Traction Elevator Modernization – Evanston, IL

We recently turned over cars #6 & #7 for a building owner who has a campus in Evanston, IL.  This was a very daunting task due to spatial constraints in the elevator machine room.  The first time anyone walked into the machine room, there would be quite a bit of apprehension of how this would be completed.  The project team knocked it out of the park!

Existing elevator & project scope – We replaced the machine, elevator controller, fixtures, door operators and the associated door equipment on both elevators.

New equipment providers

Controllers – Motion Control Engineering

Door operators – GAL MOVFR w/new GAL equipment

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Machine – Hollister Whitney

Cab interior & door frames – Eklunds

Hatch and car doors – Peelle Company

Elevator controller – The existing Otis Elevators were from 1952 and had served the building well.  However it was time for proactive upgrades to a newer, more reliable, elevator system that had more safety features.  The biggest upside here is we got to remove the Otis pie plate selectors which freed up a lot of room in the machine room.

[Old Otis 1952 traction elevator controller]

[New Motion Control Engineering[MCE] Traction elevator controller]

Elevator door operators – We replaced all of the existing Otis door equipment and door operator with new GAL components.

[Car top prior to elevator modernization]

[Car top after elevator modernization]

Elevator fixtures – We installed Innovation Industries hall and car fixtures to replace the original Otis/Adams fixtures. 

[Old elevator Adams car station push buttons]

[New Innovation industries car station push buttons]

Machine – We removed the Otis machines and installed new Hollister Whitney foot mounted motor machines. 

[Old Otis 1952 traction elevator machine]

[New Hollister Whitney traction elevator machine]

[Old Otis 1952 traction elevator machine]

[New Hollister Whitney traction elevator machine]

Elevator interiors & Door frames – Eklunds completed the cab interior work and door frames, Colley Elevator installed new car and hoistway Peele Doors. 

[Elevator door frames and doors before elevator modernization]

[Elevator door frames and doors after elevator modernization]

[Elevator interior after elevator modernization]

Building/GC relationship – The facility is part of a larger campus system that hired a GC/CM to work with us on this elevator project.  We have a great building owner and a great CM that helped our project team complete their project.

Take away – We encourage building owners take a proactive approach to equipment replacement.  When equipment gets to be 20-30 years old[in this case 70 years old], and a building’s expectations are that the elevators continue to run reliably, it is a good idea to start planning for the equipment's replacement and developing a plan.

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 crane assist we had 17 Colley Elevator employees who 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!  Let’s not forget our great material supplier participation!

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 Picture Hall of Fame 2023 – Volume 2

The Hall of Fame posts are typically some of the more popular blogs in the Colley blog history. We get to see a lot of elevators during the year at our initial visits for pricing or during engineering for projects.  Of the hundreds of elevators and thousands of pictures we look at, these are some of the gems I've seen this past year.

Gooey Goo – We actually ran into 2 or 3 EECO UV5 valves that had the same issue in the last few months.  Three of the same vintages valves, same gooey goo.

Ribbon Cable Medusa – We have been chasing an account for a number of years and I get to see this picture every year. Sadly the building has been saying “hey!  We are staying with our current vendor”.  This year is the year we get to start working on the mythical creature that has been hiding in the caves of Greece.   One size ribbon cable fits all!  

  

Remember These? – There are only a few things cooler in an elevator controller than a 3 ¼” floppy; a 5 ½” floppy and a cassette tape for memory back up.  I used these guys to play World Games on my parent's Apple IIgs!  Anyone for Caper Toss?  If you need a converter from 3 1/4" to USB just go to Radio Shack, they have them.

 

Fractured PVC – We did a cylinder project after taking over an account and were surprised when we pulled this up.  A bit of a surprise for the cylinder replacement team when this came out of the ground.  I get to go on most of our cylinder leaks to put a 2^nd set of eyes on them and thought it was a bit early for a 2000 era elevator to have a cylinder leak, but… now we know why.

 

I Love Electrical Tape – I like electrical tape as much as the next person but this is a bit much.  Jiminy Crickets this could have been done differently for a customer who paid for a new elevator modernization.

 

Great Pits – While most of the pictures in this post are laughable or disturbing, this is actually really great to see.  We have an elevator pit painted and well maintained.  I wish we would see more of this!  Great work whoever did this!

