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As with anything mechanical, age or lack of maintenance will seriously affect the service life, performance and safety of an elevator system. Whether it is a small hydraulic elevator in an apartment block or a multi bank gearless system in a high-rise office tower the elevator system is one of the most important components of a building. Not only does it provide transportation of tenants to various parts of the building it is also used to move material and goods throughout the building by its maintenance staff. Without elevators the population density and structure of a city could not be what it is today. Due to the fact that elevators are such an important component of a building adequate financial resources must be provided to ensure they are well-maintained and kept in up to date condition. Along with safety the primary reason of having well maintained elevators is to attract tenants and businesses to your building and not the building next door. Unfortunately this is not always the case especially with some older low-rise residential and mid-rise office buildings. In many of these buildings co-ops / strata councils or, building owners do not have the financial resources available and are more likely to direct funds for a lobby upgrade or carpet replacement than tackle an elevator modernization that is 10 years overdue. If and when a modernization report is requested the only upgrade selected would be to provide new brighter cab interiors. The patient needs brain surgery but opts for a haircut instead. In many cases the elevator system is not included in the long-term capital planning of the building. Very few owners even know were they are in the lifespan of an elevator system. This is primarily due to the fact that the elevator system is a mystery to most people and poor communication by the elevator company representatives. When the elevator maintenance provider does approach the building owner/council and advises them that the elevator is nearing the end of its life span and modernization will be required with 5 years the common answer is, “It has been running for 40 years without serious breakdown” or “We know a company that can maintain it without modernization”. Denial sets in and nobody wants to talk about it. This type of response is very common and tells the maintenance provider three things:
The building owner/council must realize that when this declined response is given it will be filed in the elevator company’s building maintenance records. When the elevators do fail in the future the building owners can’t complain of lack of due diligence on the elevator maintenance providers part. The first thing a building owner will do when the elevators fail is to start pointing fingers and ask, “Why didn’t you tell us.” Unfortunately when you point a finger at someone there are three pointing back. If an elevator company has proper record keeping files previous documentation can be used in their defense. More importantly the building’s elevator maintenance file must be meticulously maintained to include any previous proposals submitted over the years to provide succeeding councils/property mangers with the history of the elevators. If a decision has been made to modernize the elevators there are 2 options. Accept the incumbent elevator contractor’s quotation or hire a consultant to take over the process. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, however, very few property managers or building councils have the knowledge or experience to oversee such an upgrade and usually opt for the consultant route. If a consultant has been chosen they will issue a request for proposal to several elevator companies that specialize in elevator modernizations. This document will include the core requirements such as new controllers, motor, code upgrades and wiring. There will also be optional pricing for hall and car fixtures, hoist ropes, door operators and cab interior upgrades. It is important to keep in mind that the more options the more expensive the upgrade and the longer the downtime. Once a consultant or elevator company has been selected to provide the modernization they will complete several building site surveys to determine what will be included in the modernization. The equipment type, age and condition of all the components will be surveyed to determine what can be reused or needs to be replaced. A decision must be made at this time whether to go for a full or partial modernization. If the building owners have not budgeted for a complete one-off modernization due to financial constraints the elevator system can be modernized in stages over a period of 2-3 years. In year 1 the door operator and safety edge are upgraded, year 2 the fixtures are replaced and year 3 the controllers are changed. This staggered installation minimizes the downtime and financial strain as a full modernization can take anywhere from 8-14 weeks per elevator to complete. However, it can cost more than than full completion as one project. If a staggered installation is decided upon present day code requirements will also have to be addressed. In all probability the elevator(s) were installed under an earlier code that does not apply today. In some cases upgrading one component of an elevator system installed under an old code will require you to change other components under the new code and that includes building codes and electrical requirements to be taken into consideration. The elevator consultant or sales representative should be aware of these requirements Proprietary verses Non Proprietary:In the elevator industry a proprietary design is one that is owned by the elevator company. It implies that the company has not divulged specifications that would allow another company to duplicate or use their product. The company has invested money in its R&D of the product and wants to protect it. Consumers prefer non-proprietary because proprietary implies that the buyer will be forever tied to the supplier. Today this is not really the case as most elevator controls come equipped with a site-specific diagnostic tool. This tool can be provided under a lease agreement for continued use in the event the elevator manufacture loses the maintenance agreement. For safety reasons the tool will be read only and not have the capability of parameter adjustments. As previously mentioned the reason customer’s request non-proprietary equipment is they do not wish to be tied into a long-term agreement with one Elevator Company. This relationship, however, is a two way street for a reason many do not consider. When a proprietary product is installed and includes a maintenance agreement the elevator company is legally obligated to maintain that equipment. This includes all evolutionary software and technical upgrade changes that their engineering department develop over time. If a software upgrade has been developed to fix a glitch in the system it will be supplied to the elevator mechanic for installation. If non-proprietary 3rd. party controllers are installed this may not be the case as the elevator company has purchased the controllers per specification but all relationship ends at that point. The 3rd. party vendor does not include any future software or technical changes in its pricing. If in the future the 3rd. party supplier develops software upgrades for reoccurring problems it will have to be purchased by either the elevator company or building owner at considerable cost. The question of who pays may be of some concern to those involved. The Modernization:Once the proprietary/non proprietary issues have been settled and the selection process has been completed the owner/council must prepare the building tenants for the modernization start date. Prior to starting the modernization all contract documents, options chosen, work schedule, approval drawings, final surveys and material ordering must be completed. Once the legal and scheduling details are finalized there will be a 3-month manufacture and delivery time prior to manning the job site. An elevator contractor will not want to start the modernization until he has all the material and labour available. Removing and re manning men from a modernization site is not something a contractor wants to do. It is also very important for the owner/property manager to make sure the tenants are fully aware of the problems that will surface during the upgrade. Be up front and perfectly clear that they will be faced with reduced elevator service, long wait times, entrapments, unusual noises and a host of other issues that will make their life difficult. If the modernization includes a multi-bank elevator system the modernization could take over a year to complete. If it is a single or duplex bank in a low-rise building the tenants may be faced with minimal elevator service and may have to use the stairs for a few months. This is a major upgrade and there will be issues to deal with but explain to them that in the end they will be getting new elevators and better service. Comments (2)
anny
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