Crazy dangerous freight elevator pit - Repost - Stairway to heaven

This is a repost from 2016, it is probably the most unique elevator environment I have ever seen.  If you want to see the original post it was from 5/15/2016

[Elevator pit looks wonderful, well lit - the hatch also has no doors]

[This way to the hot water heaters and building mechanicals]

[Old machine room - Machine room looks great]

[Elevator power is still on]

[This is what can come down on your head]

Since my visit to this building in 2016 I haven't seen anything quite like it.  As anyone in the industry can attest to, we see a lot of interesting things you would never think would or could be.  The wildest part of the building is that the owner blocked up the other access to the building mechanicals[which was from the outside], the only way to service any of the building mechanicals was through the elevator pit.  I was told, at one time, building security was an issue.

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 or on our web page at www.colleyelevator.com

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

Elevator maintenance intervals and OEM monitoring options

As technology advances, we see more and more options to replace human beings with computer systems. In our industry we see more and more opportunities to replace the most expensive part of our maintenance expense, the people.  Before we replace all of the people hours in the realm of elevator maintenance there are somethings we should pay attention to.

Yesterday

People/labor -  Years ago it was standard that each hydraulic elevator got one hour per month for elevator maintenance and traction elevators got at least 2 hours a month for maintenance.  You knew your elevator person and the building developed a relationship with the person.  The elevator mechanic knew the quarks in your elevator system.

Equipment - These elevators were relay logic and required maintenance to be completed on the relays. Our traction elevators had motor generators that needed to be maintained and monitored. Maintenance on relay logic controllers and generators is an art. Our elevators did not have all of the life|safety devices[phones, emergency lights, fireman’s recall, etc] as they do now.  Our elevator pits did not have as many sump pumps, fire recall detectors and other non-elevator related devices in the hoistway.

[Older elevator controllers have more items that should be reviewed on a regular basis]]

[This old gem has two motor generators that should be looked at, at least once a month]

Today

People/labor - Today original equipment manufacturers such as Otis, Schindler, Thyssen Krupp, Kone are not going to buildings as frequently as yesterday and are driving more maintenance agreements to go to a quarterly basis versus monthly basis.  More and more companies are going to team maintenance which give 2 mechanics 400-500 elevators to have in their portfolio to maintain, service, respond to service calls, complete testing and any other request.  We call the new normal a Super Route.  With the assumption that we have 20 working days in a month and work 8 hours a day we have 160 work hours to complete all of our tasks as an elevator mechanic.  More often than not, the numbers do not add up.

Equipment - Most of the older elevator systems that have relay logic systems have been replaced with solid state systems. Our new elevators all have phones, phone line monitoring, emergency lights, firemen recall phase I & II and we have more non elevator devices in our hoist way such as sump pumps and fire recall detectors.

Tomorrow

People/labor – If there is a linear relationship between yesterday and today and you reflect that relationship to today and tomorrow, we as an industry will not be visiting your buildings very often. We as an elevator industry are implementing and deploying elevator monitoring systems.  What these elevator monitoring systems are doing are monitoring electricity and noises to identify issues or potential issues.

Equipment – Our elevator equipment will become more sophisticated and have more life safety devices. Each time there is an elevator death we as an industry react to prevent that accident from occurring again.  This means one more device or feature added to your elevator system that needs to be tested/checked.  Perhaps brand new elevators can be monitored remotely for a certain period of time and not visited, cleaned or looked at.  Is your elevator brand new?

[The device circle is an elevator monitor - this elevator is not brand new 15-20 years old]

Advancement in elevator monitoring – The advancing elevator technology to do predictive modeling and monitoring your elevator system is pretty impressive.  We can capture faults on elevators, we can tell if the elevator is shut down, we can monitor electricity and noise and develop predictive modeling algorithms which design standard deviation curves from normal usage and flag items when they fall outside the 1st or 2^nd deviation.  Sounds great, easy, sign the deal, right?  Well keep reading.

