Elevator pit sump pumps

Over the last few weeks I have been to a few buildings that have had sump pump issues.   This is to remind building owners to make sure they are maintaining their sump pumps properly. Most of the time this may include having the elevator maintenance person help you with access to the elevator pit.

Regular sump pumps – Regular sump pumps need to be checked from time to time to make sure their fittings are tight and the pumps are working.  We got a call from a building indicating their fire detector in the elevator pit was not working correctly.  Upon closer inspection of this the person checking the fire recall detector almost got hosed down by a loose connection on the sump pump.  While the sump pumps are not elevator equipment, we are the only trade that has easy access to these devices so take a look at the sumps during your inspection and notify the office or the building owners if a plumber is required to remedy a sump issue.

[Notice the fire detector in the top center of the picture]

Oil sensors in sump holes – There is a newer device that will shut the sump pump off if there is oil in the sump hole.  I was at a building where the oil detector shut off the sump pump and the building shut off the oil detector’s alarm because it was making too much noise.  Shutting off the alarm did remedy the nuisance of the beeping, but the pit flooded and damaged some elevator equipment.   If you do hear a device beeping, call your elevator company so they can work with you and identify what is occurring.  As this is not an elevator device a building representative may be required to be there so we can figure out what the issue is and the next step to rectify it.

[Damage from the sump oil detector shutting the sump off and allowed pit to flood]

If you have any questions or would like information from Colley Elevator you can go to www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.

Hot days and elevator systems

In the Chicago area we have a relatively cool summer with few days over 90 degrees.  The last few days and next few days will be very hot.  There are a few ways this affects elevator systems.

Machine room environments – Elevator machine rooms typically are in lowest landings or on roofs where we have significant swings in temperatures and not great ventilation.  Every piece of equipment has different requirements below is a good average for temperature and humidity.

o   Temperature 45 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit

o   Relative humidity of 85 percent

We recommend environmental controls i.e. air conditioning to regulate the temperature.  Most elevator machine rooms do not have air conditioning and when this is the case a fan to circulate the air is better than nothing.  Microprocessor based[newer elevator systems] systems are more susceptible to environmental conditions than older relay based systems.

Overall power usage of a building – When everyone turns on their air conditioners and they are used for a longer period of time than normal that creates a strain on the power grid and could result in irregular power coming to the building.

Low voltage situations – If everyone in a building theoretically switched their air conditioners at the same time there will be a voltage drain on the building power.  When the elevator goes to run it will not have the right power to run correctly and can blow fuses, burn out motors or damage other electrical components.  There are protection devices available on elevator systems that can protect your elevator in this event.

Power outages – In this theoretical hot day where everyone puts their air conditioning on at the same time it can create such a drain on the electrical system where the electricity provider will blow their equipment[outside of the building or “on the street” which will cause the elevators power[comprised of 3 phases] to lose 1, 2 or all of the 3 phases.  The buildings power goes out, elevator obviously does not work, the danger here is when the power comes on and an inrush of electricity or an irregular supply comes in the building.  This can cause damage to the elevator system as well.  Our recommendation is to turn of the elevator until power is restored and call your elevator professional to read the incoming power at our machine room disconnect prior to returning to service. There are protection devices available on elevator systems that can protect your elevator in this event. 

Voltage protection devices - Even if buildings have protective devices the voltage issues can damage the protective devices and may need replacement.  The replacement is less substantially less than a new motor. With these protective devices your elevator still will not work during power issues but your equipment is protected from significant damage.

For more information go to –

http://colleyelevator.blogspot.com/2015/01/elevator-phase-monitorsphase-protection.html

“Our lights never went out but the elevator isn’t working” – We hear this on a regular basis.  As referred to above there are 3 phases to building power, the elevator uses all three.  The phase or leg of electricity that powers the lighting may be working fine but the other two could have irregularities which cause the elevator to not work correctly.

Take away – If you have any questions on your machine room environment or power conditions, call your elevator company and they can work with you on good solutions to keep your elevators safe and running during the hot summer days. 

If you have any questions or would like information from Colley Elevator you can go to www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.

Elevator pit stop switch location

Over the last few months there has been some confusion between elevator inspectors, elevator mechanics and elevator officer personal on where the elevator pit stop switch should be located.  With all the new requirements of the pit ladders this has been an item we have been looking at closer.  Please see the code 2.2.6.2

“In elevators where access to the pit is through the lowest landing hoistway door, a stop switch shall be located approximately 18” above the floor level of the landing, within reach from this access floor and adjacent to the pit ladder, if provided.  When the pit exceeds 67” in depth, an additional stop switch is required adjacent to the pit ladder approximately 47” above the pit floor.  Where more than one switch is provided, they shall be wired in series”

This rule should account for 90% of the elevators we will be seeing. 

