Hydraulic elevator control modernization – Mt. Prospect, IL

We had the opportunity to work with a general contractor and building owner on the modernization of 4 hydraulic Westinghouse elevators from the mid 1970s.  The process started around 2 years ago when we got a request for a budget, then a firm quote, then the formal quote, then contract negotiations, engineering, submittals, ordering material and finally job site mobilization and installation.

Controller – Smartrise Engineering

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Door equipment – GAL Manufacturing 

Power units – MEI/Minnesota Elevator

Roller guides – Elsco

Cylinders – EECO/Elevator Equipment Corporation 

Machine room layout – While the new equipment is wonderful, the area the new machine room layout gives the elevator mechanic is a game changer.  Since we have so much room the building decided to put Milton from Office Space's temporary work station in the elevator machine room.  I let the building know that the work station had to go as it cannot be in the elevator machine room, even if his stapler is in there. 

Old machine room layout

New machine room layout

Controllers – The existing controllers where Westinghouse relay logic from the original construction of the building. We replaced them with Smartrise Engineering’s hydraulic elevator control system.

Old Westinghouse hydraulic control system

New Smartrise Engineering control system

Fixtures – The existing fixtures where standard Westinghouse.  The new replacement fixtures are from Innovation Industries.

Old Westinhouse car station

New Innovation Industries car station

Old main lobby hall station - Multi light position indicators

New main lobby hall station - Digital position indicators

Power units – The old power units where old Westinghouse dry units with UV7 valves on them.  The replacement power units where manufactured by Minnesota Elevator and utilizes Maxton UC4 valves.

Old EECO valve

New Maxton Valve

Cylinders – All 4 elevators had the original cylinders from DL Martin/Westinghouse.  The owner wanted to remove them so there would be piece of mind and no potential for cylinder failure in the future. 

Old Westinghouse/DL Martin cylinder

New EECO elevator cylinder 

Take away – From start to finish this was team effort.  The GC was great, the building owner was patient and understanding throughout the whole project. Our project team was awesome!  Without the sales guy there is no project, without the elevator installation personnel there is no project, without the engineer there is no project, without the project manager things don’t go as smooth, without the delivery/prep team there are big time line challenges, without the office support staff to do billing and certified payroll the company doesn’t get paid.  Execution on all parts of this was tremendous and I’m lucky to have been 1 of 15 people from Colley Elevator to have been part of this project!  Thank you to everyone involved!  

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.