Elevator hydraulic fluid/oil water contamination – Arlington Heights, IL

We have always had a challenge when we have water contaminate the hydraulic fluid in elevator systems.  It could be from a water pipe breaking in the machine room or the pit flooding or a rec pump, pumping water back into the reservoir.  What do you do?

We had 2 issues in the last 2 months of massive water contamination of hydraulic fluid in oil reservoirs. We will discuss one that occurred in Arlington Heights, IL which we just completed the process of replacing the valve and hydraulic fluid.

What happened – We got a call that pipes where breaking in the building and one of them was in the elevator machine room.  This had occurred before so there was a pan above the drop ceiling to catch the water. However the pipe break overwhelmed the pan and it sent 50+ gallons of water onto and into the hydraulic power unit.  The entire power unit should have been replaced but the building opted to do the valve and the hydraulic fluid.

 

 [This is the pan that was above drop ceiling below pipe]

 [Aftermath of pipe breaking/leaking]

What did we do? The elevator valve was replaced, oil was replaced but there was still a lot of water in the system within the hydraulic piping and cylinder. This was caused by the elevator running during the water leak.

What happens if there is still water in the system after you replace the hydraulic fluid – If there is still water in the system eventually the valve will start to build up rust/corrosion and create leveling problems. That new valve you installed will be rusty inside and you will have trip and fall potentials. You may also experience other general shut downs from the small ports in the valves getting clogged and the pistons not moving as freely as they need to for proper operation.  If not taken care of, you can have a major safety issue on your hands.

 [Take a look at the valve blow out and notice all the small ports and moving parts that are sensitive to any foreign material including rust/corrosion]

How do you get the rest of the water out of the system? There is a wonderful device from Gorman that filters and removes water from the hydraulic fluid.  Typically when we have water contamination, we remove as much hydraulic fluid as we can, replace it and run this machine for 30-60 days until the contamination is gone. No problem we move on to the next building.

Final result – The final result was clean and clear oil ahead of schedule in less than 30 days.

 [Before oil/water device was installed - milky coffee w/cream colored contaminated oil]

 [After oil/water device was installed - Clear hydraulic fluid]

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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 or on our web page at www.colleyelevator.com

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Independent Elevator Company Suburban Elevator sells to Schindler Elevator Corporation

Suburban Elevator, Illinois, was established in 1994 in the Chicago area and was one of the region's largest independent elevator contractors. The company was recently sold to Schindler Elevator.  Schindler Group, founded in Switzerland in 1874, is a Swiss multinational company which manufactures escalators, moving walkways and elevators worldwide. The Suburban staff was told on Thursday, June 18th.  

Suburban Elevator had a strong presence in the City of Chicago, in the low to mid rise market, and had been one of our main competitors in some of our markets.  Suburban Elevator has other locations around the country, though it is unknown at this time if those locations are part of the sale.

Hey! Sign up for our mailing list!  Each month you will get some great info on Colley!  It is short and quick to run through, you’ll like 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.


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End of Life/Obsolete elevator equipment – Virginia Controls MH 2000

This is the 4^th in our series of end of life/obsolete elevator control systems.  We have a ton of these in the Chicago market.  The MH 2000 is not that old of an elevator system platform that was installed from the mid 1990’s to early 2000’s but as we progress with technology and code requirements we see the obsolescence time line shrink.  This controller is now considered obsolete.

What’s the story?  Virginia Controls is a great control company from Richmond, VA and has been producing elevator controllers since 1967.  The MH 2000 was a strong reliable control system but the manufacturer had some issues sourcing some of the components a few years ago and with the progression of their controller line, part sourcing issues and the evolution of code requirements Virginia decided to discontinue supporting this specific platform.  Their solution is a retrofit kit with the MH 3000

Who this impacts – If you have a MH 2000 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.  We have had good luck with getting parts an stocking parts for the MH 2000.  The first time we had an issue with getting a board, we waited until Virginia restocked and bought a lot of parts. We bought a lot of spare parts because we have a lot of these in our portfolio.  As with everything, we had a rash of boards go out at the same time at different buildings, we over stocked replacement parts and we haven’t used many lately. But! When the parts are gone, they are gone and there is a significant lead time for a new controller retrofit from Virginia or a new controller from a different vendor.  Virginia offers expedited lead times but you pay a premium.

Trip counter – One specific elevator contractor in the Chicago area had a trip counter installed on these controllers that requires someone to manually reset the elevator controller every X number of days/trips.  Most of these trip counters have been removed with an upgrade but there are still some out there.   

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.  If your CPU goes out, do they have a replacement?  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. 

 Hey! Sign up for our mailing list!  Each month you will get some great info on Colley!  It is short and quick to run through, you’ll like 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.

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