If you work
or live in a high rise building, then you’ll know that having access to a lift
makes life much easier when there are several flights of stairs to contend
with. Lifts have plenty of other useful functions too; from transporting goods
from floor to floor, providing disabled access to buildings, or moving food
from the kitchen to the restaurant.
Because they
have so many important uses, it can cause a lot of disruption for you or your
business if a lift breaks. Sometimes, an issue or the need for repairs in
unavoidable, but proper lift maintenance is one way to reduce the chances of
needing costly repairs further down the line.
If there’s
one group of people who know the ins and outs of lift maintenance, it’s lift
engineers, and they’re experts when it comes to knowing what you can do to keep
your lift in the best condition possible. With this in mind, we’ve rounded up
five of the top maintenance tips from lift experts, so read our handy guide
below to find out how you can keep your lift in full working order.
Keep up with regulations
Lift rules
and regulations are continually evolving to ensure the public’s safety, and to
improve the work of lift companies and their maintenance practices. Guidelines
can be strict, but they’re essential to allow lift engineers to maintain safe
lift systems across the country. Two new pieces of legislation came into effect
in September 2017, with the aim to greatly improve lift safety for all
passengers and maintenance workers.
These two
new European standards, known as EN 81-20 and EN 81-50, are in effect for any
lift installed from the 1st of September 2017 onwards. EN 81-20 sets out safety
requirements for construction and installation, and EN 81-50 covers the test
and examination requirements for different lift components.
The new
standards aim to improve accessibility, safety and comfort of any passengers or
lift engineers, and there are several updated safety standards which now need
to be met. The required protection which covers the risk of an ascending lift
car going too fast has now been extended to include any rescue situations, and
enhanced requirements are also in place regarding the protection mechanisms,
which reduces the risk of the lift cart moving away from the landing
Updates for
door detection systems are also required, and the old photocell technologies,
used to prevent doors closing on passengers, are no longer compliant with the
new standards. A mechanism is now also required to prevent the risk of
passengers falling into the lift shaft if trying to escape a lift which has
stopped between floors. Lift car doors should now be unable to be opened from
the inside if a lift is not in line with a landing floor, and there are many
more regulations regarding lift strength, car lighting, electrical safety and
more, which you can read about here.
Modernisation
Lift
technology is rapidly advancing, and working to improve the safety of both
passengers and engineers. Taking advantage of these changes has many benefits,
including faster lift speeds, a smoother ride, reduced costs and greater
reliability, lessening the chances of a lift breaking down or requiring
repairs.
An
advancement such as thermal-imaging technology can give engineers a convenient
way to locate, diagnose and fix any issues before they cause the lift to
shutdown completely.
There are
also several developments, such as eco-lifts
, that can drastically reduce an elevator’s energy
consumption. Eco-lifts use a built in power-recovery drive, and many models
don’t require a machine room, saving construction costs and maximising your
building’s space. An eco-lift’s design uses a micro-processor and control area
network (CAN), which both lead to reduced power consumption. They’re also
cleverly designed to generate electricity in the event of a breakdown; this
power can then be fed back into the electricity grid to save the maximum amount
of energy.
Eco-lifts
also go into a state of hibernation when not in use, again reducing the amount
of energy used and saving money, and they use LED lighting, which can last up
to ten times longer than halogen lights, while reducing energy consumption by
around 80%.
In relation
to lift maintenance, the new online tool of customer-management portals allow
customers to see real time updates, book an engineer online, receive detailed
information and exchange orders electronically. This allows facilities managers
to book maintenance well in advance, notify any customers or staff, and offer a
professional service while reducing downtime.
A regular maintenance schedule
Facilities
managers (or whoever is responsible for maintenance) should have a planned
maintenance schedule in place with their chosen elevator company, and a plan
for what to do to prevent issues and repair them if they do arise. The age of
the lift system and size of the building should be taken into account when
planning a maintenance schedule, as older lifts and larger buildings (where the
lift may be in more frequent use) will naturally need more frequent
inspections.
The more
floors a lift has to travel through, the faster the system will wear out, so
predicting the amount of use can be helpful when planning. Lifts should be
examined every 6 months if used to carry passengers, and every 12 months if
they carry goods only, or following a significant change or repair.
Preventative maintenance can involve replacing worn or damaged parts, topping
up fluid levels, and making any necessary routine adjustments to reduce risks.
Be proactive
It’s
important to be proactive when it comes to staying on top of lift maintenance,
and whoever is responsible should make sure lifts are being regularly inspected
to keep them in tiptop condition. Lift maintenance isn’t a legal requirement,
but an insurance inspector should make an inspection every 6 months to ensure
the owners are legally covered.
Failure to
stay on top of lift maintenance and repairs can lead to them being out of
action for a long time; this causes a great inconvenience to anyone using the
building, can cause a lot of unnecessary financial expense, and slow down
operations if you use a lift to transport goods.
Provide education
Unfortunately,
even with the best safety measures in place and regular inspections, accidents
can still happen. It’s important to educate any lift users about potential
dangers, such as sticking their hand between closing doors to try and catch the
lift. Providing a brief education, as well as posters or signs of potential
hazards either inside the lift or close by, is the best way to reduce the
chances of accidents.
ADL Lift Services - Professional, reliable
maintenance
If you’re
looking for an expert lift engineer to service and maintain any lifts in your
building, get in touch with ADL Lift Services. We provide a wide range of
services to suit you, including lift installation, 24/7 lift repair, lift
maintenance, and servicing. With over 100 years of experience, and full
accreditation from all major bodies, our professional engineers have everything
you need to keep your lift running safely and smoothly. We’re solution - rather
than problem - focused, to ensure that any issue you do have gets resolved as
quickly as possible, and we can provide all the parts, equipment and services
you need to get things up and running again in no time.
As quality lift manufacturers, we can also offer
a choice of innovative designs, including eco-lifts and the latest technology.
To find out more about any of our services, and ensure your lifts are expertly
maintained all year round, give us a call today to speak to a member of the
team ,or
find out more on our website.
