Can You Avoid A Passenger Lift Breakdown?

Elevators are a part of modern life. They exist in shops and leisure centres, hotels, parking facilities, public transport systems and all manner of public buildings. An elevator breakdown can be a problem for a passenger who is trapped in a failed system and trying to reach an important meeting or event.

Many people take the reliability of elevators for granted. If there is a problem, they assume it is something that will take a few minutes to fix. If the time for repair is longer, potential passengers tend to get angry and leave the premises.

Thorough Maintenance Programme

But this is not a short-term or trivial issue. Elevators are a vital part of all modern buildings. Their reliability must be secured through thorough maintenance. Elevators, like other equipment in any building, will always suffer from accidental damage that often will be covered by an insurance policy. But such policies also cover heating and ventilations systems and other equipment on any premises. Along with such insurance cover there needs to be a good maintenance schedule.

Maintenance is a vital part of any internal transportation system in any building. The building’s owner or lessee, as well as the elevator installation company, will be subject to local building regulations concerning the quality and inspection of elevators. They will also be liable to claims for damages following any accident. The quality of the equipment and its usage has to ensure the safety of passengers.

All equipment should be inspected at regular intervals, and defective components should be repaired or replaced. One of the most important factors to inspect is the electrical circuitry.

Electrical wiring failures could cause arcing, sparking and fires. It is important to ensure that the wiring protects the elevator mechanism from power surges that could overheat the system, as well as power failures.

Power Supply

Larger buildings such as retail premises and large apartment blocks should have a back-up power supply that automatically clicks in to power the elevator system should the mains power supply fail

Doors

It is also important to replace any aged driving mechanisms and cables to ensure a smooth ride for passengers as well as their safety. Although the occupants of older buildings, especially older apartment blocks, may love their old-fashioned elevator car with concertina doors, these will only work over the long term if the lifting mechanism itself is state of the art and the door opening and closing mechanism is modern, quiet and smooth. Parts of the door may date from the 1930s, but the electrical systems controlling them must be modern.

Elevator doors should be checked on a daily basis, whether they are a modern style or traditional design. This will ensure that minor problems do not turn into a large accident.

All elevator owners and managers should make sure that they are able to upgrade the motors and driving mechanisms in the system to provide both a smooth ride for passengers and energy efficiency to minimise power costs.

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Our service division, is made up of fully qualified platform lift maintenance engineers and in-house support staff, keeping all our installations in good working order. Please contact us