 

Furry Fan – I went to a few buildings in Rogers Park – Chicago, IL and sometimes they are not good fits for us.  I walked into this machine room and saw starter parts all over the floor and when I went on the car top, I saw this.  The elevator maintenance company was going once a month to this building and I’d imagine this fan had not been cleaned since it was installed sometime in 2006/7.  A fan isn’t going to make the elevator run better but it sure is indicative of the care that is being shown to the elevator system.  I'm shocked that the started contacts welded at this building.

 

Too Tall Jones – Someone should have put their glasses on making the elevator pit, that is a very tall corrective device on the bottom of the 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.

Chicago Elevator Association Annual Golf Outing 2023 - Klein Creek Golf Course

 

The longest running elevator association in North America, Chicago Elevator Association, had their annual golf outing and Klein Creek Golf Course – Winfield, IL on 8/4/23.  It was a shot gun start at 1pm with dinner at 6:30pm.  We had over 100 people sign up for golf.

After golf was dinner and the legendary raffle!  A huge EESF 50/50 raffle.  Great golf, great dinner, great networking, great fun!  This is a great event where we get to interact with our suppliers and other elevator contractors in a relaxed laid back setting.  

Thank you to our sponsors for the outing

James Monroe

Parts Specialist

Adams Elevator

H & H Industrial Motor Service

CE Electronics

Canton Elevator

EMS Group

AFD

Mator

Donnelly & Associates

Dupar/ERM

Formula Systems

Vantage

Peelle

SCS

SEES

ESI

MEI

CJ Anderson

Innovation Industries

IUEC

Monitor Controls/Virginia Controls

Kings II

Hyperion

ELSCO

Smartrise

EPCO

Contech Fire Alarm

Quality Elevator

Draka

If you are a Chicago area elevator contractor, get involved.  If you are a supplier who isn’t part of the CEA, get involved.  It would be great to see you at our next meeting.

https://cea-online.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.

Apples To Apples Elevator Modernization – Decision Making Process

For condominium boards, an elevator modernization is one of the most expensive and complicated processes and during their time on the board or as decision makers.  You could need to modernize due to obsolescence, age or to ensure reliability.  How do you know what to do?

Step 1 – Talk to your elevator service provider about how your elevator is doing and where it is in its life cycle.  A quick conversation with your salesperson or service supervisor could help you and your building plan better.  Get general pricing and information on recommended general scope and what other work, also called “work by others”, is required when you go into the endeavor. 

Step 2 – When it is time to get formal proposals, have a general understanding of the proposal and what is being replaced as well as what is being retained. Have a general understanding of costs and trades associated with electrical work, visual monitoring and fire panel work that may need to be completed in conjunction with your elevator modernization.

Step 3 – Obtain proposals from different companies, meet them, talk to them, get their take on your project, what should be completed, and what they can offer.  Make sure they answer your calls and/or emails when you have questions.  If you’re building is very proactive with communication and likes to ask questions on Saturday, and wants an answer on Saturday, that your sales person is available.  Some sales people/companies are 9am-5pm M-F, some sales people/companies are 24/7 with their communication.  Get a feeling for what companies fit your building’s needs for communication.

Step 4 – Review the proposals to see how they are different, highlight the areas you do not understand, take notes, and go back to that specific company and ask questions.  Communicate with the other companies and ask questions about why their proposal may look different.  Unfortunately all 3 of your modernization contracts may look very different, include different items, and have different language.  We recommend that if there is someone you feel comfortable with and are leaning towards, work with that person to assist you in understanding the differences.  We spend a lot of time walking building owners/managers through differences in proposals; we want a building owner to feel comfortable and understand what we are proposing and why.

Step 5 – Make a decision.  When you make a decision make sure you understand future costs of elevator modernization, costs of “work by others”, lead times, cylinder hole potentials, time the elevator will be out of service, what storage requirements your contractor may have while on site and other items that may pop up during the project.  We would like to talk about them now versus when we go onsite.

Apples to apples – This is a challenge when reviewing contracts for non-elevator personnel.  We have seen some companies become more competitive when quoting, but they leave work out.  If there is a reason not to change a part, that is ok, but you should understand and be aware of what is included in company A versus company B & C.  If your elevator is 50 years old and company A & B is including all part replacements for car and hatch door equipment and company C is not, company C’s price will look better, but they also are doing a different scope. Above you have two different contracts, one includes door operators and door work[clutch, door rollers, interlock assemblies, door contacts, gibs], one only includes a door operator. Make sure you know what you are getting and that you are OK not getting what you are not getting.

