Cold Weather Elevator – How Does Cold Weather Affect My Elevator – Repost

We have had pretty warm weather in the Chicago area up until recently, now it is cooooolllldddd!   What happens to your elevator when it gets cold?  Good question.         

  Symptoms

  Elevator runs sluggishly

              Elevator doesn’t level properly

              Doors move slowly and are bumpy

              Potential outcomes

              People get stuck or trapped in the elevator

              Trips and falls

              Elevator will not work to service the building

According to the NEII vertical transportation standard, the temperature of your elevator machine room should be 55 degrees to 80 degrees.  Computer manufacturers recommend an ambient temperature of 60 to 90 degrees.

The temperatures that hydraulic elevators fluid should be is:

            Operating temperature  - 80 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit

Source - Maxton Valve[www.maxtonvalve.com] - Maxton valve is one of the largest valve suppliers in North America.

Oil composition when it gets cold – When hydraulic elevator fluid gets cold it becomes thicker or has a higher viscosity.  Higher viscosity means sluggish leveling which means potential trip and falls or shut downs. 

Viscosity definition - The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to gradual deformation by shear stressor tensile stress. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness". For example, honey has a much higher viscosity than water.

How does this translate to your elevator – In our Chicago area environment we use a certain hydraulic fluid that offers more flexibility between hot and cold environment because of our seasons in the Chicago area.  Due to significant swings in temperature in our environment when it is very cold the oil gets thicker and the valve and elevator system will not operate correctly causing a potential issue with leveling or entrapment.  The reverse occurs when it gets very hot and the oil gets very hot.  Both scenarios cause safety issues for the elevator riders.  If we always had cold or warm temperatures we could use a different hydraulic fluid that would be more appropriate for a hot or cold environment.  But! We live in Chicago.

What not to do – As a building owner it is very important to have your elevator running.  Some building owners take it upon themselves to improvise to get their elevators running on cold days with space heaters.  While the installation of space heaters is a short term solution, it isn't a safe long term solution as you will see space heaters in non-occupied machinery spaces that can malfunction causing smoke and fire hazards.  The space heaters also can overload your electrical circuits causing your breakers to trip.  The electricity costs to run multiple heaters in one year would probably be significantly more than the installation of an elevator tank heater.

 

 

[This building owner was resourceful putting a heater on the valve]

[Two heaters on one elevator power unit]

 

[One heater in the elevator pit]

Recommended solution – use a tank heater.  Pay an elevator company to install a tank heater on the elevator with an on/off switch.  This is a safe alternative to space heaters. But!  Turn the tank heater off in the summer or you will smoke your oil and burn it, if you burn your oil you will have different issues.

 

Take away – If you are having winter issues, talk to your elevator company.  If you are not getting the right answers, call Colley Elevator.  I went to a building for a nuisance issue[not a Colley maintenance account], they described what was occurring, without even walking in the elevator room I told them it was cold oil, they told me they had a space heater in the machine room, when we looked, they did have a space heater and it hadn’t worked all season.  The valve was ice cold.  I’m sure they will go get a new one and when it is in the machine room their inconsistencies will go away.

Salt – This is new to this post.  When we start getting cold and start having snow we use a lot of salt on the side walk.  That salt gets on our feet and comes in the building.  Have someone vacuum out the door sills because salt loves to live there and we will come out for a overtime call and charge you a lot of money for a few pieces of salt.  If you can do prevention, that is the best, but we are also always available.

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.

Freight elevator – What does a building do with the old work horse?

 

The Chicago area has a lot of history with buildings with very old elevators.  Usually we see that there are a couple of passenger elevators in front that have been modernized 2 or 3 times since the installation and when you go to the back of the building there is an old, beat up, tough as nails work horse freight elevator servicing the building.  This is an elevator that is very important to the building for move ins/outs, garbage removal, deliveries, etc but seldom given the same attention as the passenger elevators in the front of building. 

 

[Big doors for big stuff - the only way to get big things in this building]

What do we do with this old work horse?  Well, you want to do something before it falls apart or someone gets hurt. We were on a modernization engineering visit at a building who has waited a while to take care of this old bird.  Unfortunately, sometimes we wait a little bit too long.

[A cool piece of Westinghouse Chicago history]

What happens if we wait too long?  If we wait too long on a freight elevator modernization then we have to wait for material to show up.  For very old elevators we need to do more than just change your controller, fixtures and passenger door equipment.  You may be waiting for an elevator machine, all new freight doors, fixtures, controller, safety equipment [rope gripper, governor, safeties], counterweight frame, count etc.

[These machines where built to last!]

How long does equipment take to get?  Elevator equipment use to be a 8-12 week lead time, now we are 12-24 weeks.  And, sometimes if we are having some bad luck we order our equipment from a vendor who starts to have supply chain issues and we wait longer.

