 25’ and she is very excited to see the 2nd movie. Her and her friend go on YouTube and try and find the 2nd movie early, they haven’t found it yet. I’m not going to tell her but I have some screen shots from the new movie. What she doesn’t know is that before The Wizard went to OZ he was an elevator maintenance person and they spend about a ½ hour of the movie going through his day and we see some of his car tops and pits. DON’T LOOK BEHIND THE CURTAIN.

Disclaimer – We see hundreds and thousands of pictures over the course of a year. While we don’t see as many great pictures of maintained elevators, we do see them, which is fantastic. We have a lot of very dedicated and talented elevator people in our area. The reason we don’t see a lot of buildings getting great elevator service is because they are happy with their mechanic and the mechanic is probably cleaning and taking care of the building. Those buildings are not calling us to get pricing for elevator work because they are being taken care of. Be the great mechanic or helper, don’t be these people. We should all take the time and care we would like to have people who work in our homes to have. Do great things! We have great jobs! We have a great industry! If you are doing great, Keep it up. If you need to improve, no other time than now to start! Lets do it!

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.

Cold Weather and Elevators - Deep Freeze 2025

We have had pretty warm weather in the Chicago area up until recently, now it is cooooolllldddd!

Symptoms

              Elevator runs sluggishly

              Elevator doesn’t level properly

              Doors move slowly and are bumpy

              Potential outcomes

              People get stuck or trapped in the elevator

              Trips and falls

              Elevator will not work to service the building

According to the NEII vertical transportation standard, the temperature of your elevator machine room should be 55 degrees to 80 degrees.  Computer manufacturers recommend an ambient temperature of 60 to 90 degrees.

The temperatures that hydraulic elevators fluid should be is:

            Operating temperature  - 80 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit

Source - Maxton Valve[www.maxtonvalve.com] - Maxton valve is one of the largest valve suppliers in North America.

Oil composition when it gets cold – When hydraulic elevator fluid gets cold it becomes thicker or has a higher viscosity.  Higher viscosity means sluggish leveling which means potential trip and falls or shut downs. 

Viscosity definition - The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to gradual deformation by shear stressor tensile stress. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness". For example, honey has a much higher viscosity than water.

How does this translate to your elevator – In our Chicago area environment we use a certain hydraulic fluid that offers more flexibility between hot and cold environment because of our seasons in the Chicago area.  Due to significant swings in temperature in our environment when it is very cold the oil gets thicker and the valve and elevator system will not operate correctly causing a potential issue with leveling or entrapment.  The reverse occurs when it gets very hot and the oil gets very hot.  Both scenarios cause safety issues for the elevator riders.  If we always had cold or warm temperatures we could use a different hydraulic fluid that would be more appropriate for a hot or cold environment.  But! We live in Chicago.

What not to do – As a building owner it is very important to have your elevator running.  Some building owners take it upon themselves to improvise to get their elevators running on cold days with space heaters.  While the installation of space heaters is a short term solution, it isn't a safe long term solution as you will see space heaters in non-occupied machinery spaces that can malfunction causing smoke and fire hazards.  The space heaters also can overload your electrical circuits causing your breakers to trip.  The electricity costs to run multiple heaters in one year would probably be significantly more than the installation of an elevator tank heater.

 

[This building owner was resourceful putting a heater on the valve]

[Two heaters on one elevator power unit]

 

[One heater in the elevator pit]

Recommended solution – use a tank heater.  Pay an elevator company to install a tank heater on the elevator with an on/off switch.  This is a safe alternative to space heaters. But!  Turn the tank heater off in the summer or you will smoke your oil and burn it, if you burn your oil you will have different issues.

Take away – If you are having winter issues, talk to your elevator company.  If you are not getting the right answers, call Colley Elevator.  I went to a building for a nuisance issue[not a Colley maintenance account], they described what was occurring, without even walking in the elevator room I told them it was cold oil, they told me they had a space heater in the machine room, when we looked, they did have a space heater and it hadn’t worked all season.  The valve was ice cold.  I’m sure they will go get a new one and when it is in the machine room their inconsistencies will go away.

Salt – When we start getting cold and start having snow we use a lot of salt on the side walk.  That salt gets on our feet and comes in the building.  Have someone vacuum out the door sills because salt loves to live there and we will come out for a overtime call and charge you a lot of money for a few pieces of salt.  If you can do prevention, that is the best, but we are also always available.

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.