Schindler or Otis? No clue

[littlespark]

I’ve been asked if I know anything about lifts. Elevators.

A customer of mine has got a job at one of the local country houses and he’s looking for a lift engineer.

I don’t know if it’s for people, or just goods…. All I know is that it hasn’t moved in 20 years!

If it is for people, I’m assuming there are specific safety features that only proper lift engineers will be able to certify…. But is that the same for a goods lift?


I’ll arrange a site visit, even just for a look.
Hopefully I get put forward for other electrical work. I can see a lot of vintage equipment being saved from the skip.

 

[DPG]

I’ve been asked if I know anything about lifts. Elevators.

A customer of mine has got a job at one of the local country houses and he’s looking for a lift engineer.

I don’t know if it’s for people, or just goods…. All I know is that it hasn’t moved in 20 years!

If it is for people, I’m assuming there are specific safety features that only proper lift engineers will be able to certify…. But is that the same for a goods lift?


I’ll arrange a site visit, even just for a look.
Hopefully I get put forward for other electrical work. I can see a lot of vintage equipment being saved from the skip.

Wasn't there a film about Schindler Lifts?

Edit: I've already got my coat.

 

[westward10]

Try Reading for Otis.

 

[littlespark]

I doubt it’s made by Schindler or Otis…..

Until I get eyes on, I don’t know how many floors it serves… how big it is….. whatever.
It could be a hand crank dumb waiter for all I know…


Hopefully if there’s other works to do, I can get my hands on a servant call system with the bell and the little flags.

 

[snowhead]

But is that the same for a goods lift?

It will need an experienced lift engineer to look at it, expect a big bill.
If it's rope driven I suspect it'll need new ropes, as I doubt anyone would be prepared to sign it off as safe to use.
I'm not sure on the procedure for hydraulic, I never worked on those.
There are safety features on both Passenger and goods that'll will need testing.

 

[ipf]

Try Redding for Otis.

Try......a Little Tenderness.

 

[littlespark]

Try......a little tenderness.

I will…. While I’m sitting on the dock of the bay.

 

[lozarus]

Lift logic and control is very interesting. LOLER regulations likely come into play here, certainly if its some kind of commercial affair. Its all rather strict. We have our dumb waiter, goods Lift and passenger lifts all inspected about 6 times a year by a specialist contractor - the inspections are cheap enough, the constant stream of repairs often aren't. In LOLER our favourite phrase "competent person" shows up a fair bit.

 

[Lister1987]

Several sources of knowledge exist, the 2 that immediately come to mind are INDG339 from HSE and BS EN 13015.

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Beyond that you'll have EU Directives for lifts, it matters if it is person or goods as the former is more stringent than the latter

 

[littlespark]

I was at site today looking at several issues. I don’t think anyone has worked in this house for some time! I’ll get a full tour of the plant rooms next week.

The lift in question serves 5 floors… with the carriage itself stuck between 2 and 3.
I’m not working on the lift, so all this is personal intrigue.

I managed to open the 3rd floor gate and found….

It wasn’t plugged in!



The plug doesn’t look standard. There’s notches on the pins.
All the black steel conduit goes to call buttons, and switches that move in when the lift reaches a floor. This also mechanically unlocks the gate that the lift stops at.


There’s pulleys in the loft space, massive counterweights at the back of the lift shaft, but I didn’t see the motor. I wouldn’t think they’d be very big if that is the supply socket.

Just the buttons, stop switches and a control box.


Why did they make it all inside the lift shaft?
Can’t do much fault finding if the lift keeps going up and down.

 

[snowhead]

What you can see there is the halfway box where the very flexible cables go out to the car.
If the ropes from the counterweight and lift car go up into the loft then the motor-gearbox and controls are up there.

That plug and socket will be for the lift car light, fed separate from the motor and controls.

 

[littlespark]

What you can see there is the halfway box where the very flexible cables go out to the car.
If the ropes from the counterweight and lift car go up into the loft then the motor-gearbox and controls are up there.

That plug and socket will be for the lift car light, fed separate from the motor and controls.

that makes sense.... a light in the car.

No one seems to know if there's buttons in the car itself, or if it's all controlled from the 5 call buttons outside. making it a goods lift only.

The supply to the 3 round pin socket there might be pyro... oh joy... as ive seen some other pyro used in sockets elsewhere.
Most of the house is imperial steel conduit... doubt theres any cpc apart from the pipe itself... but ill find out next week hopefully.

They want me to do PAT on all the equipment.... Across the house, estate, gardens and holiday cottages. Could be quite a few days work just on that.

 

[freddo]

Old wiring is awesome! The notched plug looks like a Crabtree interlocking plug. I have some here my grandmother used to have on her appliances, before she moved house in the early 60s.

 

[littlespark]

I’m going in on Thursday to start on PAT.

Apparently there’s a room in the basement called “The Lamp Room”…… all that is in it is a load of unused table lamps….. some with 5A plugs.

There’s also a “Fire Guard Room” and “Clock Room”

 

[freddo]

Clock room sounds interesting! Hope there are plenty of very old lamps in the lamp room...

 

[OtiStu]

I was at site today looking at several issues. I don’t think anyone has worked in this house for some time! I’ll get a full tour of the plant rooms next week.

The lift in question serves 5 floors… with the carriage itself stuck between 2 and 3.
I’m not working on the lift, so all this is personal intrigue.

I managed to open the 3rd floor gate and found….

It wasn’t plugged in!

View attachment 103762

The plug doesn’t look standard. There’s notches on the pins.
All the black steel conduit goes to call buttons, and switches that move in when the lift reaches a floor. This also mechanically unlocks the gate that the lift stops at.


There’s pulleys in the loft space, massive counterweights at the back of the lift shaft, but I didn’t see the motor. I wouldn’t think they’d be very big if that is the supply socket.

Just the buttons, stop switches and a control box.
View attachment 103763

Why did they make it all inside the lift shaft?
Can’t do much fault finding if the lift keeps going up and down.

Hi mate, as a few of the guys have said the box in the shaft is half way point between main controller in motor room and car itself. The controller will likely house very old 3 phase contactors for motor and probs 110v or 240v relays for control buttons etc. This lift is really old due to the fact it runs on round guides as per your pic. Could be 30’s - 60’s just depends but I wouldn’t think it would much newer than that.

It may well work but all safety circuits would have to be verified before trying and these should be on circuit diagrams. Potential mine field due to time it hasn’t ran for etc so would defo need some lift engineering input especially if your customer wants it back in operation.

If you need anymore info let me know and I’ll do my best to help.