The Importance of Elevator Maintenance
Regular maintenance, monitoring, and testing can save time and money
Experts estimate that there are nearly one million elevators in the US, each of which serves an average of 20,000 people every year. Elevators don’t just help us get places a little faster – they make dense urban living possible, allowing the efficient construction of high-rise structures all across the world. However, if your property has slow, broken, or otherwise defective elevators, it could be making your life a whole lot less efficient.
Elevators have hundreds of complex moving parts, many of which need regular maintenance to ensure that they work properly. Regularly maintaining elevator systems allows building owners to fix small problems before they become big ones, keeping repair costs down and greatly extending the lifespan of the equipment. Maintenance also improves how well an elevator works, as well-maintained examples are generally faster and provide a much better experience for users.
If you’re about to move into a new building, ask questions about the elevators
Whether you’ve just signed a lease or you’re weighing several options, it pays to make sure the building’s elevators are in good, working condition. To do that, you’ll have to ask some questions, including how old each elevator is and how often they’re inspected and maintained by a qualified professional. If you haven’t yet leased or bought a property, or you’re on the fence about making a big decision about a building with elevators, you should consider their condition before making your final choice. This is especially the case in particularly tall structures or buildings that may deal with a large amount of elderly or disabled individuals.
Building owners and property managers should personally check elevators on a periodic basis
While elevator repairs should only be performed by licensed technicians, building owners and property managers should periodically ride the elevators in each of the buildings that they own and/or manage. These rides can help ensure that smaller issues, such as faulty lights, button wiring issues, or minor door problems are caught early, before they can contribute to an accident or expensive malfunction. Elevator checks also allow owners and managers to identify elevators that are running slowly. While slow elevators might not be much of an issue in a two or three-story building, they can be a serious inconvenience in a 15 or 20-story structure, and could present a safety issue in an emergency.
When it comes to elevators, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Statistically, elevators are extremely safe – safer, in fact, than stairs. Nevertheless, maintenance that prevents accidents is essential, and mitigates the possibility of liability for building owners or managers. In addition, regular maintenance helps prevent routine equipment breakdowns, saving time and money in the long run. In addition, the Florida Safety Act stipulates that owners or operators are responsible for ensuring that elevators meet all safety requirements on an annual basis.
With 18 billion trips taken in the U.S. each year, elevators are seemingly just as essential to human transport as automobiles. And much like other forms of motorized transportation, they need to be regularly serviced in order to keep them in good working condition.
To learn more about how to make sure your property’s elevators remain an asset instead of a liability, contact Connections Elevator at 954.792.1234 or get in touch through our convenient online form.