Elevator Modernization Made Easier

You’ve been having trouble with your elevator off and on for almost a year now, and it seems that every time your elevator company says they’ve fixed it, something else goes wrong or your elevator isn’t working. Your tenants are upset and don’t trust it anymore, and they blame you. You’re upset because you’re getting pressure from your tenants, and you’re beginning to lose faith in your elevator company. Your elevator company is upset because everybody is mad at them, and they’re starting to lose money on your contract.   

Then your elevator company sends you a letter that says that there’s nothing else that they can do and you must modernize your elevator now. Their problem is solved because they have a time and date when they passed the responsibility over to you, so from then on, your elevator company can say, “we told you to modernize, but you haven’t done it, so it’s your fault”.  

Anybody who’s gone through an elevator modernization knows that it’s neither a small nor inexpensive job. It requires months of planning and preparation and, for a single elevator, well over $100k or more. Not to mention the massive disruption to building functionality, especially if it’s a single elevator.  

There’s no way to make it cheap or painless, but sometimes there are ways to make it easier.  

First, get another opinion.  Not just one, but a couple. And not just from a salesperson from another company, but also from someone who knows what they’re looking at. If you hire a consultant, try to find one with actual, practical elevator experience. Many people today aren’t familiar with old relay logic equipment that doesn’t have onboard diagnostics, and there’s a chance that this might be part of your problem. Maintenance requirements for this old equipment were very different than today’s elevators, and simply following the TSSA’s MCP isn’t doing proper maintenance.  

Second, what exactly have the problems been? Approximately 60% of elevator problems are door-related. Even things like levelling issues can sometimes be traced back to a root cause in the door operation. Depending on the type of elevator and the age, maybe a door operator modernization could solve most of your problems. If you’re having issues with buttons sticking or not working properly, then maybe you can start with a fixture modernization.  

Third, talk to your elevator company to see if there’s any way the modernization can be done in stages. Sometimes this is an option that can lessen the impact on the building functionality as well as spread out the financial burden of a full modernization. However, this option usually takes your elevator out of service for more time in the long run, but it’s broken into smaller periods that are often more manageable. It also usually costs a bit more in the long run, but because the work is spread out longer, the cost can be spread out as well.  

Elevator Modernization and Code Requirements 

A modernization isn’t just about replacing the components that are causing trouble. It also means that the elevator must comply with the current code. An old elevator quite often doesn’t meet the modern code requirements, but that’s ok because it doesn’t have to. The elevator only has to meet the requirements of the code that was in effect at the time it was installed, as well as any relevant TSSA Director’s Orders that have been issued to date. However, this also means that any major components that are upgraded, such as door operators or fixtures, must meet the current code requirements. And this is where things can begin to snowball.  

For example, if you decide that you’re going to upgrade your old door operator to a new one with an infrared light curtain, it must meet today’s code. Which means it must have a 3D light curtain and nudging. Some old controllers don’t have the circuitry to meet these requirements. So now you must upgrade your controller to handle the new door operator. But when you upgrade the controller. It also must meet new code requirements, which means that it must be able to monitor uncontrolled motion. But your elevator machine doesn’t have that feature, so now you must replace it. At this point, you’re most of the way to a full modernization.  

This is why it’s critical to work with your elevator service provider, or whoever you’ve chosen to do this work, to determine what will be compatible with what. They may also be able to work with the engineer and the TSSA to get variances for certain things if you’ve committed to a full modernization within a specific time frame. None of this is guaranteed though, and each job must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.  

You also need to review your contract with your current service provider. Some companies’ contracts are written so that you can’t use another company for the modernization without serious repercussions. Some companies will allow you to hire someone else for the modernization, but their contract is only suspended for the duration of the modernization and must be reactivated when it’s completed.  

Elevators, like all other machines, do eventually start to wear out and break down. Direct replacement parts become harder to find and are often more expensive. This increases the downtime for every service call, which leads to the situation that I described in the beginning where everyone involved (property manager, elevator company, and tenants) becomes unhappy.  

Modern elevators have a recommended lifespan of 20-25 years. Older elevator equipment lasted longer, but something built in the 1980’s is now 40 years old (and there’s still equipment out there that is a decade or two older than that).  

You don’t often see cars from the 1980’s with over a million kilometres on them being driven every day, but you do see elevators from the 1980’s with several million runs on them still being ridden every day. However, no elevator lasts forever. 

As soon as you purchase an elevator or a building with an elevator in it, you should start to budget for the inevitable modernization. That way, it can be done on your terms and schedule, with considerably less stress. 

For expert commercial elevator installation, maintenance and repairs, contact Lincoln Lifts and Elevators. Our trained elevator mechanics can diagnose and fix any elevator problem, ensuring your elevator runs smoothly.