[Pit stop switch is the yellow and red device above the step rungs]

With code changes, new mandates, talk among ourselves we at times get different information[right and wrong] that can spread fairly quickly.  Make sure if you have questions or are not sure about the requirement, look it up or ask someone who can look it up.  We make general assumptions that when someone says something they are knowledgeable in this area, at times they are not so to be 100% and refer to the code.  It only takes a few moments to look up the code and then we can make sure we complete the correct installations if we are installing and make the correct equipment inspections if we are inspecting.

If you have any questions or would like information from Colley Elevator you can go to www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.

Movers using the elevator

As a service company we get phone calls indicating the elevator is broken and someone is stuck in the elevator.  We respond immediately to these calls and at times we find interesting activities going on within the elevator or the elevator room. 

This week we got a call of someone stuck in the elevator.  The call was from a building with that has a lot of seniors in the building so the assumption was it was a “Mrs. Smith” who is 84 years old and needed to be evacuated quickly.

This call was from movers jamming a couch in the elevator and after it wouldn’t fit continuing to get it into the elevator and when they tried to use the elevator, the elevator got stuck.

Our recommendation to building owners is when you have movers monitor their moving as at times people do not say “hey this couch won’t fit, lets move it up the stairs”, they say “get it in the elevator I don’t want to walk it up the stairs”.  There are features on most elevators that will allow the doors to stay open when moving called Independent Service which we have other posts on.

[Big couch in small elevator]

I was at another building this week where the moving truck was pulling away and the elevator ceiling was destroyed.  We do not maintain this building but I’m pretty sure when they call the elevator company the building management will “not know anything about movers”.

Be careful moving, monitor moving and use the stairs when the objects are too large for the elevator system. When the movers are gone they do not care if the elevator works or not, it will be a service call the building will be absorbing apart of the move if no one keeps track of what is occurring.

[This is from a service call a while back - same issue - broken elevator]

Tips when building is having items moved

           

1.    Notify property management, building owner  or condo board – have someone look at elevator to see condition of walls, ceiling, etc.

2.    Get a deposit from whomever is going to use the elevator

3.    Use independent service if available[older elevators may not have this feature]

4.    Before movers leave make sure the elevator is in the same condition as it was before they came

If you have any questions or would like information from Colley Elevator you can go to www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.

Elevator pit ladders – State of Illinois mandate

This is a reminder to all building owners that all elevators must have code compliant pit ladders as of 1/1/15.  All elevator companies are extremely busy trying to catch up with this item as 90% of the elevators in the State of Illinois [excluding Chicago] are failing. 

If you have not addressed with your elevator maintenance company call them and get information.  

Permits must be pulled if you are installing a new ladder or replacing a pit ladder.

Permits do not need to be pulled if you are modifying an elevator pit ladder.

If your elevator pit is less than 35” you will not need an elevator pit ladder.

Pit ladder criteria – some of the basic criteria

1.    Pit ladder must extend 48” above hoist way entrance sill

2.    Pit ladder must be 4 ½” from center of ladder rung to nearest obstruction[typically elevator hoistway wall or conduit

3.    Pit ladders must have hand rail clearance of 4 ½”

4.    Pit ladder foot rungs must be 9” to 16” in width

5.    Pit ladder must have rung at sill level

6.    Hatch door unlocking means within 39” horizontal and 72” vertical from top step

7.    Pit ladder must hold 300lbs

8.    Pit ladders must have traction tape, knurling, dimpling or other method for foot grip.

9.  Pit ladder must be made from non combustible material

[Here is a visual from one of our local inspection firms]

[As you can see often times there is a lot going on with wiring raceways, light switches and stop switches that we need to work with in existing elevator hoistways]

[This is from an elevator hoistway where we relocated the electrical work to be out of the way of the hand rails]

Variances - Many elevator pits will never be 100% code compliant in this case you must get a variance with the municipality and send that information to the State of Illinois.  Variances will not be given based on financial considerations but based on feasibility of installing a code compliant elevator pit ladder.  Elevator inspectors do not expect the building to reconstruct the elevator system to put a pit ladder in but we do expect that every option is exhausted prior to obtaining a variance.  The elevator company should be requesting the variance for the building. 

[This pit ladder is an interesting one that can never be 100% as on the left side of the wiring raceway there is a cam that comes down off the car and with the limited space there are not any good options.  This would be a good candidate for a variance.]

Retractable pit ladders – There is an option for a retractable pit ladder when you do not have the front to back clearance from the car to the hoist way wall.  All brands of retractable ladders do have their limitations and based on the environment may not be able to be used.

With all of the requirements and the existing equipment in the elevator hoist way we also must be reasonable for expectations for each environment.  The ultimate decision on the status of your elevator pit ladder will be the elevator inspector.

If you have any questions or would like information from Colley Elevator you can go to www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.

Poor and dangerous elevator work

This positing is intended to remind building owners to hire reputable companies to perform elevator work and make sure in the decision making process that price is not the only consideration.  I have included pictures of items a typical building owner/manager would not see after the installation is completed as they are in areas where only elevator personnel should be going. 

