Year in reflection – Colley Elevator Blog – 2021 Elevator Blog

 

When I wrote the 2020 reflection I thought we might be out of the woods with our pandemic but as I write this we have 510,000 positive covid cases on 12/27/21. In the last year we had the opportunity to do some great things and work with some great people.  The greatest experience I have personally have is to work with our great Colley team, I’m lucky to have such great people around as we enter our 114^th year of being an independent elevator contractor.

Annual reflection – This year we saw our maintenance portfolio grow from 1850 to 2020 elevators under contract. This year we ordered/installed 61 Smartrise controller and 4 MCE controllers.  23 cylinders where installed, 37 power units, 74 door packages, 50+ fixture packages, a few machines and a few complete elevators.  We have a team of great people working on every project to make sure when the product gets here, we have minimum issues from engineering.  Colley expanded our foot print in Bensenville by leasing 12,000 more square feet next door. We gave the 2021 Ellies a great run but did not retain the title, the title went to our great friends at Midwest Elevator in St. Louis, MO.  Colley started a great new program called, Colley Cares, which gave out over $12,000 to philanthropic organizations ranging from substance abuse to food depositories.  The Colley team came together to help out Toys for Tots and a Food Depository this fall/winter with a truck load of gifts and food to help out those in need.  We work with incredible people who made this all happen and our average employment is about 10 years. 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!

Elevator personnel during covid – There is something to be said for all the elevator mechanics, apprentices and support staff who continues to go to work during the pandemic.  Much appreciation and credit for elevator personnel team and our great office staff who showed up and did their job when there was a reason to go and hide.

Post reflection – Take a look at the great catalog of blog posts in 2021, go back and read some.

1/1/21 - Year in reflection – Colley Elevator blog – 2020 Elevator blog

1/10/21 - Otis Elevator Company recalls home elevators – U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

1/17/21 – Attention property managers/building owners – application for certificate of operation

1/24/21 – Hydraulic elevator modernization – Forest Park, IL

1/31/21 – Elevator sump pump – water in my elevator pit!

2/6/21 – Elevator picture Hall of Fame 2020 – Superbowl of Elevators!

2/14/21 – Elevator World – Preventative maintenance – is technology a complement or substitute

2/21/21 – LULA lift new construction – 500 N. Michigan – Chicago, IL

2/28/21 – Support for the Family of Joseph Rosa – Elevator Accident/death NYC

3/7/21 – Elevator pit and hoistway access is limited to authorized individuals

3/14/21 – Colley Cares – Colley Elevator gives back

3/21/21 – Elevator World Chicago Issue – Not just for Code Compliance – Elevator solid state starters

3/28/21 – Hydraulic elevator control modernization – Arlington Heights, IL

4/4/21 – Elevator disconnect auxiliary contacts – Elevator controller emergency battery lowering

4/11/21 – American Elevator Group

4/18/21 – 2020 Top OSHA violations – Elevator Industry stay frosty

4/25/21 – Guided tour of Chicago – Elevator project tour

5/2/21 – Colley Cares – Donation update

5/16/21 – City of Chicago Fireman’s Emergency operation [FEO] Phase 2 mandate

5/23/21 – IBM Relays – Dover Elevators US Elevators

5/29/21 – Hydraulic Elevator Modernization – Oak Park, IL

6/6/21 – Wisconsin Elevator symposium – QEI training

6/13/21 – Hot and Humid elevator control rooms – How does it affect my elevator?

6/18/21 – State of Illinois Fire Marshal moves to ASME A17.1 2019 Elevator code

6/27/21 – Hydraulic elevator modernization – Chicago, IL

7/5/21 – Colley Elevator featured in Community Associations Institute Summer Magazine

7/9/21 – Property Manager Lunch & Learn – Elevator 101

7/17/21 – End of Life/Obsolete Elevator Equipment – Dover DMC Elevator

7/25/21 – Elevator picture hall of fame – Volume 1 – 2021

8/9/21 – Elevator Worlds 2021 Ellies – Best Contractor North – Colley Elevator

8/16/21 – Colley Cares – 2^nd Quarter update

8/22/21 – One last chance to vote – Elevator Worlds 2021 Ellies

9/6/21 – Elevator IOT correlation – tracker & cylinder gland packing – Labor day

9/12/21 – Hydraulic Elevator Modernization – Arlington Heights, IL

9/19/21 – State of Illinois 5 year elevator fireman’s recall A17.1 2019 Code modification

