At Solucore Inc. we are great advocates of keeping your elevators and escalators and their maintenance systems up to date and operating with the latest technology. This is because we understand fully the benefits that this can bring in terms of:
However, we realize that taking the decision to modernize your out-of-date elevators and escalators is not an easy one and involves analyzing a wide number of factors, not least of which is whether the likely benefits of taking such a step can justify the probable costs involved.
To help you decide if this is a course of action to undertake now or at some point in the near future, we have devised an elevator and escalator modernization questionnaire.
This questionnaire is based on a discussion of the contributing factors that may drive you towards the decision to modernize, which first appeared in an article by Ray Eleid in the June 2009 edition of Canadian Property Management Magazine, which we summarize here.
Some points to think about when weighing up whether to modernize
Age of equipment: Clearly this is an important factor to consider both in terms of safety for your elevator and escalator users and because with time the equipment naturally becomes obsolete.
The generally accepted age limit of elevators in class A buildings is 25-30 years.
The generally accepted age limit of elevators in other types of buildings and hydraulic elevators is 30-35 years.
The generally accepted age limit of escalators is from 40-50 years.
Availability of replacement parts: Are the replacements parts you need to keep your equipment working safely still available for installation in accordance with the safe maintenance schedule? Once these parts are unobtainable this is a clear indication that the time has come to modernize your systems.
Limitations of Equipment: Does your system still serve your needs or has your building in some way evolved in use?
For example, your elevators may have been designed for more limited residential use whereas your building is now used commercially which may indicate that your system needs to be upgraded to offer satisfactory service.
Or perhaps new safety regulations mean that the single speed motors that were previously acceptable are no longer considered adequate and need to be replaced.
Or maybe new required safety components cannot be installed in your out of date escalators.
Or perhaps the population of your building has changed substantially enough to warrant a total modernization and expansion of your vertical transportation systems to cope with new and increased demand.
Other considerations
Availability of repair and maintenance personnel: Are there still qualified people around to keep your older systems running as they should? If not and your escalators and elevators are involved in an accident and found to not be maintained as they should, then you could be liable.
Reliability and performance of your current elevators and escalators: Is your equipment really performing up to today’s standards and offering the quality of vertical transportation service that we expect in the 21st century? Or is it constantly out of order and offers only a slow, noisy and uncomfortable ride?
Energy Efficiency: Do your elevators and escalators operate efficiently in terms of energy consumption or are they expensive to run compared with more modern, high-tech models. How much would you save annually in energy costs if you were to modernize your systems?
Following accidents and incidents: Is it possible and worth your while to get your elevators and escalators back up and running as they used to or is this the moment to take the decision to move on and install more modern systems?
Equipment control systems: Are these standard or one of a kind? In older systems, control units may have been adapted or changed in ways that make it difficult if not impossible to keep them maintained in a routine way. Sometimes only specialized people can carry out the work necessary to keep this type of equipment up and running so what happens if and when they are not available to assist? Or perhaps dedicated tools that are no longer available are required to change certain parts of the system. If your elevators and escalators are too unique it may be time to install a more universally available system.
To go to our Modernization Questionnaire and see how it can focus your decision as to when to go ahead and upgrade your vertical transportation installations, please click on Modernization Questionnaire. You’ll be asked to answer a few questions and then the questionnaire will automatically calculate your score.
This questionnaire is intended only to be a guideline and we strongly recommend that before making a final decision it would be wise to talk to one of our Solucore Inc. elevator consultants for further guidance and advice.
You can contact our consultants by:
Telephoning us on (416) 260-0555 or (905) 206-0555
Emailing us at sales@solucore.com
Faxing us at (905) 206-1996 or (905) 206-1996
Or contact us online.