Over the last month or so I have been to a few buildings that have had inferior work completed.  Some of this work is due to building owners and some of the work was completed by elevator contractors.  In our area all elevator contractors are incredibly busy so we are seeing more nonunion work which are the contractors on 2 of the 3 buildings I went to.  I have no information on the 3rd building as the owner "did not know anything" about the elevator system.

1^st elevator – This was a condominium that had a non-union elevator contractor install a new power unit on an elevator that was installed in the 1960’s.  While the elevator passed inspection the installation was completed poorly.  3 hours after inspection the elevator shut down and the contractor was difficult to get back to the building to remedy the shutdown.  The contractor would not come until they got paid for the entire installation.  If the contractor is demanding payment prior to remedying your issues that they most likely caused you should ask yourself if this is a company you should have been doing business with.

This elevator took 10-20 seconds to move from the floor in the up direction. By the time we arrived the building had been dealing with this for a month and remedy for them will be expensive as the power unit had to be adjusted and wired properly.  Existing motor starter wiring was loose which also caused the buildings vault to short so the elevator service had been intermittent until it fell completely out.

2^nd elevator – This is a building who had been dealing with two reputable companies prior to making a modernization decision on their very old elevator equipment.  The building hired a non-union company with an association with one of the buildings residents.  There is a laundry list of items that need to be addressed at this building but the one below is indicative of the care they took during the installation.

3^rd elevator – Of all three elevator systems I had seen this is the one that is most concerning to me.  This elevator is at a nursing/rehab facility and was not only very old but had electrical wiring run outside of conduit.  There was a report of an incident that had an investigation initiated.  This elevator should have been shut off long before this event occurred.  When I asked the building owner who did this work he “did not know anything”.

It is our responsibility as elevator contractors, mechanics, consultants and inspectors to guide good decisions and make good decisions on what is work that should be put back into service. Price is one consideration decision makers should look at while choosing a contractor.  The additional cost to hire a reputable contractor is very small compared the cost to hire someone to redo the work or have an incident that may becoming a law suit.

As a contractor we have shorter and shorter windows to complete installations as the competitive market forces never appear to allow us to allow for more time for installations, modernizations, repair, etc on our bids.  With this said, if another few hours or few days are what it takes for a safe and reliable installation that is what we need to do.  With that said from start to finish on projects we need to be effective and efficient in our work, from the initial sales visit to the final testing of the elevator system.

Take away – Hire a good company to do your elevator work, meet them, talk to them and understand what they are doing.  All elevator contractors are not the same. A responsible union elevator contractor has the training and experience to complete a good installation for your building.

If you have any questions or would like information from Colley Elevator you can go to www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.

Elevator pit leakage/Water in elevator pit

This is a repost from 5/16/15 but in Illinois by Chicago we got a tremendous amount of water last night, it is a reminder to building owners to be prepared.

As we see the April and May rains come every year we have a significant amount of water that enters into our elevator pits.  This water can cause a undesirable odor, deteriorate elevator equipment and get into the hydraulic fluid and contaminate it.

Items buildings can do to prevent or minimize water issues in elevator pits

1.    Make sure sump pumps are working in elevator pits

2.    Make sure pits are graded so water goes to sump pump/drain

3.    Seal pit to prevent water getting in

4. Have an elevator maintenance plan to alert you if you have water in the pit before it gets to a point where you have a significant issue.  Elevator maintenance plans that have someone go to your building once a quarter or twice a year may not be enough if you have a water issue that needs to be monitored. 

This picture shows one of the worst elevator pits I have seen.  This specific instance the water went through the cylinder glad packing and contaminated the hydraulic fluid.  Once this occurs there isn't much you can do as even if you replace the hydraulic fluid in the reservoir you will have water in the oil in the hydraulic line and the bottom of the cylinder.  The cost to get rid of 100% of the water is significant. 

This pit shows a building that had not had elevator maintenance for some time, you can see how high the water line in the pit is.

What a clean pit looks like

Alternative water detection devices 

SEES pit can plus -  The device below is from a company called SEES and would be something a building that has their sump pump fail or gets water regularly can look into with their elevator maintenance company.

*Audio, Visual and Silent Alarm System for Oil and Water detection
*Detects Water at 1/2”
*Adjustable Oil Level Sensors
*12 VDC Rechargeable Battery System (Comes with Smart Charger)
*Push to Test Buttons
*Form “C” Contacts, 1NO, 1NC
*Can Distinguish Between Oil and Water Signals
*Easy to Install
*Eliminate Costly and Damaging Oil Contamination
*Reduces Monthly Maintenance
*Can Connect Via Silent Alarm Relay Box to the Elevators Remote 
*Monitoring System (or low oil circuit in older controllers) 

Link - http://cyberstore.seesinc.com/ecommerce/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?IID=12810

Electrodyn Liquid intrusion detection - This is a device from Electrodyn who makes other elevator add on devices such as Fire Service panels.  This is a device that will detect water int he elevator pit and send the car to a floor and turn the elevator off. 

http://www.electrodyn.com/LiquidIntrusionDetection/LID_brochure_051613.pdf

If you have any questions or would like information from Colley Elevator you can go to www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.