Elevators exist to make our work easier. Going up and down the plain stairs of a twenty-something storey building can be really frustrating without some little help. But these machines can also be quite a headache, especially when they keep getting spoilt all the time. Constant outages can be attributed to the following reasons.
Bad elevator doors
Faulty elevator doors occur due to outdated parts or poor installation. It is important to note that most of the wear and tear in these machines occurs on the doors. This is because they have to endure horizontal movement when they open up for people to enter and vertical movement when the elevator slides up and down the building. Once you start experiencing frequent problems with your door, you should hire an elevator consultant to help you replace them. Fortunately, this is easy to fix, and will require minimal downtime.
Misuse
An elevator is misused in many different ways every day. Loading beyond the required capacity is one common mistake most users overlook. Well, it causes a lot more damage than they think. Other improper behaviours include smoking in the elevators, vandalism of parts, unnecessary pressing of the controls among others. As an owner, you should put up warning signs banning such behaviour, and install CCTV cameras for monitoring. In addition to that, undertake any repairs as promptly as it appears necessary, to discourage instances of misuse.
Overheating
This emanates from the control systems and elevator drivers. Such equipment is usually stored at the top of the building, at times exposed to the extremely hot temperatures in the environment. During these times the equipment receives more hot air than cold leading to dangerously high temperatures. Furthermore, overheating also leads to accumulation of dust and dirt in the air vents which may block the equipment and lead to break downs.
Instead of relying on the external air for cooling purposes, you should install a permanent artificial cooling system. This will ensure that the temperature in the equipment room is always contained to an optimum temperature. It will eliminate the need for air vents which bring in too much dust.
Age
Older machines have higher chances of getting spoilt than the relatively newer ones. In fact, there are some that still use outdated technologies; ancient generators and DC drivers. At this age and time, these are not considered energy efficient. They require too much energy to run efficiently, hence exorbitant power costs that could otherwise be saved by installing more contemporary parts. In the long run, getting a new system reduces the chances of outages and downtimes, and you will save a whole lot of money.
Insufficient power supply
This is a common problem that mostly affects outdated elevators. This decreases the efficiency of the machine, and forces the inductive load to utilize much more power in the long run. Even energy suppliers may for operating your elevator in such a condition. The only solution to this is to replace it with a newer version.
Delayed maintenance
Undertaking inspections regularly and performing repairs as and when they arise will help maintain your elevator in the required standard. Problems arising may develop into serious situations if not taken care of early enough. Additionally, an increase in the frequency of service calls means that the machine parts are experiencing more wear and tear. They are therefore, more prone to break downs.
Consider modernizing the whole system for the good of the machine and the building as a whole. Also, have a scheduled maintenance program with the installing company that will be responsible for the state of your elevator.
