Old Elevator equipment & elevator maintenance

There is a building in the close western suburbs that has an elevator from the early 1960’s.  It is a Otis traction elevator with automatic doors.  One of our sales people went the building when he was out knocking on doors and they were interested in a competitive bid, it is an old elevator, the sales person did not open the hoist way doors so we assumed it was just a old beater elevator.  The building was non responsive after he sent the information to them.

I received a call a few months later because someone else who works here knows the person who is in charge of facilities.  They are looking for a short term and long term plan so I set up an appointment with the building. 

When I went to the building I found was the hoistway filled with dust, this elevator must have not been cleaned for 20+ years. There is so much dust on everything that it is a fire hazard.  I will say there may be a vent somewhere because there is a newer light bulb, newer being 20 years or so[it is an energy efficient bulb].

[this is the pit light]

The company who is maintaining the elevator has been taking the buildings money for 30+ years for elevator maintenance.  I would think once every five years to vacuum the hoistway is not unreasonable.  If there is a vent in the hoistway shooting dust or material in the hoistway, send them a quote to clean the hoistway.

The building also called their current company over to get some modernization options, a salesmen, mechanic and a supervisor all went to the building and they were laughing at the equipment and telling them it is junk.  The equipment is old, we don’t see very much of this stuff around anymore but, if you have been taking a buildings money there could be a better way at addressing the customer.

[Sherman tank of door operators - oil check]

I get the idea that old elevator equipment is hard to get motivated to clean but we as elevator professionals should treat each customer with respect and do what we can with the time we have and the equipment that is in the building.  If the equipment is unsafe, it should be shut down, if the equipment is unreliable, it should be replaced.  It is up to the elevator company to remind building owners of what they need to do with their equipment.

The point of this is that if you are unhappy with your current maintenance provider, there are other people out there.  This particular building manager didn’t know there was anyone else who worked on elevators, so while unhappy they stayed with the company.  And be aware of your elevator maintenance agreement and when it is up for renewal, they typically auto renew so keep your eyes open, elevator maintenance contracts are unforgiving.

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.

Proprietary Elevator Modernization Equipment

I have been to a few elevators with proprietary equipment in the last week.  Both where two car buildings about 10 floors.  One was a Schindler Elevator controllers and one was Fujitech Elevator controllers.  Both wanted quotes to resolve violations for some elevator mandated items that should have cost anywhere between $5,000 to $8,000 with market pricing.  The buildings got quotes over $10,000 from their current elevator companies in each case.  My opinion is that a building should get fair pricing to do their elevator work not less not more.

The issue a building will run into when they modernize their elevator system with proprietary equipment is that the company they choose to complete the modernization may be their only source for future maintenance.   This also leads into above market pricing for future needs as the company will know they have a building in a spot where it will be difficult to move companies for maintenance.

The story goes as such.  Building goes out for bid for elevator modernization, many buildings do not know much about elevator control systems or the difference between companies.   They get a reasonable bid from a OEM[Otis, Schindler, Fujitech, Mitsubishi, Kone, Thyssen] and they move forward with the project. After installation they find that maybe their maintenance agreement keeps going up in cost, OT calls are very expensive[$500.00 per hour], other items they need to address are above market price, etc.  They begin looking around for maintenance pricing and find there isn’t a lot of interest from independent companies or other OEMs in maintaining the equipment because resources are limited from the OEM for repairs and trouble shooting.

Both buildings where happy with the service mechanics and quality of work of the modernization, just not happy with the pricing.

How to avoid this?  If you are not working with someone you can trust for elevator services, hire an elevator consultant and let them know you do not want proprietary equipment.  Make sure your elevator consultant is qualified and does not receive preferred treatment from any one elevator company[if you have any questions on this call me]. Many OEMs will say their equipment is nonproprietary, this may not be true or true to the definition that you as a building owner are looking for.  You want a elevator control system that any one of the 30 or so elevator contractors around the Chicago land area can service, that they do not need a service tool and can readily get technical support.

Outcome of buildings with proprietary equipment – You will have other companies come and see there is no possibility of working with the building in the future and more than likely give you a higher price than they would give to a building where they would have the possibility of working with in the future.   One building I went to said a vendor came in saw the equipment was Fujitech and instead of measuring anything for this particular installation shined his flashlight in the pit and sent over a quote which was more than the OEM quote because they were not interested in doing the work at this building.  If you cannot get competitive bids for elevator work outside the maintenance agreement it puts you at a significant disadvantage. 

[this particular controller had its motor drive control & display removed so no one could work on the elevator controller, the CPU attached to it was locked out from anyone but the elevator company whom installed it]

Elevator maintenance on proprietary equipment – If you have proprietary equipment, many companies have personnel and tools to work on them, make sure you ask them questions if they have experience with your control system.  Some systems the elevator contractor can work on better than others if they are not the installing firm.