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 – 2nd Quarter 2023

As we wrap up the 2nd quarter and move on to the 3rd, we are donating money to 5 great groups that have been suggested by Colley Elevator employees. This has become such a cool program that allows Colley Elevator employees to help the philanthropic organizations they feel strongly about. We will be sending our donations out shortly. Thank you team Colley and thank you to these great groups that do great things every day!

History on Colley Cares - Colley Elevator has had a history of making donations to our customer’s causes, foundations, fundraisers, etc. During the last 2 1/2 years, we have done several additional philanthropic initiatives to give back to our communities amid the Covid 19 pandemic. During one of our sales meetings we came up with a new way to give back; we make an additional donation when we book each of our mod projects. That pool of money is then divided to go to five different organizations.

2nd Quarter Group

 

Misericordia – https://www.misericordia.com - Misericordia offers a community of care that maximizes potential for persons with mild to profound developmental disabilities, many of whom are also physically challenged. By serving society’s most vulnerable citizens, Misericordia also serves the families who want the best for them, yet cannot provide it at home. Our company chose this organization in memory of Cathy Thompson – Thompson Elevator Inspection.

Feed My Starving Children - https://www.fmsc.org- Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) believes hope starts with food. As a Christian nonprofit, FMSC is dedicated to seeing every child whole in body and spirit. FMSC works with food distribution partners that stay with communities for the long haul, empowering them to move from relief to development. This was a suggestion from Account Manager Alex M.

Officer Down Memorial - https://www.odmp.org- The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc., (ODMP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring America's fallen law enforcement officers. More than 26,000 officers have died in the line of duty in the United States since 1776 and ODMP is honored to preserve their memories and give friends, family, other officers, and citizens alike the opportunity to remember the fallen and honor their sacrifices. . This was a suggestion from Julie J. in our office.

 

Marklund - https://www.marklund.org/ - Marklund is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization that serves infants, children, teens and adults with serious and profound developmental disabilities and special healthcare needs. This was a suggestion from Elevator Mechanic Sam V.

 

Elevator Museum – https://theelevatormuseuminc.org/- The Elevator Museum was built to preserve the history and artifacts of this great trade. They go back in time to show the origins and importance the elevator trade had within our country. They have assembled one of the largest collections of antique elevator artifacts in the world today. This was a suggestion from Managing Partner Craig Z.

3rd Quarter line up scheduled for support

The Trees Remember – In memory of Ray Zomchek

Little Free Library

Friends of Petraits

Haymarket Center

American Camp Association


Other groups we have supported over the years through Colley Cares, all of which have been selected by Colley Elevator employees.

4Ocean

American Cancer Society

Ann & Robert H Lurie Children’s Hospital

Bensenville Wood Dale Food Pantry

Boy Scouts of America

Boys & Girls Clubs – Impact Center

Christmas Without Cancer

Elmhurst Yorkville Food Pantry

Family Health Partnership Clinic

Gateway Green

Greater Chicago Food Depository

Highland Park Community Foundation

Howard Brown Health

Locks Of Love

MADD Illinois

Maryville Academy

McHenry Hospital

NEDSRA

One Tail At A Time

Parents And Friends Of The Ludeman Center

Pillars Community Health

Ray Graham Association

Red Cross – Hurricane Ian Support

Red Cross – Ukraine Support

Ronald McDonald House, Chicagoland & NW Indiana

Save-A-Pet Illinois

Take A Vet Fishing

Toy Box Connection

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 Modernization – Chicago, IL

 

We recently started a 3 car hydraulic elevator modernization at a group of buildings with Westinghouse relay logic controls. We started working with the building in 2018, taking over from Schindler. The building was having a lot of problems and wanted a new look at the elevators, but where not ready to modernize yet. We quieted down the problems and the cars where running really well. 

The building had time to plan for modernization and where ready to pull the trigger on the elevator modernization in late 2022 for a 2023 delivery. They hired an elevator consultant who solicited multiple bids from elevator contractors. In the end, the building choose to work with Colley based on our positive ongoing relationship and competitive modernization pricing 

Existing elevator & project scope – We replaced the elevator controller, fixtures, door operators w/associated door equipment and hydraulic power unit. 