Monthly elevator code required testing – Our elevator code requires a few items that do need to be checked each month.  If an elevator mechanic doesn’t go to a building each month, who will complete these tasks?

Fireman’s service exercising – Every month the elevator phase I key switch must be turned, the elevator captured at the main landing, the phase II key switch turned to the on position and the elevator taken to one landing, cycle the doors to make sure all functions of FEO are working correctly and then returned to the main landing. 

Phone – The elevator phone should be checked each month.  Newer elevators have elevator phone line monitoring, this is a device at your main landing that will check your phone and phone line at intervals.  If your elevator system was not installed under the 2013 code or newer it will not have this feature and someone should push the button each month to see if it is operating correctly. 

Softside or non-quantifiable reasons to rethink the interval trends – As we progress as an industry we are removing labor hours away from elevator maintenance.  Instead of monthly we go quarterly.  Instead of someone actually walking into your building we have a computer monitor your elevator system.

          Housekeeping - Here is some quick math to review. 

Monthly visits – 1 hour per month = 12 hours per year

Quarterly visits – 1 hour per quarter = 4 hours per year 

Moving from a monthly visit to a quarterly or “as needed systematic” visit is a 75% reduction in time you have an actual person in your building maintaining the equipment.  What gets lost? Time for Housekeeping, attention to detail, familiarity with the specific elevator requirements. The list goes on.

Below are some pictures of elevators we have recently taken over from companies that have “Super Routes” that visit buildings on a “regular systematic as needed basis”.

[This is a building that had an OEM with a route mechanic that was overloaded, there had been no housekeeping for years]

[A super route's elevator pit]

[This hasn't been wiped off in a while - building was paying the elevator company monthly]

[OEM had this elevator for 15+ years since installation]

[First month with Colley]

[Elevator pit when we took over]

[Elevator pit after first month of Colley maintenance]

Softside – When you go into buildings on a regular basis and actually look in the elevator pit and car top you will find things out that can save the building money and headaches.  The picture below is from a school, if the water came up any more it would have evacuated the entire school because the elevator pit was flooding.  We got to the building on our maintenance visit just in time to identify the sump pump wasn’t working.

[We caught this in the nick of time - if we did not get here, the alarm would have went off and the school would have been evacuated.]

Take away – Each building has different requirements for maintenance based on usage, age, traffic patterns, environment and several other factors.  A 6 story condominium with 60 units requires different maintenance than a 3 story building with 12 units.  There is no one program that fits all buildings.  An elevator mechanic is only as good as the tools he is given from the company he works for, if the company doesn’t give the mechanic the time, material and equipment to properly maintain an elevator it will be impossible to maintain an elevator system properly. Big names, flashy products and sales person promises do not necessarily translate into better maintenance and a longer elevator system life.  If we don't come in your buildings because we have "systematic or regular" visits or our routes are too large, we cannot care for your equipment.  Something to think about before signing your next elevator contract.  Easy solution is to ask and make sure your concerns are included in the next contract, do not take the sales person's word.

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 or on our web page at www.colleyelevator.com

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

Health and Welfare – Covid 19 – Please Remember 3 Things

 

I tirelessly beat on the drum that in our lives right now 3 things should take priority.

     1.    Social distancing

2.    Washing our hands/sanitizing our hands

3.    Wearing masks

In Illinois we have been #1 in positive cases for about 2 weeks, the numbers are sky rocketing. From coast to coast, from hemisphere to hemisphere we are all tired.  Please listen, please respect science, please do not look in the mirror and tell yourself what you are doing will not affect someone else.

Our actions or inactions can save lives, businesses, jobs, mental health, education, the list goes on.

Please be careful out 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 or on our web page at www.colleyelevator.com

Colley Elevator Lunch Stimulus Program – Support Your Local Restaurants

 

Earlier in the year we had an initiative at Colley to buy lunch for our shop and office staff when the State of Illinois shuttered our restaurant dining rooms.  The State of Illinois once again has closed our dining rooms as our Illinois infection numbers sky rocket.  We again will be supporting our local restaurants.  If you work at a company, suggest this to your manager. Or if you are a manager, answer the call to help support our independent local businesses that are being hammered once again during the shutdown.  

