Hydraulic Elevator Modernization – Forest Park, IL

Here is an original Colley Elevator from 1967 that had been modernized with a MCE in 1989 back when companies may or may not have been changing the wiring to all of the devices.  This is a fairly busy building, it is 6 floors and has a large foot print with one elevator.  Over time the building replaced their controller in 1989, their power unit in 1998, their door operator in the mid to late 2000s and it has the original cylinder.

Why now? The elevator didn’t have any issues but the building was planning for the future.  The building had a mix mash of elevator components from different years and they knew eventually they would have to address their elevator globally.  Over the last 10-14 years we have been talking on and off to the building when they showed interest in learning more. 

Project scope – We replaced their control system, fixtures, power unit and cylinder.  Since the elevator door equipment was newer, we retained it and replaced as necessary some of the smaller component parts.

New equipment providers

Controllers – Smartrise

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Power unit – Quality

Cylinder - EECO

Elevator controllers – The existing elevator controller was replaced in 1989 with a MCE.  The white logic box is now more and more challenging to get replacement parts for or to even have it repaired.  The building made a good decision to replace it with a more serviceable control system, Smartrise Engineering.

[Existing - Motion Control Engineering MCE hydraulic elevator controls]

[New - Smartrise Engineering hydraulic elevator controls]

Elevator fixtures – We replaced the original EPCO elevator fixtures from 1967 with new Innovation Industry fixtures that are up to code, ADA accessible and have the new visual/text communication.  Since Forest Park, IL does not monitor visual emergencies systems yet on elevators the building is working with Kings III for monitoring of their phones and visual systems.

[Existing - EPCO elevator car station]

[New- Innovation Industries elevator car station]

Hydraulic power unit – We removed a Colley Elevator power unit that was installed in 1998 and put a Quality Elevator power unit in, both have/had a great Maxton UC4 valve on it.  We used a Dover/TKE heavy duty muffler[not shown] to minimize machine noise.

[Existing - Colley Elevator hydraulic power unit with Maxton UC4 valve]

[New - Quality Elevator hydraulic power unit with Maxton UC4 valve]

Elevator cylinder – Back in the 1960’s Colley Elevator would buy cylinder heads from Atlas Elevator in San Francisco and make out own cylinders and buy pistons from EECO. Back in the 1960’s this may have been a great cylinder head, but, today, not so much.  We got rid of the Atlas head[that requires rope/hose packing] and replaced with it a more familiar cylinder, Elevator Equipment Corporation[EECO].  The new cylinder has a double bottom bulk head as well as PVC protection underground. 

[Existing - Colley Elevator cylinder with ATLAS head]

[New - EECO cylinder]

Other items – The building did a new cab interior with Cab Works that turned out great!  We also gave the car top a nice new fire proof paint job because it is still a wood cab from 1967.

[New 1st floor hall station and cab interior]

[Car top with fire proof paint]

Take away – I remember Owen, Ruth, John, Wei from 2006 when we started talking about proactive equipment replacement.  I remember the 4 management companies that where in and out of the building. In 2008-2014 we talked about door operators and solid state starters.  Our service at the building that had been from 1967 to 2014 ended and in 2017 and they went with an upstart, then a larger independent and the building came back to Colley in 2017 and we again had a great dialog about the future of their equipment.  The biggest idea here is the people in the building where taking the time to educate themselves on a regular basis, this is a working class building where the building needs to be judicious about how they spend their money.  Over the last 4-5 years we had quite a few meetings and they finally decided to jump in the pool.  The building got a great product that will be reliable for the next 20-30 years. 

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, 15 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.

Making elevators great again – Traction Elevator - Chicago, IL

 

 [Before rewiring]

Intro to building – We went to this building in 2016 and we found 2 elevator controllers that are newer in very poor shape due to… Well look at it.  The wiring mess could have been from the installation, repairs over time, 4pm Friday fixes that where never gotten back to or a number of other reasons.  We talked to the building about new controllers and planning for the future back when we submitted our maintenance agreement to them. 

History – The cars for the most part worked ok.  On the front car we had to replace the motor drive.  But in the back of everyone’s head there was always concern with the condition of the elevator system.

What we did – One of our great Colley Wizards took it upon himself to go to the building and rewire the elevator controller to bring it to what should have been its original installed glory.  The building should still consider modernization of the elevator control system but now it is a lot easier to see what is occurring with the control system.  When you see a controller looking the way you did you don't really want to touch anything because you are afraid you may do something that would be very difficult resolve.

 [After rewire]

Take away –   Every territory has elevator’s that are like this.  Sometimes a building buys from the wrong company, the wrong technician is installing it, the wrong equipment was picked for the project, or rush job and a building is stuck with it.   It is our job to let the building know, here is what you have, here is what we would like to see you do, and let them make their own decisions.  This controller went from looking like a Zero and coming out a Hero, it took some time, but well worth it.   Its like the dopey mop headed 17 year old kid who finally cuts his hair and there is a good looking person underneath there. 