9/26/21 – Elevator code changes – Continuing education – State of Illinois

10/11/21 – NACE 72^nd Annual Convention – New Orleans

10/18/21 – Colley Elevator’s Holiday Challenge – It just takes a box

10/24/21 – Maxton Valve continuing education – Colley Elevator

10/31/21 – Traction elevator 4 car modernization – Chicago, IL

11/5/21 – Community Association Institute of Illinois – CAI – Toys for Tots & food bank

11/14/21 – Colley Cares – Colley gives back – 3^rd Quarter

11/21/21 – Hydraulic elevator control modernization – Glen Ellyn, IL – US Elevator

12/8/21 – Hydraulic elevator control modernization – Des Plaines, IL

12/19/21 – Elevator electrical, fire alarm & other work by othters[WBO] – Elevator modernization

Blog reflection – 45 posts in 2021[that is a lot of words, pictures and time], over 34,000 views, over 169,448 views in the blog’s history.  

Thank you for everyone who took the time to read the blog.  My challenge for you in 2022 is to make an impact in someone’s life, do something great.  Move outside your comfort zone.  Turn off the TV, computer or your phone and spend time with a person or call someone you haven’t talked to in a while.  The last two years have been a very lonely time for many people and together we should be raising each other up.  Lets make 2022 a great year and I wish you and your families the best and look forward to working with you in the New Year.

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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.

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

Elevator Electrical, Fire Alarm & Other Work By Others [WBO] – Elevator Modernization

Over the last two months we have had a large amount of questions on the typical WBO, or work by other, scope for elevator modernizations. This is a relatively comprehensive WBO list that should work for 95% of the projects Colley works on.

Elevator Electrical

The elevator electrical is as follows:

• Heavy duty fused main line disconnect w/earth ground.
• If battery lowering is present, have auxiliary contacts installed.
• If building generator that powers elevator is installed, have wires from generator to elevator controller for emergency power contact and power pre-transfer contact.

Shunt Trip Disconnect System

Shunt trip disconnect is required on any new or existing elevator where a sprinkler is located at the top of the hoistway or in the machine room. Note that a properly located sprinkler in the pit only, will not cause shunt trip disconnect to be required.

Non-sprinklered elevators will not have a shunt trip disconnect system.

The shunt trip disconnect is as follows:

• Must cause disconnection of normal power and emergency/stand-by power.
• It must also cause disconnection of any internal auxiliary power operations, such as battery lowering devices, on hydraulic elevators or anti-entrapment (TAP) devices on traction elevators if so equipped. The shunt trip disconnect must have a set of contacts that signal the control system to prevent movement of the elevator.
• Power to and operation of the shunt trip shall be independent of the elevator control and shall not be self-resetting.
• Location of the shunt trip disconnect is not specified by code. Shunt trip disconnect can be in a fire command center, elevator machine room, electrical room, or other location. If in the machine room, it may be combined with the main disconnect.
• City of Chicago discourages shunt trips[check with DOB prior to installation]

[Separate disconnect & shut works]

[Combo unit works]

110 VAC Car Lighting Disconnect

Car lighting disconnects are as follows:

Single non GFCIs outlet for sumps.

Adequate lighting in pit and machine room – 4’ LEDS work great for the pit.

Pit light switch accessible & adjacent from hoist way door.

Duplex GFCI protected outlet in pit area and machine room

*All items must comply with NEC section 620 – pay mind to electrical clearance requirements and label sources.

GFCI’s in the elevator machine room and pit

Elevator Fire Alarms – Fire Alarm Initiating Devices (FAIDs)

These shall be installed as follows:

• Fire recall detectors at each landing.
• Smoke detectors on ceilings must be at least 4” from the wall.
• Smoke detectors on walls must be between 4” and 12” from ceiling (see image) 

 Fire recall detector in the elevator machine room

Fire recall relays in elevator machine room

Fire recall detectors are required at the top of the hoist way when either a sprinkler is present or the passenger cab is not fire rated. If a cab is not fire rated, you can also get fire resistant paint instead of installing sprinklers.

NO smoke detectors shall be provided in the elevator per NFPA 72.

If a sprinkler is 24” above pit floor you must provide a heat detector – if you provide a heat detector, you must provide a smoke detector.  If sprinklers are 24" above pit floor you may be required to move them to below 24"[address with AHJ prior to installation].

Heat detector must be located within 24” of a sprinkler.