At our office we take turns picking a local spot to get food, the company pays for it, we all eat well and feel good about supporting our local service industry brothers and sisters.  The fun part is finding new local places. Here is a list of the spots we have supported since 10/26/20[beginning of the 2^nd

shutdown].

10/26/2020                Joey C's - Bensenville, IL[brought to us by Smartrise Engineering - Thanks Smartrise!]

10/27/2020                El Famous Burrito - Elmhurst, IL

10/28/2020                Kebab House - Bensenville, IL

10/29/2020                Mama Marias Pizza - Bensenville, IL

10/30/2020                Fry the Coop - Elmhurst, IL

11/2/2020                  Fred's Place - Elmhurst, IL

11/4/2020                  Rosalias Deli - Elmhurst, IL

11/5/2020                  Gauc N Tac - Elmhurst, IL

11/6/2020                  Fry the Coop - Elmhurst, IL

11/9/2020                  Mi Quetzal - Bensenville, IL

11/10/2020                Stray Hen - Elmhurst, IL

11/12/20                    El Famous Burrito - Elmhurst, IL

11/13/20                    Christopher's Place - Elmhurst, IL

11/16/20                    Ozzies Subs - North Lake, IL

11/17/20                    Kebab House - Bensenville, IL

11/18/20                    Yorkies - Elmhurst, IL

11/19/20                    Joey C's - Bensenville, IL

11/20/20                    Portillos - Northlake, IL

11/23/20                    Nanas - Elmhurst, IL

11/24/20                    Christophers - Elmhurst, IL

11/25/20                   Clubhouse - Oak Brook, IL

11/30/20                    Larianos - Elmhurst, IL

12/1/20                       Zenwich - Elmhurst, IL

12/2/20                       Currito - Elmhurst, IL

12/3/20                        Rainbow Cafe - Elmhurst, IL

12/4/20                        Larianos - Elmhurst, IL

12/7/20                        Fitzs - Elmhurst, IL

12/8/20                        Christophers - Elmhurst, IL

12/9/20                        Sweet Baby Ray's - Wood Dale, IL

12/10/20                      Rosati's - Elmhurst, IL

12/11/20                      Mi Quetzal - Bensenville, IL

12/14/20                      Joey C's - Bensenville, IL

12/15/20                       Kebab House - Bensenville, IL

12/16/20                       Rainbow Cafe - Elmhurst, IL

12/17/20                        El Famous Burrito - Elmhurst, IL

12/18/20                        Hamburger Heaven - Elmhurst, IL 

12/21/20                        Yorkies - Elmhurst, IL

12/22/20                        Mama Marias Pizza - Bensenville, IL

12/23/20                        Nanas - Elmhurst, IL

12/24/20                        Portillos - Elmhurst, IL

12/28/20                        Ozzies Sub - Melrose Park, IL

12/29/20                        Kebab House - Bensenville, IL

12/30/20                        Gauc N' Tac - Elmhurst, IL

12/31/20                        Fly The Coup - Elmhurst, IL

We will continue to support our local restaurants until their dining rooms are allowed to open once again.  You should too!  We are fortunate enough to work in a wonderful industry that hasn’t been hit that hard with any of the State’s actions to curb the spread of Covid 19. If you or your company can afford it, answer the call and order for you and your staff or coworkers.

For our favorite traveling sales people who cannot travel and take us out to lunch, bring donuts, etc., we will gladly allocate your expense fund to support our local guys!  Smartrise Engineering bought our lunch on 10/26/20!  Thank you Smartrise!