New equipment providers

Controllers – Smartrise Engineering

Door operators – GAL MOVFR w/new Adams/Westinghouse hatch door equipment

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Power unit – MEI w/Maxton valves

Cab interior – Cabworks

Hatch and car doors – Peelle Company 

Elevator controller – The existing elevator had Westinghouse relay logic controllers which were very popular in the Chicago market. Great when they are working great; when they begin to have issues they have a lot of failure points. That's the nature of a relay logic control system with so many contact points and wires. We installed a Smartrise Hydraulic Elevator controller with Siemens solid state starter.

 

[Existing Westinghouse relay logic elevator controller] 

[New Smartrise hydraulic elevator controller] 

Elevator door operators – We replaced the original Westinghouse door equipment that had the 3 micro switches on the open and close. We put a new GAL MOVFR door operator on, replaced the Westinghouse hatch equipment with new Westinghouse hatch equipment, and new GAL door tracks and car door equipment. The cabs are tall cabs.

[The spec called for new door tracks and new car doors]

[New hatch doors from Peelle Company]

Elevator fixtures – We installed Innovation Industries hall and car fixtures to replace the original Westinghouse fixtures. We used some cool bar buttons and have future considerations for a security fob.

 

[Existing Westinghouse car operating panel] 

[New Innovation Industries car operating panel] 

Hydraulic power unit – We removed the Westinghouse submersible power unit with an EECO UV5 valve. The new equipment is an  MEI submersible power unit with a Maxton UC4 valve.

 

[New machine room & submersible power unit from MEI w/Maxton UC4 valve] 

Elevator interiors – Chicago’s own Cabworks did an interior refresh on the elevators.

[Existing cab interior before modernization] 

 

[New cab interior by Cabworks] 

Attention to detail – The team who completed this work did a great job on the big parts of the project as well as the non-essential parts. One of the stand out items were their painting of the elevator pit which put the finishing touches on this great elevator modernization.

[Pit equipment pre-MOD] 

[Pit equipment post-MOD] 

Turnkey – The building wanted a turnkey project and we had great partners to complete our fire alarm and electrical components. The elevator was inspected without a punch list by the City of Chicago Building Department on its first inspection.

Take away – We encourage building owners take a proactive approach to equipment replacement. When equipment gets to 20-30 years old and a building’s expectations are that the elevators are to run reliably, it's a good idea to start thinking about when your equipment should be replaced and develop a plan.

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 assistance when needed, 14 Colley Elevator employees where involved in the project and we had tremendous team work. Thank you everyone. Without you we would not have had such a successful delivery! Thanks also to our great material supplier participation!

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.

Independence Day – 4th of July 2023 – 115 Years of being an Independent Elevator Contractor

 

It is Independence Day in the States and we have been an independent elevator contractor for over 115 years in the Chicagoland area. 

We have large multinational companies who do a majority of the new construction and elevator installation.  The challenge with having an OEM or multinational elevator contractor install your equipment is that you may be stuck with them as a vendor until the market can catch up with becoming competent with their equipment.  If multinational company XYX installs your elevator, no one else has technical support to assist in repairing the elevator system, this is a challenge for us until we collect the knowledge and domain experience in troubleshooting their specific elevator system.   You will either pay up front for elevator installation or on the back end. 

 As an independent elevator contactor we have the freedom to maintain your elevators at what we believe is the correct level.  We will come monthly or quarterly as it states on our contracts.  Many elevator contracts indicate “as needed” or “periodic/systematic” which means they may not come to your building regularly and you may have no idea of when they will be there unless you call them for a shut down.  When many companies are removing elevator maintenance records from elevator machine rooms, we still have them there.  The State of Illinois code requires you to have maintenance records in the elevator machine room.

As an independent elevator contractor we can assign a reasonable amount of elevators to our routes so we have time to get to the elevator on maintenance, take care of your service calls, complete your testing and still perform a reasonable level of maintenance.  Many multinational elevator contractors assign too many elevators for the elevator mechanics and the level of maintenance falls at the building.  We have no plans of replacing elevator mechanics labor hours with predictive modeling.  We believe there is merit to having an IUEC trained elevator mechanic at your building to perform elevator maintenance.

In our area our labor pool is the same as our multinational counterparts and we have many elevator mechanics who have worked at Otis, Schindler, Kone, Westinghouse, Dover and Thyssen Krupp.

We take pride on being wholly American owned, privately operated and the longest running independent elevator company in the Midwest!  Don’t get stuck with a company who may not have your interests in mind when maintaining or upgrading your equipment.

Colley Elevator are proud members of the Elevator Contractors of America collective bargaining group!

Happy 4^th of July!  Go Independent!

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.