*all items shall comply with NFPA 72 or local AHJ rule or funding entity rule such as IDPH or other authorities that may require rules that may be different than NFPA or NEC requirements. If you don’t know, find out.


Other items we may need a building to provide include:

• A fire rated machine room & hoistway
• Fire rated doors – labeled w/rating
• Self closing self locking machine room door
• 12” x 12” fused louver ventilation in machine room (see image)
• Internet connectivity – a CAT 5 cable for elevator camera and texting if the building is located in the suburbs (not City of Chicago) to comply with A17.1 2019 audio/visual code requirements
• Temperature and humidity controlled machine/control rooms – 55 to 80 degrees & 0 to 85% humidity

Take away – Educate yourself on the work by others so when we have your elevator inspected, we can have a cleaner inspection and less items on the punch list. These are easy ones to address before, during or shortly after a modernization is completed.

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 Control Modernization – Des Plaines, IL

A property management firm we work with called us for a building they take care of that was considering modernization on their elevator equipment.  I started giving the building pricing in 2005 for maintenance and other work. When we went to the building we saw they had a Vertitron VH 40 controller that is obsolete and gave them a recommendation to modernize. A few months later we were invited to the building and had a great meeting with the Condominium Board.  We were fortunate enough to be awarded the project.

Existing elevator & project scope – We replaced the elevator controls, fixtures, wiring and door operator. The building retained a great power unit from our friends at Quality Elevator that was still in good condition. 

[Old elevator machine room]

[New elevator machine room]

New equipment providers

Controllers – Smartrise Engineering

Door operators – GAL MOVFR

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Elevator controllers – The existing controller was a hydraulic elevator controller manufactured by Vertitron Midwest – Mankato, MN in 1995.  This elevator system is not supported any longer[obsolete] and is a coin flip if the boards can be repaired.  We replaced it with a Smartrise Engineering hydraulic elevator controller.

[Old Vertitron Midwest VH 40 hydraulic elevator controller]

[New Smartrise Engineering hydraulic elevator controller]

Elevator door operators – We replaced the MAC door operator with a GAL MOVFR II door operator and replaced all the hatch and door equipment while retaining the door tracks.

[Old elevator car top - pre modernization]

[Post modernization elevator car top]

Elevator fixtures – We installed Innovation Industries hall and car fixtures which was a good upgrade cosmetically for the building.  This car station is equiped with the new State of Illinois adopted A17.1 2019 code which requires visual items; camera & texting.

[Old elevator car station buttons]

[New Innovation Industries elevator car station push buttons]

[Old elevator main lobby elevator push buttons - NON ADA height]

[New elevator main lobby elevator push buttons -  ADA height]

Hydraulic power unit – One of the only good things the existing elevator had going for it was the Quality Elevator power unit installed in 2008.  We opted to retain this piece of equipment as it was in good condition.

[Existing Quality Elevator hydraulic power unit]

Take away – Importance of having a board meeting – One of the greatest things about this project was having a meeting with the Board prior to the signing of the modernization proposal.  We spent about an hour talking through the process and answering questions.  When it came time to mobilize everyone on the board was ready and educated.  When we turned the car over, they knew what to expect.   I encourage all buildings to have a meeting with the key players in the building so you can go over expectations, challenges, work by others and anything else that is topical to the building.  It makes a project go much smoother.

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 9 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!

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 control modernization – Glen Ellyn, IL - US Elevator

 

We received a phone call from a building that was perfectly happy with their route person and not unhappy with the person they were dealing with in the office of their current elevator company.  They wanted a 2^nd opinion of their elevator equipment for modernization, we had a relationship with the property manager so they called Colley. The building had some "newer" US Elevator controls that are now obsolete.  As we went through the process of talking through the modernization the building gave us a shot at replacing the equipment.

Existing elevator & project scope – We replace the elevator controls, fixtures, wiring, door operators and valves.  After accessing the travel and speed of the car we did not want to put a submersible power unit in.  The building already had dry units so we pitched changing the valve, replacing all the victaulics and the pump and motors where in good condition so they could be retained.  The reason we didn’t replace the entire power unit was because the room was already too small and newer power units are larger than the ones they had installed.

Existing elevator machine room – We didn't have that many options with the existing machine rooms but the project team did a great job with making it work!

[Old elevator machine room]

[New elevator machine room]

New equipment providers

Controllers – Smartrise

Door operators – GAL MOVFR

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Elevator controllers – The existing US controllers was the newer solid state they came out with prior to selling to TKE with three boards.  This typically is not the most user friendly system and fewer and fewer elevator mechanics are familiar with the system.   We opted to put a versatile backwards compatible Smartrise Engineering control system in.

