Year in Reflection – Colley Elevator blog – 2019 Elevator Blog

What a year!  2019 winds down and we begin reflecting on the year and the decade. As Colley Elevator enters our 112 year as an independent elevator contractor we reflect on a few things to tie up the end of the year.

Annual reflection – This year we saw our maintenance portfolio grow from 1500 to 1650 elevators under contract.  This year we have ordered/installed 55 Smartrise controllers, a handful of MCE product and a ton of cylinders, power units and a few machines.  In 2019 Colley won Elevator World’s Ellie for Best Contractor in the North. We have a great team over at Colley from the person who answers the phone to the elevator technician who executes and everyone in-between.  I’m proud to work side by side with everyone here and that we have a culture of openness at Colley that helps get everyone done at a high level! Thank you to our coworkers, customers & suppliers for being great!

Decade reflection – Think about what was going on in 2010, as an elevator industry we started to feel the recession in the Elevator Industry.  Those days may be behind us but should not be forgotten.  A lot of people lost their jobs, and 401ks, plans for the future changed.  Right now the economies fire is burning hot, which is great, but what goes up will come down.  

Blog reflection – 47 posts in 2019[that is a lot of words, pictures and time], over 30,000 views, over 104,000 views in the blog’s history.  We did a really cool feature on non proprietary controllers feature some of the top brands.  This year I hope to do a few more mini features with freight doors and some other niche items.  With Tom Syberts retirement from Elevator Radio Show it makes us the longest running weekly social media source.  I loved the Elevator Radio show!  Thank you Tom for all the years of hard work!

[Bloggers reflection]

1/6/19 – Nonproprietary elevator control systems

1/13/19 – Colley Elevator year end party

1/19/19 – Vertitron Midwest – Non Proprietary elevator control systems – 2019 series

1/27/19 – Motion Control Engineering - Non Proprietary elevator control systems – 2019 series

2/16/19 – Virginia Controls - Non Proprietary elevator control systems – 2019 series

2/23/19 – Smartrise Engineering - Non Proprietary elevator control systems – 2019 series

3/3/19 – Elevator accidents & Injuries/CPWR Deaths and Injuries involving elevators or escalators in construction and general populations

3/10/19 – Chicago Elevator Firefighters’s Emergency Operation mandate – FEO – Fireman’s Service

3/16/19 - Hydraulic Elevator Control Modernization – Montgomery Elevator

3/23/19 – I have an old elevator system, what do I do? – Oak Park, IL

3/30/19 – ACTHA – Oak Brook, IL – Condominium Show

4/6/19 – Hydraulic elevator service work – Oak Park, IL

4/14/19 – Traction Elevator Control Modernizatoin – Chicago, IL – Historic building

4/21/19 – Importance of elevator data tags

4/27/19 – Elevator shunt trip disconnecting means

5/4/19 – Chicago elevators in the news

5/12/19 – State of Illinois Elevators – Elevator Braille mandate

5/19/19 – A17.1 2016 Elevator Code – Hoistway Access

5/26/19 – Elevator Job Site Hall of Fame – Class of 2019[1^st ½ of the year]

6/8/19 – Associa Cares 2019 Casino night

6/14/19 – Schindler 330A elevator replacement/elevator modernization – Chicago, IL

6/22/19 – Guide for elevator new construction for general contractors and building owners

6/30/19 – ADA Elevator Braille requirements State of Illinois

7/7/19 – Hydraulic elevator modernization – Chicago, IL

7/14/19 – Chicago Elevator Association – EESF Boat Cruise 2019

7/20/19 – Residential lift safety – Washington Post

7/28/19 – Hydraulic elevator modernization – Chicago, IL – elevator #1 & #2

8/4/19 - Elevator World – Colley Elevator – 2019 Ellies

8/17/19 – CEI/QEI continuing education – Colley Elevator

8/25/19 – Elevator safety – New York City Accident

9/2/19 – Massive elevator hydraulic fluid contamination water

9/8/19 – Hydraulic elevator modernization – Homewood, IL – Dover Elevator

9/15/19 – 2019 Ellies Winner – Best contractor of the North – Elevator World Magazine

