Capital expenditure planning

It is very important for buildings to know how much usable & reliable life the elevator equipment has left in it.  Your elevator maintenance company should be sending you information on modernization of you elevator equipment if it is over 15 years old.  Some elevator systems can last for a very long time, some components can last 10-15 years which others last 40 years. It is in best interest of the building owner and the elevator contractor to have an ongoing dialog of what elevator equipment should be scheduled for replacement and a time line associated with their recommendation.  If direction is not given by the elevator contractor then the building owner will not know what condition the elevator equipment is in and when it should be scheduled for replacement. 

 

If you have any questions or require any additional information you can contact Colley Elevator at 630-766-7230, www.colleyelevator.com or Craigz@colleyelevator.com

State of Illinois elevator certificates

If you own a building that is in an “open territory” Geneva, Winnetka, St. Charles, Hinsdale, etc[you can view a full list on the State of Illinois Fire Marshall website http://www.sfm.illinois.gov/documents/Municipality%20Agreements%20040414.pdf] please be conscience of when your State of Illinois conveyance operation certificate expires.  What an “open territory” means is that the municipality that the building is in did not sign an agreement with the State of Illinois listing a elevator inspection firm to inspect the town or cities elevators.  When the town is not involved it is up to the building owner to get the elevator certified with the State of Illinois.  Many times the inspection corresponds with the annual testing so if the building does not have an maintenance agreement, the testing is not completed and when the inspector does come to the building he will write the building up for not having the testing completed. At this point in time the building owner will have to call an elevator company to complete testing or remedy other violations, line up an inspector to witness the test and release the violations so the building owner can begin the process with the State of Illinois.  This is a process that can go relatively smoothly if building owners and their maintenance companies complete their required paperwork.  Stay on top of the paperwork and make sure you are getting the paper work to the State of Illinois so they get you the certificate in a timely manner and you as a building owner avoid any fines.

 

If you have any questions or require any additional information you can contact Colley Elevator at 630-766-7230, www.colleyelevator.com or Craigz@colleyelevator.com

Chicago hydraulic elevators – Single bottom cylinders

If the building you own, manage or live in has a single bottom cylinder it needs to be replaced, it should have been replaced as of 1/1/14.  This is a City of Chicago mandate that requires all single bottom elevator cylinder to be removed[this was published a few years ago].  We have been seeing more and more buildings being written up and taken to administrative hearings for non compliance.  If there is a question about the elevator in your building having a single bottom cylinder you should ask the elevator maintenance company.  A rule of thumb is that installations after 1972 should have a double bottom elevator cylinder.  While not always accurate that is a good starting point, some elevator companies where manufacturing elevator cylinders with double bottom bulkheads[safety bulkheads] in the 1960’s and some companies did not comply with this until the 1980’s.  There are two solutions to comply with the mandate; one is to replace the cylinder and the other is to install a safety device[the common is a Adams Life Jacket and there are ways to install safeties on a hydraulic elevator, this is less common]

 

If you have any questions or require any additional information you can contact Colley Elevator at 630-766-7230, www.colleyelevator.com or Craigz@colleyelevator.com

Home elevators & door to gate clearances

There has been a lot of talk about rule and law changes recently in regard to injuries from children[smaller people] getting in-between residential elevators doors and gates.  On some of the residential elevator systems that are installed it is possible for a small person to get between the door and the elevator gate and the lift to take off and crush the person.  A person getting stuck in between the gate and the door is even more prevalent when a flexible accordion gate is used on the lift.  There are ways to install infrared sensors and other safety options on new and existing lifts.  New safety devices my cost more money, however, it will eliminate the possibility of injury or death.   With more and more people choosing to live in town homes or houses with residential style lifts please be careful and consult and elevator professional to advise you on options for your specific lift.  You may review more information on this topic at http://www.fairwarning.org/2013/12/elevator/

 
If you have any questions or require any additional information please feel free to contact Colley Elevator at 630-766-7230 or www.colleyelevator.com

Required elevator maintenance - State of Illinois

Elevator maintenance is now required in the State of Illinois by the State of Illinois Fire Marshall.  The State of Illinois requires that all elevators are to have a MCP or maintenance control plan, maintenance records, wiring diagrams and code data plate.  Within the MCP is supposed to a maintenance plan for that specific elevator. One elevator, one maintenance control plan.  The new A17.1 2013 code which includes stronger wording on what the MCP document is supposed to be will be adopted by the State of Illinois in the next few months or sooner.  If your building does not have a maintenance agreement with a State of Illinois licensed elevator contractor, get in touch.  While it is required by law to have a maintenance control program, it is also a good idea to have elevator maintenance to keep the elevator in a reliable and safe working manner.  The elevator system may be the most complicate piece of machinery in the building and if not well maintained can be very expensive to repair or lead to unsafe conditions.  Preventative maintenance will prolong the life of the elevator system as well as catch small problems before they become larger and more expensive problems to resolve and more importantly could prevent someone from being injured.

 

If you have any questions or require more information you may reach Colley Elevator at 630-766-7230 or www.colleyelevator.com

Elevator door restrictors

This is a reminder to all buildings in the State of Illinois with elevators that door restrictors should have been installed by 1/1/14.  If you do not have a door restrictor installed get one installed.  This is a permitted process which does take time and the final installation may require a municipal inspection.  If you currently have a door restrictor and it is partially installed or has been disabled, call the elevator maintenance company you use to have them repair the door restrictor.

 

The function of the door restrictor is to restrict the car door from opening and closing when it is outside of the door zone, which typically is 18” above or below the floor.  There are both mechanical and electronic door restrictors that can be installed. 

If you have more questions or require any information on door restrictors you can go to www.colleyelevator.com or call our office at 630-766-7230.

Change in weather change in elevator sounds in the hoistway

It appears the weather is breaking in Chicago and we will be getting warmer weather on a consistent basis. For most low rise elevator systems we use guide shoes which ride the elevators on the four corners of the elevator sling[which is holds the elevator cab].  Most of the guides have plastic inserts that make contact with the rails. With the changing temperatures and levels of humidity we see the lubricants we use on the guide rails change composition, therefore it may be necessary to lubricate the rails with a different lubricant or reapply a lubricant to the guide rails.  If you begin hearing some noises in the hoist way going up and down, most of the time there is no need to worry, call your elevator maintenance company it may just needs a reapplication of lubrication or a different lubrication dependent if the weather is going from cold to warm or the humidity is going low to mid-range.

For more information on elevator maintenance you can find more information at www.colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230