 

[During the first modernization they kept the old Westinghouse Elevator machine and motor]

How do we avoid all of these challenges?  Work with your elevator company and plan for the modernization of your freight elevator.  Get pricing, set a date and build your reserves and/or capitalize the project.  Get your deliveries in, make alternate plans for moves, and communicate with the building owners or tenants how long the elevator is going to be out of service. If you do this proactively the project will still be painful for the building but much better than a reactive response to an old elevator. Plan Plan Plan! 

What if we wait and see what happens?  If we wait on taking care of  your work horse there is a possibility of repairs being unreasonable and/or unsafe and the elevator would need to be shut down.  The question for building owners/property managers is how does waiting an extra 12-18 weeks for material affect the building with no freight elevator?

Cool History – These old freight elevators have a lot of cool things that we are never going to see again once they are gone. 

 

[In 1967 this elevator controller was the latest and greatest from CJ Anderson - Harwood Heights]

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.

NAEC – National Association of Elevator Contractors Membership drive

 

November and December the NAEC is having a membership drive.  If you are not a NAEC member and are reading this, get to know NAEC.

The National Association of Elevator Contractors is the premier association representing the elevator industry. National Association of Elevator Contractors serves the interests of the elevator, escalator and accessibility equipment industry by promoting safe and reliable vertical transportation through education, networking with peers, and exposure to new technologies.

Here are the recruiting benefits

-More Suppliers and booths on our Annual Tradeshow floor offering new products!

-More Contractors and Associates attending our Annual Tradeshow and shopping the latest and greatest products!

-Creating new and diverse contacts through NAEC networking events!

-New members will bring new and fresh ideas to help NAEC grow as an association to better help and serve our members!

I will tell you why I think you should be part of the NAEC.

Networking – The events the NAEC have bring the people who you email and talk to on the phone together in person, “hey! Nice to meet you in person!”.  I still tell the story of how we were having a problem with a GAL Galaxy controller and met someone from GAL and explained it to them, they told me to go downstairs and talk to someone, I met up with the person the directed me to tell the mechanic to do X, Y & Z, the mechanic did X, Y & Z and the problem that had been haunting us for weeks went away just like that.  I have many other stories where the people I meet at the conferences and conventions give me their cards and when I have a challenge, I call them and they make my life easier and help solve our problems.

[Gary from Midwest Elevator & Craig from Colley Elevator]

[Frank Automatic Elevator/Quality Elevator and Ray Colley Elevator]

New products – We cannot be on top of every release of a new product, at the convention you see things and go “wow this is a good idea”.

[GAL's Westinghouse door solution]

[Siemens branded shunt/disco]

[Newer buttons from Innovation Industries]

Education – NAEC has both big group education and small group round tables to brush up on things you probably already know, because elevator people know everything, just ask us.  NAEC also has a great program called the VTMP which is for elevator techs moving into the office and non-elevator people to learn the field side of the business so they can be competent.

[Large group education about visual/text A17.1 2019]

[Small group discussions about safety programs and processes]

Opportunities – I started going to NAEC events professionally in the early/mid 2000’s. I did not go with anyone and I did not know anyone.  I went out and met as many people as I could and introduced myself because if I was going to go, I was going to meet people and learn things.  Fast forward 10-12 years and I had the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors and eventually become president of the NAEC.  The people I met and spent time with and discussions I had where invaluable. I lean on people in my network and people lean on me when we need help.  The best thing is, I met a lot of great people over the years.

[A picture right before I addressed the Awards Breakfast as president]

Strength in numbers – As an independent company we will never have the resources of the evil intergalactic empire companies who are out smothering and acquiring.  But!  With our strength in numbers and networking power I can pick up the phone and call people from California, Missouri, Colorado, Arizona, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, the list goes on, if I have an issue with an elevator, with personnel, insurance, 401K, book keeping, anything having to do with running an elevator company.

Young People at your company – Do you have any young people you want to get more involved in the industry and you want them to stick around?  We developed a program called NexGen, it is for elevator industry professionals under 40 to do professional development and encourage them to make their own relationships so they can experience the great things some of the old timers have experienced and experience.  I went on a retreat 10+ years ago and the people I spent time with are still in the industry and it made me pivot from having a job/career to having a passion to be the best elevator person I can be.

Get out of your bubble – A benefit that isn't talked about much is when you go to these events you can concentrate on your business and not be in your business.  Sometimes we need to see some other scenery and get some fresh air in order to see the forest from the trees.

Look into it, get into it, become a better elevator person!  The movers and shakers are going to be at the NAEC events and they are looking to meet you.

Please reach out to Danielle Miller at danielle@naec.org with any questions!

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.