[Old US Elevator hydraulic controller]

[New Smartrise Engineering hydraulic elevator controller]

Elevator door operators – We replaced the ECI door operators with GAL MOVFR II door operators and replaced all the hatch and door equipment while retaining the door tracks.

Elevator fixtures – We installed Innovation Industries hall and car fixtures which matched up well with the existing swing car panels.

[Old US Elevator car operating panel]

[New Innovation Industries car operating panel]

 

Take away – In this case we had a proactive building who was educated and understood that their existing equipment could cause a huge headache for them in the future.  It was great to see a building learn about their current equipment and want to be ahead of the problems that would inevitably manifest with the US Elevator control equipment.  Now the building has some great new nonproprietary elevator controllers and a fully nonproprietary elevator system.

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!

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.

Colley Cares – Colley Elevator gives back – 3rd Quarter

  

Earlier this year we committed to extend some of our charitable outreach, the more we sell, the more we donate. As a group we targeted 5 organizations to support in the 3rd quarter of 2021.   We will also continue to support the organizations we have supported for many years. Colley Elevator will be donating an additional $2,100.00 amongst the following 5 great causes  I have included how we got to know each of the organizations and why they mean something to us. Get to know the them and if you feel so inclined, give them a few bucks.  It is the giving season, if you are reading this blog, you probably are doing well enough to give a few bucks and you will feel good about doing it!

 Pillars Community Health website

Pillars Community Health – A healthcare organization that is committed to meeting the changing health and social needs of the western suburban residents.

Colley Elevator has been servicing buildings for Community Nurses out of La Grange, IL for the last 40-50+ years. Pillars and Community Nurses merged to form Pillars Community Health. Pillars Community Healthy is a phenomenal organization that you should get to know! I have a deep appreciation for everything they do day to day!

 

Ray Graham Association website

Ray Graham Association – Founded in 1950, Ray Graham Association serves nearly 2,000 people with disabilities and employ about nearly 350 people. Ray Graham enriches lives by empowering those we support and those who care for them to reach, grow, and achieve. Thank you for being a part of this life-saving and life-giving mission.

I got a phone call from a person who I dealt with at a facility for many years and he had a new gig at Ray Graham and wanted us to take a look at his elevator.  I walked in and saw the wonderful work the people at Ray Graham are doing and learned about their organization.  Before I even left the building I thought of them as one of our Colley Cares causes.  RG has a facility right by my house and I ride my bike by it with my kids frequently, now I know what they do.  Get to know them!

NEDSRA website

NEDSRA – Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association improves the quality of life for thousands of people with disabilities each year by providing them with a variety of recreational and social programs. The programs are offered in partnership with eight park districts and three village recreation departments.

We had a phone call for an opportunity that was nearby. When we stopped in, we talked about what the organization does. In the end, we helped them out with their elevator and are now their service provider. It's been a pleasure getting to know this group which is doing wonderful things. One of our coworker’s family members has had great experiences with the service offerings that NEDSRA provides.

                                

Chicago Food Bank website

Greater Chicago Food Pantry – A united community effort working to bring food, dignity and hope to our Cook County neighbors.

Something we may take for granted is having a meal on the table. Some people cannot take that for granted and this is one of the organizations that is there to help them in their time of need. No one should go to bed hungry, go to school hungry or have to worry where their next meal is coming from. This is one of the organizations that Colley fundraised for last year and donated a few thousand dollars to.

 

American Cancer website

American Cancer Society – Simple mission – free the world from Cancer.

This group puts up the good fight and we all know people who cancer has touched.  Lets fund the group looking to eradicate the heartache this cellular mapping reproduction disfunction creates. 

Every quarter we will be choosing new organizations doing great things. If you have an organization that is doing great things and want to be considered, please email me at Craigz@colleyelevator.com. And if you have time to read this blog you have time to get your credit card and pick one of these great organizations to give a few bucks to. Some people are not as fortunate as you, give back, it will feel great!

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.

Community Association Institute of Illinois – CAI – Toys for Tots & Food Bank - It Starts With a Box!

