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Modernization Drivers and Contributors Weigh Factors before Investing in Elevator Upgrades
June, 2009
By Ray Eleid
Age of equipment is a major determinant for elevator modernization, but several other factors also come into play. These can be categorized as drivers or contributors – i.e. concerns that must be addressed and therefore drive the decision to modernize or issues that, in combination with other factors, help to make a case for modernization.
Drivers include: age; obsolescence; equipment limitations; and density and design factors. Contributors include: availability of servicing expertise; performance and reliability; power savings; damage; and proprietary controls.
Age
Elevator and escalator consultants look at the age of the elevating device and score them on a scale of 30 for elevators or a scale of 50 for escalators. The closer in age to the top of the scale, the closer the device is to reaching the end of its useful life cycle.
Obsolescence
Where it is not feasible to buy parts because they are not available, then modernization makes sense because the cost to repair the elevators becomes more expensive than modernization. For example, older versions of Texas Instrument and Motorola chips are no longer manufactured and the original parts are no longer available so problems arise when a component fails and a replacement chip cannot be purchased.
In contrast, machines, gears, bearings and relays are rarely ever truly obsolete. There are manufacturers that continue to produce or supply these parts for older elevators.
Equipment Limitation
Some elevator controllers or machinery are poorly designed, but deployed nevertheless – such as low rise controllers modified to work in a high rise application. These components can become problematic to maintain and retain so modernizing them may be the most effective option.
Population Density/Design
Existing elevators may not be capable of handling the traffic in buildings where the occupant population has increased. Modernization is recommended if dispatching capability cannot keep pace with demand.
Availability of Expertise
Service personnel capable of performing many of the adjustments necessary to keep elevator equipment operating properly are often highly in demand and/or difficult to find. When equipment is complicated to adjust or uncommon to the industry, then the expertise factor comes into play and should be considered somewhat on par with parts availability.
Performance/Reliability
Performance and reliability are major factors leading to modernization. No one wants an elevator that traps passengers or is always shut down. Contractor callbacks should be tracked and noted as part of the modernization analysis, but be advised that elevator contractors can reduce the callbacks that are related to the other issues like doors, fixtures, motor, etc, and it is rare that calls for elevator service relate only to obsolete or poor parts.
Power Saving
If there is a need to upgrade the elevators, the current system power usage and profile could be improved using new dispatching and drive technology. In some cases, though, upgrading a geared regenerative elevator system to the new SCR drive system could have a negative impact on the power profile.
Act of God/Damage
Where there is an issue with the equipment’s performance due to an act of god, or if the elevator equipment is damaged, then this should be considered in the evaluation process. This would be something directly related to the equipment’s ability to perform and, for some reason (either neglect or prolonged exposure), it was not or could not be covered under insurance – perhaps a cylinder knocking due to earthquake or another underground condition.
Proprietary Controls
Some elevators controllers are very difficult to maintain due to proprietary design. Components could have been added to the base design or an experimental system might have been integrated to the base design. Special tools might be needed to reset the levelling encoder count or adjust the drive or reset the shutdown timer.
Such elevators are typically more difficult to maintain in the first 20 years than in later years of their life cycle because, over time, as more of these proprietary elevators are installed, a greater number of mechanics should become familiar and learn how to maintain them. Other elevator contractors may attempt to reverse-engineer the design and provide new` tools or alternative methods to maintain it.
Ray Eleid, P.Eng., is a consultant with Solucore Elevator Solutions, which has devised a modernization assessment checklist and scoring system to guide building owners in decision making. For more information, see the web site at www.solucore.com.
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