What is nonproprietary control equipment?  Smartrise Engineering, Motion Control Engineering, Virginia Controls, Vertitron Midwest, GAL Manufacturing among others.  If you have questions when going through the process, send me an email, call me, even if we are not bidding the project I will walk you through what you should know.   As an independent company we have an interest in making sure buildings are getting nonproprietary equipment installed by a reputable company. 

Any questions on elevator consultants - Email me and I can put you in touch with a few good consultants that will look out for your best interests.  There are many good ones and there are ones that you should avoid.

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.

What documents should be in an elevator machine room

With the new codes coming out that require different items to be in the elevator machine room there seems to be some general confusion of what qualifies as maintenance records, maintenance control plans, testing records, etc.  The City of Chicago will be requiring these items shortly and the State of Illinois jurisdiction areas have required these for some time.

Every elevator machine room requires the following.

1.    Maintenance records

2.    Oil logs

3.    Maintenance control plan

4.    Testing records

5.    Code data tag

Maintenance records - The amount of maintenance records required varies depending if you are in Illinois or in Chicago’s jurisdiction.   If your maintenance provider does electronic maintenance records you as a building owner must print these out and put them in the machine room.  It is the building owners responsibility to have these in the elevator room.  Typically the elevator contractor will provide the records, however, if your contractor does not, you will need to acquire them and put them in the room.

Oil logs – There needs to be documentation of any oil added to the elevator system.  Our oil log is located in the maintenance record packet which you see pictured above. 

Maintenance control plan[MCP] – A document indicating how the elevator is maintained needs to be located in the elevator machine room.  Some companies are using stickers with phone numbers, some companies are using CDs, some companies are using universal maintenance information.  In my opinion a binder with escalator maintenance information in it for a traction elevator does not qualify as a correct MCP.

Testing records – CAT 1 & CAT 5 records need to be located in the elevator room.

Code data tag – This is a tag that indicates when the elevator was installed and what modifications have been made to the elevator system.

If your machine room does not have these documents, get your contractor to provide them.  There are plenty of reasons for the elevator to fail inspection, don’t let the elevator fail for some of the easy items that should be provided.

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 modernization requirements – “work by others”

Many times when we are bidding elevator modernization the building owners do not know what they are required to do.  Or the “work by others” portion of everyone’s contracts.  Even after 2 other companies have come by I ask them if they know what they are required to do for their electrical and fire alarms, sometimes I get, “I don’t know, no one said anything”.  These can be fairly sizable information omissions if we do not communicate this to building owners.

Right above the price of the agreement we write the “work by others”, many companies have this away in small print in their terms and conditions which could be 30-40 items long many items have nothing to do with that specific installation.

I have put a general list together for building owners to review when contemplating modernization for “work by others”.  Remember all jurisdictions are different so this is not an all-encompassing list for all, just a start.  These costs can be $10,000 or more depending on your existing fire system.

-          Suitable environment for new elevator equipment

o   Temperature 45 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit

o   Relative humidity of 85 percent

-          Provide adequate electrical power for lighting, tools, hoisting during installation as well as for normal operation of elevator system

-          Provide fire recall detectors at each landing, machine room to be tied into a building fire panel

-          Higher rise buildings may need an elevator fire panel in the lobby or in the fire command room

-          Provide heat detectors if there are sprinklers present

-          If there are sprinklers present you must install a shunt trip

-          If you have a heat detector in the hoistway you must install a smoke detector

-          NEC code complaint main line disconnects & associated outlets - labeled

o   Heavy duty fused lockable for mainline & car lighting with proper earth grounds

o   GFCI in the machine room and in elevator pit

o   Regular outlet if sump pump is in and/or required in elevator pit

o   Telephone line adjacent to elevator control system

o   Machine room light swtich[not on timer]

o   If the building has a generator and the elevator is run on the generator a pair of wires must be run to elevator controller so we know the building is on generator power

[Mainline disconnect, GFCI & machine room light switch, light switch cannot be on timer]

 [110vac lighting circuit disconnect]

  [Elevator pit light swtich, GFCI]

  [Pit light in back left corner & fire alarm - requires repair]

  [Machine room fire recall detector]

  [Fire recall relays - tied into fire recall detectors & panel]

                                     [Fire panel in lobby]

Remember that all areas have different rules and requirements and before getting pricing for work consult a competent elevator company for guidance.  If I forgot an item that should be on the list let me know.

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.

Cleaning elevator hydraulic fluid - Chicago, IL

We maintain many buildings that have very old hydraulic elevator systems.  When you have old equipment you also have old oil.  Every 5 years we recommend the elevator fluid be filtered or replaced.  Most of our customers take our recommendations and move forward with filtering or replacement.