9/21/19 – Elevator cylinder replacement – cylinder hole clause – water

9/29/19 – Colley Elevators 7^th annual QEI continuing education training

10/5/19 – Smoke detectors, sprinklers, heat detectors and shunt trip in elevator environment

10/13/19 – When is it time to change your elevator’s dry hydraulic power unit

10/19/19 – What should not be in an elevator machine room

10/26/19 – Hydraulic elevator control modernization – Mt. Prospect, IL

11/2/19 – 1929 Haughton traction elevator slated for 3^rd or 4^th modernization – Chicago, IL

11/10/19 – The elevator maintenance trilogy – maintenance required

11/16/19 – Elevator new construction – Elk Grove Village VFW – Elk Grove Village, IL

11/24/19 – State of Illinois Elevator Braille ADA requirements Inspectors enforcing NOW!

12/1/19 – Hydraulic elevator modernization – Morton Grove, IL

12/13/19 – Maxton valve no longer to repair or service vales over 20 years old

12/22/19 – Elevator electrical problems – elevator motor damage

Thank you for everyone who took the time to read the blog.  It is really cool to bump into people who say “hey! I read your blog!”  My 2019 to 2020 words of wisdom; learn something every day and be proud of the work you do and choices you make!  Lets make 2020 a wonderful and memorable year!

Hey! Sign up for our mailing list!  We should be getting a monthly email going out sometime in Q1 of next year.

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 electrical problems - Elevator motor damage

The motor is one of the most vulnerable parts of your elevator system to power issues.  From time to time we have premature motor issues which is difficult to explain and we attribute it to prolonged wear due to power issues.  We did some quick research for reference.

Here are some issues that will prematurely wear your motor

1.    Under/over voltage

a.    Under voltage - Can come from heavy use from your electrical grid/building

b.    Over voltage – When power grid doesn’t respond fast enough to shifting loads or lightening strike.

2.    Phase Loss/reversal  

a.    Can occur from lighting strike, power line issue, blown fuse, wiring error or contactor failure

3.    Voltage imbalance

a.    Contactor fails

b.    Tin can transformer fails and is replaced with a new one

c.    New load is added to one phase of facilities power system

2% imbalance = 8% temperature rise in motor windings

3% imbalance = 18% temperature rise in motor windings

As imbalance grows worse the temperature sky rockets

The higher the temperature the sooner the insulation on the motor windings will fail

NEMA[National Electrical Manufacturers Association] recommends less than 1% imbalance

When I am engineering elevator modernization projects we have started measuring each leg along with leg to leg.  It is rare that we are within the 1% NEMA recommendation on most of the buildings I go to.

What happens to your motor?  All these zips, zaps and drains will take a toll on the motor and lead to premature motor failure.  

What is the solution?

Add a phase monitor – A phase monitor can be installed for less than $1,000.00 and will protect your motor from many of the electrical issues listed above.  There are very simple phase monitors that will turn the elevator off when a power issue is detected. There are also phase monitors that will trap information so you have it and you can use it to pin point electrical issues and you can develop potential solutions.

[This device of a similar device is what we find on most older elevator systems with phase protection - it works great but you get limited information when it detects power problems]

[This device not only tracks phases but it traps a lot of information with time stamps - for a few more dollars you will get a lot more information]

Add a soft start motor starter – This is a device that will not only smooth out your electrical curve but also has phase protection built in.  The soft start will also increase your ride quality when replacing a mechanical motor starter. This device can be installed for $2,500.00 to $5,000.00 dependent on your VAC, HP and where it will fit in the elevator control system. 

Take away – Electrical issues are a buzz word in our industry because most of our issues are attributed to what the power the building supplies the elevator system.  Take a peek at a picture of a very old mercury switch from 50+ years ago that was installed to protect phase reversal, this is an age old problem.  If you are having issues, identify them and address them with your elevator contractor.  There are many tools out there that can help you quickly resolve power issues.  While we are talking about motors in this post, your elevator’s control system will also have significant issues if we do not supply it with the correct power.

[Left is newer phase protection - Right is very old phase protection]

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.

Maxton valve no longer to repair or service valves over 20 years old

Starting January 1, 2020 Maxton will no longer maintain repair or VEP services for their elevator control valves beyond the age of 20 years rolling forward.  