 

We had a wonderful opportunity to help the Community Association Institute of Illinois (CAI) for two great causes; Schaumburg Township's  Food Pantry and Marine's Toys for Tots Foundation.  We got Team Colley together and collected a ton of toys and hundreds of pounds of food for the respective drives.  We had such a great response from Team Colley that it almost didn’t fit in one of our trucks for delivery to the local chapter of CAI in Schaumburg.  Our Cathy Hayat headed up the initiative!  Thank you Cathy!  While Colley Elevator has been around since 1908, it has always been the people who make the organization thrive and I am proud to say that we work with a lot of great ones with big hearts!   Great work Team Colley! Great work CAI!

If you are reading this and you or your company doesn’t have something going on to give back, it starts with a box and a toy or can of food. Spread the word, you will be surprised what you can do.  I thank my lucky stars to be part of such a great industry and company, some people do not get the same opportunity, lets help out and brighten up some holidays!

Community Associations Institute (CAI) is an international membership organization dedicated to building better communities. CAI has over 40,000 members and 64 chapters worldwide and provides information, education, and resources to homeowner volunteers who govern communities and the professionals who support them. We believe that by giving board members, managers, and homeowners the knowledge to better run their associations, they can turn “owners” into “neighbors,” increasing harmony, and leading to more prosperous, safer communities.

https://www.cai-illinois.org/

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.

Traction Elevator 4 Car Modernization – Chicago, IL

 

In 2017 we began working at a building that had four Thyssen TAC 50 traction elevators.  We inherited the elevators from an independent elevator contractor who had taken over from TKE, whom had installed the elevators.  The elevators had a glass hoistway and were in a parking garage.  We began to have issues with some of the elevators and found out since the installation there had been headaches with the elevators. 

Existing elevator challenges - 3 years into our relationship with the building we ran into a cross roads with the reliability.  We had controller equipment reliability issues and environment issues [hot, cold and humidity] in the hoistway.    We introduced two options; modernize their controller with non-proprietary equipment or call the OEM[TKE] back to work on the elevators.  The building choose options #1 and we worked with them on the challenges to address the sun light into the hoistway and some of the environmental challenges you have in glass elevators in parking garages in Chicago. 

Existing elevator & project scope – We replaced all of the electrical and mechanical items in the hoistway and control room, retaining the machines. There was only one button stack in the lobby for 3 elevators, we wanted to give the building 2 buttons stacks.  The previous car station was never quite finished and we wanted to give the users a better experience so we put some inlayed plates in the car station. 

New equipment providers

Controllers – Motion Control Engineering

Motors – Imperial

Door operators – GAL MOVFR

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Elevator controllers – The existing TAC 50 elevator controllers look completely unmanageable, perhaps this is by design.  The new Motion Control Engineering 4000 controller is a much cleaner and more universally manageable platform to troubleshoot and maintain.  The MCE 4000 is the mid-level traction controller which was perfect for this building, our track record with the 4000 controller is that it is a bullet proof control system once you get the cars adjusted and complete the burn in process.

[Old TAC 50 Elevator controller - lots of boards, wires, terminals]

[New MCE 4000 traction elevator controller - clean and simple]

 

Machine room– The elevator machine room was transformed with the new controller placement and a coat of paint.

[Old machine room]

[New machine room]

Elevator fixtures – The 3 car group had one button riser to service all of the elevators.  We felt the users of the elevators would benefit from 2 button risers so we installed 2 new fixtures at each landing, which were required to go through a lot of rebar and concrete.  Our project teams took the task like champs and zipped through the process to give the users better accessibility.  The car stations never seemed to be finished, Veterans use these elevators, and we gave them metal inlay plates to add a more permanent touch.  I want to eventually go back and get the logos for each branch of the service and have them etched into new inlays to finish the look.

[Old Lobby with one button stack/risers]

[New lobby with 2 button stacks/risers]

[New car 2 lobby level]

[Old TKE car station]

[New Innovation car station]

[New innovation car station with inlays]

Take away – We had such a difficult time delivering a reliable elevator with the conditions and history of the elevators, the management team had a decision to make. They choose to work with our proposed solution.  It took a leap of faith to replace elevator control systems that where not that old.  The management team were patient and open to the idea of getting rid of proprietary controls and making some fundamental changes to address the challenging Chicago parking garage environment. 

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 extra hand when needed. 18 Colley Elevator employees where involved on the project and we had a tremendous team that made this dream work.  Thank you everyone; without you we would not have had such a successful delivery! 

Thank yous – We had some great help on the project side.  Jeff Yeager from MCE, Dennis Rhodes from Imperial Motor, Jake Tyler from Innovation, without your help we would not been able to do such a great job on this project.  You where there when we needed your expertise.  Thank you!

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.