Elevator cylinder replacement – Cylinder hole clause – Water

We do a lot of cylinder work at Colley Elevator and each project is a bit different from the next.  This is what some quick thinking, quick response and a total team effort looks like when something goes wrong on a cylinder replacement.

We got the car hung, piston out, cylinder out and had a 14” casing, some water but nothing unusual for cylinder replacement.  We needed to get around 41’ of clear hole, our cylinder was going to be 39’ 5” in the ground, then you need to add the PVC and we get around 40’+, lets shoot for 41’.

[Looks like a regular cylinder hole to me]

We had the debris removal truck come by and we got a call from the project team that the debris removal truck was already filled up an hour into it and they were ½ way down and there is a jet stream of water what looks like a fire hose spraying water at about 15’-20’.  One of our top notch project engineers jumped in his car to go work with the team.  We all assessed the situation, talked to our shop, got a 12” casing with no bottom and integral couplings[saves space with no lips] ordered.  Our top notch shop brought out 50’ of PVC within an hour, we barely got it fit in the hole and it went 30’, dropped the debris removal hose down again and put another 15’ of PVC on top as the PVC sank, 20 minutes later we had a clear 42’ hole.  Got on the horn and ordered a cylinder bag from Laird Plastics and it was here the next day.

[The pond in front of the building most likely was donating the water to our hole]

We were able to stop the water stream at the 15’-20’ from coming in our hole by creating a new barrier that allowed us to clear the sand, mud and rock out of the hole.  Once the water reached natural table level it stopped coming in the hole and the problem was solved.

[12" PVC fit like a glove]

Take away - This was a 100% team effort and one for the books.  We all have different experiences dealing with projects so the more heads you get involved the more ideas come up and the existing ideas get improved and this crisis was averted.  If everyone wasn’t moving as quick as we did this would have been a job for a well driller which means a significant expense and extra down time.  The elevator inspection is set for next week. Bravo to all involved. 

Chicago Elevator Association – Oak Brook, IL – Club House – 10/3/19 – speaker – Kone Spares

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.

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