The details are as follows:

·         Effective 1/1/2020

·         All Maxton valves manufactured prior to 2000, requiring replacement, will be "New only"

·         All parts used exclusively on said valves above will no longer be available.  

·         Rolling forward each calendar year maintaining 20-year range

·         2-year warranty period still applies for rebuilt & VEP valves prior to this announcement

This decision comes from a continuous decrease in market demand for older valves versus buying new.  Additionally, this progression gave way to slower inventory turns and increasing costs to maintain these programs.  After looking at the data further Maxton determined that valves over 20 years of age saw the sharpest decline and the line was drawn.

What is the VEP? The VEP or Valve Exchange Program is when you send a valve in and you get a repaired valve sent back to you.  Maxton then repairs your valve and will exchange that with someone else who sends theirs in, in the future.

What does this mean? Maxton valve is no longer going to do valve exchanges for 20+ year old valves or repair valves that are 20+ years old. 

           

i.e. The valve pictured was manufactured in 1985 and was sent back for repair in 1997.  If this valve was sent back for repair it would be retired and wouldn’t be a candidate for the VEP.

Can I still get technical support? Yes we can still get technical support for your 20+ year old valve but the reality is that there may be a strong recommendation to replace the valve if it is over 15-20 years old which has listed as the useful life of their valves.

How long should a valve last? A valve can last a very long time.  Maxton recommends replacing them every 15-20 years.  Depending on your environment, usage, oil contaminants and other variables it could require replacement sooner.

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 – Morton Grove, IL

In 2001 we did a modernization at a building on Dempster in Morton Grove.  I was about a year into working in the office and I still remember watching the guys pull cable to hatch center when I dropped something off.  For the last 16+ years we have been trying to pursue the sister building on the block with no contact, no luck.   A day 2 years ago the building called and we fixed the elevator when their current service provider would not return their call and started a dialog for modernization.  The modernization contract was signed, completed and elevator put back into service.

Existing elevator & project scope – The existing elevator was a ESCO Elevator installed by Gallaher and Speck in 1976. This elevator had no major modifications since the original installation.  The previous service provider had significant issues performing regular maintenance at the visits for what appears to been years.

New equipment providers

Controllers – Smartrise Engineering

Power units – MEI

Door operators – GAL

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Machine room – The old machine room had some layout issues to say the least.  We were able to successfully get all of our electrical clearances with a new arrangement.

[Old elevator machine room with ESCO equipment]

[New elevator machine room with required electrical clearances]

Hydraulic elevator controller – The original ESCO relay logic control system would be replaced with a non-proprietary Smartrise Engineering elevator controller.

[ESCO relay based elevator controller]

[New Smartrise elevator controller with Siemens Soft Start]

Hydraulic elevator power unit – I couldn’t get a good picture of the old power unit as the machine room was so small, it was a typical ESCO Elevator power unit.  We replace it with a new MEI power unit with Maxton UC4 valve.

[Old ESCO 5 coil hydraulic elevator valve]

[New Maxton UC4 valve with air muffler]

Door operators – The elevator had old MOD operators and GAL car and hatch equipment, we replaced the operators and all of the hatch and car equipment.  We did retain the door tracks as they were in good condition.

[Car top when we stopped by for the engineering visit]

[New car top looks great with GAL equipment and painted car top]

Elevator fixtures – The old ESCO fixtures went away and new Innovation surface mount fixtures to meet ADA and elevator code requirements were installed.

[Old ESCO elevator car station]

[New Innovation Industries elevator car station]

[Old 1st floor elevator hall station]

[New 1st floor hall station with phone monitoring by Innovation Industries]

Elevator Pit - Before and after MOD - No work done to pit equipment just a thorough cleaning and pit ladder installation

Take away – This elevator had a lot of deferred maintenance; the ride was rough, everything was dirty and full of dust, the power unit was leaking, etc.  When I went back to the building to see how everything fell into place when we were completed and the ride was wonderful and the elevator looked great.  It is the final 5%-10% that we can do or not do when we are doing a modernization that really makes a world of difference.  The project team did great from start to finish.  10 people from Colley Elevator where involved in this project from start to finish, from initial phone call, to selling project, project engineering, delivery and the field team who completed the modernization.  I am proud to put the Colley Elevator stamp on this modernization.

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.