There are a number of factors which can prevent an elevator from restarting after the power is restored post power failure. Most of these factors can also be a factor in preventing an elevator for coming back on-line when an emergency power generator kicks in. We will explore some of the causes of these power related elevator shut downs. Power failures are not really power... More
How Does Elevator One Compare to Other Elevator Repair Companies?
Elevator One A Typical Elevator Company Elevator One’s clients have the lowest level of unscheduled repairs of any other elevator repair company in Ontario (less than 1 repair per elevator per year) Breakdowns happen when you least expect it and the company is slow to respond (5 – 10 repairs per elevator per year) Highly rated by TSSA (TSSA has rated Elevator One as the... More
Wind Turbine Tower Lifts
The higher wind turbines have specialty man lifts in the towers to take workers and maintenance staff up to the top. The province of Ontario is an interesting jurisdiction for the licensing and maintenance of the man-lifts installed in these wind turbine towers. TSSA (Technical Standards and Safety Authority) tightly regulates these devices and their installation and maintenance in Ontario. Those elevator contractors, who regularly... More
Do I Need a Car Top Guardrail on my Elevator?
Many building owners are hearing rumors, or receiving proposals from their elevator contractors to install car top guardrails on their elevators. The intent of this article is to help everyone to understand the details surrounding this guardrail requirement and if it actually applies to your elevator. The short answer: There is new safety legislation that requires any elevator car top with a gap beside or... More
How to choose an Elevator Maintenance Company
These are some of my personal observations and suggestions from many years of involvement in the elevator industry and in running elevator maintenance companies. Consider using the manufacturer or installer of your elevator equipment as a maintenance provider The manufacturer or installer of your equipment will have the best access to parts and technical support if the elevator is less than 5 to 10 years... More
Machine-Room-Less Elevators (MRLs) – Some Lesser Known Facts
Is an MRL the best choice for my building? The answer depends on a lot of factors. Here are some of the facts: MRLs take up less space in a building since no machine room is required MRLs consume 30% to 80% less power while running than most other types of elevator systems MRLs have significantly higher standby power requirements than many other elevator systems.... More
How long should my Elevator Maintenance Mechanic be here?
Is maintenance time on site a good measurement of the quality of elevator maintenance? I would answer NO to that question since there are much better things to monitor than just the time on site. Certainly if your elevator mechanic is in-and-out of your building inside of 5 or 10 minutes, it is not possible to do a good job of preventative maintenance to minimize... More
Elevator Maintenance Contracts 101
There are many parts of elevator service contacts which can be confusing to those who are not familiar with them. Most of the following discussion will be around full maintenance elevator service contracts. These arrangements usually pay one price for the majority of the material and labour to keep an elevator running. These agreements are essentially a form of insurance where the elevator contractor receives... More
Why am I being asked to pay for 5 year elevator testing?
Five year tests have long been a requirement Some five year elevator testing has long been a requirement of the B-44 Safety Code for traction elevators. These reasonably straightforward tests were intended to ensure that basic safety features of a few specific components such as buffers and governors were working. These tests were traditionally included in elevator maintenance contracts so building owners or managers would... More
Avoid Chargeable Calls – Clean those Door Tracks!
By Rolly Mechler, Sales & Marketing Manager at Elevator One Elevator owners recognize that chargeable service calls can be very costly. As summer winds down and we move into the fall, with winter not far behind (sorry to bring it up), we find that one particular service call increases significantly – shutdowns due to door issues. Many of these calls can be avoided. Elevators Shutting... More