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 or on our web page at www.colleyelevator.com

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

Hydraulic elevator modernization – Chicago, IL – Fireman’s Emergency Operation mandate upgrade FEO

 

We recently completed an elevator modernization on a 7 stop hydraulic elevator in Chicago, IL.  The existing Dover Elevator was installed in 1999.  The City of Chicago had a Fireman’s Emergency Operation mandate requirement for Phase II operation to be in compliance by 1/1/17.  The Dover DMC platform failed one of the items the City of Chicago mandated and the building opted to modernize their elevator system in lieu of attempting a software/wiring update or fire service auxiliary panel.

Elevator Controller – Smartrise Engineering

Elevator Hydraulic Power Unit – MEI

Elevator Door Operator – GAL

Elevator Fixtures – Innovation

 

Elevator control system – The existing control system was a bullet proof Dover DMC which was operating well and reliably.  We replaced the DMC with a Smartrise Engineering control system.

 

Elevator hydraulic power unit – The building was a 60’+ bore hole hydraulic so we opted to replace it with a dry unit.  At one time there was a feeling that submersible power units where the answer for all hydraulic elevator needs.  For higher travels, we have retained dry units for the efficiency of motors and reduction in hydraulic noise.  We worked with Minnesota Elevator on the power unit.  The unit is fairly large but it sounds and operates great.

 

Elevator door operating system – We replaced the Dover door operator with a GAL MOVFR.  Along with the door operator replacement we replaced all the rollers, interlock contacts, clutch release rollers, clutch, gibs, etc. 

 

Elevator fixtures – The Dover Impulse series elevator fixtures were replaced with all new Innovation Industries hall and car fixtures.

Challenges - We had a few challenges on the project:

Power unit size – This new power unit was massive and the machine room was not big.  Our engineering, shop and project teams made the swap like clockwork.  Most of the credit is for our project team for the heavy lifting. 

Door operator & cab height – The elevator has a very tall cab and center parting doors which made the geometry of the arms challenging.  We worked with GAL and the operator went on great with no issues.

Time line – The building wanted the replacement to be completed with limited downtime.  The project team worked 12 hour days and delivered the elevator on time. The inspection went great and the building got their elevator back to service as discussed months prior. 

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 or on our web page at www.colleyelevator.com

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

The Importance of Elevator Maintenance Transparency/Showing Up and FEO

Last week we had the opportunity to look at a group of buildings that had an interest in seeing what else is out there.  The buildings had kept the multinational company who had installed the elevators 15 years ago.  A new property manager was hired about a year ago and suggested that the buildings should look at alternatives, if nothing more, to know what they are getting compared to what is out there.

The building had no idea when the elevator mechanic shows up, if they show up or what they do.  This is a common response because typically we have keys to the building and typically no one else enters the machine room.

 The walk through was fairly typical with exception of a few items

                1.   Potential leaky packings

    2.   Elevator pit hasn’t been cleaned since construction

    3.   Water in the elevator pit

 

Leaky packing? Is this a leaky packing or has someone not cleaned out the oil pan for 5 years?  Hard to say when you do not even know when the last time someone was at the building.   I often give the analogy of the HVAC person who comes to your home twice a year and most of the time you have no idea what they do.  If you opened up your furnace and saw something like this, would you think they are doing their job?  Or would you feel taken advantage of?

 

Construction dust - This elevator pit doesn’t appear to have been cleaned from construction.  A clean elevator pit will not make your elevator run better.  A clean elevator pit is something we should be doing because it is part of our job as housekeeping.  A clean pit is also an indication of you have someone who takes pride in their job and most likely is looking at the more technical items as well.  If in the last 15 years an elevator company has been cashing your checks but never took the time to clean the pit, I would ask some questions.

 

Water in the elevator pit - The water in an elevator pit with piping corrosion is concerning because you could have a hydraulic issue and a pipe can blow out or when a hole is developed in the pipe from rust, someone could trip and fall out of the elevator.  We recently inherited an elevator pit that had been wet on and off over the last 10 years. Their piping developed a hole and sprayed oil everywhere in the hoistway, which triggered a service call.  Once reviewed, the breach required the car to be shut off.  When we replaced the compromised piping, which was the initial cause, and went to replace the Victaulics on other parts of the piping we discovered that the entire line needed to be changed due to corrosion.  It took more time and more money. If we are going to a building on a regular basis we should be looking at this and letting the building know they need their sump fixed.  Elevator pit sumps fail on a regular basis, this is part of our job to look at during our maintenance visit.  While our visits cost you money, they can save you money when we find items like a broken sump pump in the elevator pit.  *The building also has a responsibility to act when they are told they have items to complete.