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 Elevator's 10th Annual QEI Education Training – Always Keep Learning

 

Each year for the last 10 years, Colley Elevator has been hosting inspectors from across the Chicago area as well as mechanics from Colley and other companies to attend QEI/Elevator code continuing education.  This year we had people from Colley Elevator, Elevator Inspection Services, Chicago Public Schools, Anderson Elevator, Suburban Elevator and Kone Elevator attend.  I got to sit in a room where a few of the guys had more years in the business than I am alive, these guys know something and have seen some things, we are lucky to have them.

This year we again had Joe Donnelly – PE conduct the training. Joe D has had a pretty incredible career starting out by working for Westinghouse Elevator as an apprentice, then field engineer, moving to Lerch Bates to start his consulting career and now at Donnelly & Associates doing elevator consulting and training.  He has had experience working on the State of Illinois Board as the technical advisor and currently is the Chair of the City of Chicago code committee and helped bring the City from a 2001 code to 2016.

The last few years in the Chicagoland/Illinois region has seen our Illinois code go from 2013 to 2019 and Chicago from 2001 to 2016 code.  Each year there are a few items in the code that are disrupters to how we do our inspections and our elevator work.

This year we reviewed – City – State code update, 2016 & 2019 A17.1 major code update, 2019 A17.1 Part 2 code update, 2019 A17.1 Part 3 code update, A17.1 Part 6 code update, A17.1 part 8.6 code update, FEO service review, A17.3 code review, NEC code update, A117.1 class, A17.2 routine inspection review, A17.2 periodic test review, City of Chicago 2018 code A17.1, City of Chicago 2018 code A17.3 

Take away – When I was 17 I knew everything, when I was 24 and had a few years in the business I thought I was on a path to quickly know everything.  At 43 I have discovered I have a long way to go and a lot to learn.   These two days a year are very long, my Tuesday started at 5:15am leaving my house to go to the southside of Chicago and ended at 10pm when I got home.  I learn so much from these two days, even if it is similar material, I get different things out of it each time I hear it. We always have to keep learning and keep growing. 

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 Modernization Planning – Evanston, IL

We have quite a few long term customers with reliable elevator systems who are interested planning for modernization but don’t know when to do it.  The elevator is working fine right now, when will it stop working?  A few things to think about when your elevator passes the 20 year mark.

Is your elevator reliable now?  If your elevator is servicing the building safely and reliably you have time to plan.  If you have shut downs and reliability issues you need to understand why the elevator is having issues. 

What type of equipment do you have?  If you have an elevator controller that is common in your geographic territory and support and material is still available, you are in good shape.

What is your environment like?  A building with 16 units is much different than a building with 45 units.  A building that has a climate controlled machine room is much different than a building that has their machine room exposed to the elements with no climate control.  In Chicago that would mean HOT HOT in the summer COLD COLD in the winter.  Elevators do not like HOT HOT or COLD COLD.

Who is using your elevator?  We have buildings in care facilities or apartment buildings that the users could use a bit more care when using the elevator.  We have buildings that are financial institutions, libraries or condos where it is hardly used and, when it is, they respect the elevators. 

How many technicians in your geographic area know your elevator?  In our elevator industry we have a lot of people retiring and taking all of the years and knowledge with them.  The younger guys typically know a lot about the new equipment, the old guys know a lot about the equipment they cut their teeth on. 

[Some areas are heavy with Dover installations like this elevator controller]

Your questions are giving me a headache, what do I do?  Talk to your elevator company and get a game plan, talk about longevity, talk about serviceability, go through all the items listed and more so the decision makers understand a little bit about the process.  Get a plan, start saving, if you haven’t already.

We have done some work in the past, what does that mean for our elevator's equipment modernization needs?  Great news!   You might be able to retain a door operator, power unit or valve.  The elevator contractor should let you know about what can stay, what should be replaced and what is on the bubble. 

[This elevator has a newer door operator[15 years old] that should be replaced if the controller is replaced]

Don’t forget about work by others -  When replacing the elevator controller you typically will have a fire alarm contractor scope and electrician scope.  You will need to know about how much this is so you can put a dollar value for these items in your budget.

[New disconnects by electrician - among other items]

[Fire recall devices and heat detectors by fire company]

Elevator cylinder -  Talk to your contractor about your elevator cylinder so you understand what happens if it fails, how long it takes for procurement, how long the installation takes, and what happens if you have cylinder hole issues.

How much does elevator modernization cost? A typical elevator control modernization can cost $80,000.00 - $125,000.00.  Each elevator is different, each elevator can have a different upgrade strategy, each elevator should be discussed with your maintenance provider or a great company like Colley Elevator. 

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.