A common mode of indoor transportation is elevators, and ever since the 1800s, elevators have transported people and cargo up and down many buildings. Until the late 1800s, elevators were hardly even necessary, since buildings were never more than four or five stories tall. During the Industrial Revolution, however, steel beams and other new construction method allowed buildings to reach literal new heights, and indoor transportation had to keep up. Walking up stairs to the 20th floor would be tiresome, so residential lifts began to appear, and a commercial elevator or cargo elevator may be found in a factory or other commercial site. These elevators may be installed when an elevator company plays its part during construction of a building, and residential elevator repair may be done with an elevator safety company. What might an elevator safety company do t make elevators more effective than ever?
On Elevators
These indoor modes of transportation may be found around the world, and the United States in particular has a lot of them. The U.S. is home to nearly 700,000 elevators in apartments, hotels, factories, and more, delivering people and cargo day and night. Many elevators are found in smaller buildings, even those under 10 stories high. It has been found that the most commercial or residential buildings with an elevator in them are around 40 feet tall, meaning four to five stories. Even for these short buildings, though, all these elevators add up for a lot of passenger trips. All together, American elevators make 18 billion passenger trips every year, and these elevators carry the entire world’s population worth of people every nine days.
Residential or commercial elevators may be familiar to most people: a box with sliding metal doors, and it may go up or down. Elevators like these may carry six to ten people or so, and they have control panels for which floor is desired. These elevators have weight limits on them, to avoid straining the system. And unlike cargo elevators, these elevators are designed for comfort, with carpeting, wood paneling, lighting, and even typical “elevator music” all in place. By contrast, cargo elevators are larger and have no comforts. Instead, they are geared to transport heavy loads of goods, from racks of clothing to barrels of oil to forklifts. These elevators will have a lot of strength to carry a heavy load at a time, and their floor space and doors may be large enough to accommodate those loads. It is possible and common for people to ride in these elevators alongside the item(s) being moved, so these elevators are designed to be safe for people to ride on. It may be rare, however, for such an elevator to make a trip only to move people.
Elevator Installation and Repair
Residential or commercial elevators may be familiar to most people: a box with sliding metal doors, and it may go up or down. Elevators like these may carry six to ten people or so, and they have control panels for which floor is desired. These elevators have weight limits on them, to avoid straining the system. And unlike cargo elevators, these elevators are designed for comfort, with carpeting, wood paneling, lighting, and even typical “elevator music” all in place. By contrast, cargo elevators are larger and have no comforts. Instead, they are geared to transport heavy loads of goods, from racks of clothing to barrels of oil to forklifts. These elevators will have a lot of strength to carry a heavy load at a time, and their floor space and doors may be large enough to accommodate those loads. It is possible and common for people to ride in these elevators alongside the item(s) being moved, so these elevators are designed to be safe for people to ride on. It may be rare, however, for such an elevator to make a trip only to move people.
Elevator Installation and Repair
During a construction project, a number of crews will work together and pool their expertise and equipment to make a fully furnished building. Some workers will set up the steel beams or pour the concrete foundation, while others may install the plumbing or the spray foam insulation. Still others are responsible for the elevator and its installation, so these crews will build the elevator shaft from the building’s top to bottom in strategic places. A hotel being built, for example, is bound to have an elevator put in place for guests’ convenience. The elevator company will also install the cables or hydraulics that make it move, and they will also install the electrical components that allow people both inside and outside the elevator to input commands. Buttons inside the car, and outside the sets of doors, can control the elevator and call it to their location.
Sometimes, an elevator may become damaged or worn out over the years, so an elevator safety company can be contacted by a building manager to look it over. An elevator safety company may check the roller wheels that move along the cables, or they may check to see if the electrical components are faulty or non-responsive. Such a company may fix the affected parts or even recommend removing the elevator car and replacing it with a new one. Newer cars or cable rigs may have greater weight limits and be able to move faster, and more smoothly, too.