The two largest hydraulic elevator valve manufacturers [Maxton & EECO] recommend complete replacement of hydraulic fluid every five years so their valves operate correctly.  If you have clean oil your hydraulic valve will operate better and longer.  If you have the correct additives in the elevator system your hydraulic cylinder gland packings will also last longer.

After years of use a hydraulic elevator’s hydraulic fluid will absorb the environment in which it is in, which includes, dust, dirt, lint or whatever is in the air.  What also happens if the hydraulic fluid gets too hot, the oil burns which adds burned oil to the impurities.  When this fluid is analyzed you will also find some metal in it from your pump, motor and valve as they deteriorate.  One of the perception issues is that you will never see the bottom of the elevator tank unless you remove the hydraulic fluid.  You can see the build up on the sites of the tank but as you will see below what we found.

We are working on a cylinder replacement and part of our process is to remove all of the hydraulic fluid and clean the hydraulic reservoir.  This elevator is form the late 1960’s and most likely has never been cleaned.  

Before tank cleaning 

After tank cleaning 

We recently got a call from a customer of ours who works with another elevator company at a few different locations.  She wanted me to look over a proposal from the currently company at a building.  The company was going to replace a valve on a elevator that is 20 +/- years old and add new oil.  You can add new oil but you really need to clean the tank out or the new oil will pick up all the debris from the bottom of the tank.  If funding is available you would like to have new oil and clean the tank so your new valve doesn't get the impurities into it right away.  

What is the difference between filtering and adding new oil?  After years and years of use the hydraulic fluid starts to loose the additives that help the elevator run as it was designed.  During a tank cleaning we will remove the impurities but filtering the hydraulic fluid does not restore it to its new composition.   You can add additive to the tank which helps but we recommend replacement of oil whenever possible, oil has historically been expensive.   With today's oil pricing it is a very reasonable to install 110 ga. of hydraulic fluid during a tank cleaning.  Filtering the oil and cleaning the tank is good, replacing the hydraulic fluid is great.

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.

Crazy dangerous freight elevator pit

I got a call from a customer who has a building she bought from auction and wanted someone to meet a potential tenant to talk about their elevator.  Based on the location I thought I would be walking into a building with a old clunker freight elevator.  What I found was something a little bit more.

Look from the hall into the hoist way - no hatch doors

View from pit looking up - large freight car

View from standing in the pit

OH! THERE IS A STAIRWELL IN THE ELEVATOR PIT.  I have finally found how to get to the hot water heaters and electrical meters.

Nicest beater elevator machine room i've ever seen

Power is on

At least we have doors on this hoist-way entrance 

This elevator is probably from 1920, it has a tiller rope.  Some of the items I found to be wrong with this is

1.    No hatch doors at 1^st floor

2.    Elevator was turned on

3.    Stairwell from elevator pit – leads to building mechanical room

4.    Water & electrical runs through back of pit

5.    8000-10000 freight car above your head when using the stair well

6.    Pit ladder is not to code – This is a joke

7.    Much more

My visit is on the heels of a few firemen losing their lives from entering buildings that had their elevators removed or the elevators are in unsafe condition. 

The reason there is a stairwell in the elevator pit is because they didn’t want to access the mechanical room from the outside so they used the elevator pit.  So the blocked off the original access and made the new egress. 

I was shocked based on all the information above, but also from the time this person took to make the elevator pit look like this.  They also made the machine room look very nice.  Shocking outcome to this story, the previous building owner ran out of money and lost the building and it went to auction…

As elevator professional we walk into buildings like this, we have a responsibility to let the owner know what they have to do and let the AHJ know about these situations before someone gets hurt.

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 modernization – Oak Brook, IL

Before and after pictures of a project we did at a condominium complex in Oak Brook, IL.  The building had 1970’s vintage dover elevator with logic cards.  The project turned out well the team who did the project did a great job.  the note worthy challenges in this project where the door equipment[Dover to GAL], the fixture placement [making sure the old boxes got covered by the new fixtures], there was a knock in the piston from installation[in 1970] that we resolved. 

We used the following equipment

Controllers - Smartrise Engineering
Door equipment - GAL
Fixtures - Innovation
Hydraulic power unit - MEI w/Maxton Valve

The building ownership, elevator consultant, elevator company, electrician and fire company all work together to make this project a success with no outstanding punch list items on the final inspection by the elevator inspector.   For those of you in the business it is very rare to have an inspection on a modernization pass with no items.

Fixtures - Hall

[Before]

[After - Digital PI's at each floor]

Fixtures - CAR

[Old car station]

[New car station]

Machine room

[This was a very crowded machine room before we started]

[Placement of new power unit and controller gives the machine room more space]

There are many benefits of modernization of elevator equipment; a more reliable elevator, less shut downs, less shut down time, parts are available and reduced maintenance fees.  Modernization is expensive but it can be very beneficial to a building if done  intelligently and with a credible company.

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.