Maintenance records - The elevator code requires maintenance records be kept in the elevator machine room.  Larger multinational firms have digital records accessible to building owners/property management which typically never make it into the machine room.  The elevator code indicates maintenance records are to be accessible to elevator personnel, inspectors, sales people, etc at all times. Colley Elevator is a proponent of having maintenance records in the elevator room to follow the elevator code.  Having maintenance records in the elevator machine room is a best practice and will also keep your elevator company honest.

Take away – The elevator industry, as a whole, is coming to buildings less and less. This is a trend which overloads elevator route mechanics. Your maintenance agreement most likely says maintenance “as needed” or “systematic”. If your only interaction with the elevator company is getting a bill and writing a check, find out what they are doing and when they are doing it.  I would recommend to insist that the contract indicate in writing how often someone is coming. If you have maintenance records in the elevator room, it is as simple as a building owner/manager going to the room and looking.  The reason I like records in the machine room is because a person can complete their electronic form from their car without even going into the building. If you have written records in the machine room, we have to actually go into the building.  There are a lot of good companies out there that will supply you with transparency, written records and are accountable.  If you do not have one, find one, they are out there.

Maintenance intervals/quarterly vs monthly – Something that should be brought up here is that if a building is paying for quarterly visits on a hydraulic elevator you most likely will get about 4 hours of maintenance a year.  Historically the elevator industry was going to hydraulic elevators each month and about 12 hours a year.  When there is less time given/paid for maintenance, there is less time for a technician do his/her job correctly. Not to mention that we should be checking Fireman's Emergency Operation (FEO) once a month per code.

 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 or on our web page at www.colleyelevator.com

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

Making Elevator Car Tops and Pits Great Again! Virus Free!

In 2014 we had 900 elevators in our maintenance portfolio.  In 2020 we will be surpassing 1800.  We have a wonderful group of IUEC maintenance technicians/mechanics. Part of the success we have experienced has been giving our mechanics the time to complete maintenance, which includes cleaning.  Unfortunately when we do pick up accounts from other companies, sometimes they do not look so great and require a lot of work. 

This building was working with multinational company A prior to signing up with us.  Disclaimer - sometimes the elevator mechanics for large companies do not get the time to perform maintenance because they have 500 elevators on their routes. Please find some pictures from our first visit before and after.  This is the real deal!  I love seeing this on our first(s) visit to the building.  Let’s make car tops and pits great again!  Way to go to the elevator mechanic who did this!  

 

[Car top before our first visit]

[Car top after our first visit]

[Elevator pit before our first visit]

[Elevator pit after our first visit]

Why does a clean job matter?  This is a great question.  This week I spoke to a customer where I was doing engineering for a component replacement and was on the car top explaining our maintenance program. I came off all dusty and grimy.  I explained when we come on, we will clean your car top and pit so the elevator mechanic doesn't have to worry about tracking dust and grime all over your building if they want to fix something or do work.  If you have a clean car top and pit, you probably have a mechanic that is looking at other items like; door belts, starter contacts, making sure your rails are lubed, etc.  In the building I just visited, where we are starting maintenance this month, had been cavitating[making noise due to being low on oil].  The building had just spent $80,000.00 with multinational elevator company B to replace their cylinder.  The packing was leaking, oil in the pit, the solution was fixing the fitting on the reclamation pump.  This issue would be something the multinational company would have found if they took the time to inspect the elevator correctly.  Instead we have a new customer who is thrilled not to have their elevator screaming while it reaches the top floor.   

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 or on our web page at www.colleyelevator.com

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