Strict Building Codes for Elevator Panelboards and the Effects on Safety and Inspection
Building Codes for Elevator panelboards
Before 2008, building codes mandated that elevators had to be inspected once every two years. This changed after a series of highly publicized accidents that left the public uneasy about elevator safety and inspection processes. When New York City updated building codes in 2008, all elevators to be inspected once every year. Going further, codes were put in place that made it mandatory for the building’s owner or the co-op or condominium board, to hire an independent third party to inspect the elevator and panelboards as well, and serve as a witness to the elevator company?s work and inspection processes. The costs for the increased inspections and third party witnesses averaged upwards of $30,000 for some larger co-op owners who were given one year from when the new codes were passed to comply and get the elevators inspected.
Requirements for Elevator Panelboards
Most buildings will have to address older service and passenger elevators. The most important thing is the requirement for a safety bracket on all horizontally sliding doors. The new code requires that there be two guides on every door panel and a third safety bracket. The new code came after multiple people had fallen through the shaft. For high-rise buildings with multiple elevators, the cash outlay will be significant, being that the cost can be upwards of two hundred dollars per door. The older elevators also are not equipped with a pit-stop switch, which stops the elevator from going down to the pit (the very bottom of the elevator shaft, where a lot of maintenance work is done) when someone is down there. A third requirement is that all elevator panelboards be equipped with a “fire recall” system, which enables firefighters to control the elevator in the event of a fire. Retrofitting an old elevator with the complicated system might be less cost-effective than replacing the elevator and all the hardware associated.
New Elevator Control Panelboards in Compliance with Building Codes
Most of the new elevator control panelboards currently on the market are now designed to meet the strict requirements of the new building codes. More often than not, replacing the elevator entirely will just take the guesswork out of the code compliance. As compared to installing multiple loose breakers or fusible switches, elevator control panelboards save space and installation time, while also meeting the code requirements. Ample space is provided for power conductors and control wiring.
An Important Question Building Owners Should Ask Themselves about Elevator Panelboards
If you are a building or co-op owner ask yourself this before making an retrofitting decisions to the elevator panelboards in your building, “Would it be better to make a few changes and updates now, and risk encountering larger more expensive problems later down the line, or spend the money for a system that is guaranteed to comply with the new building codes?
