We install hydraulic elevators by a variety of manufacturers. Commercial hydraulic elevators fall into two basic categories; conventional (or in-ground) and holeless. We only install the holeless variety. Years ago my father, my brother and I made a policy decision based upon the premise that the placing of a hydraulic cylinder in the ground where it could not be observed or maintained, and the accompanying exposure of ground water contamination, made in‑ground hydraulics an inferior choice. All hydraulic elevators are raised by a column of oil that is forced into a cylinder by a motor driven pump through a control valve. While there have been many improvements over the years such as electronically controlled valves and variable frequency motor control, the system is effectively the same as it was forty years ago. The actual lifting is done by a piston mounted within a casing or cylinder (jack assembly). Car speed, acceleration, deceleration and relief pressure are regulated by a control valve mounted between the pump and the cylinder or by a variable voltage variable frequency motor driving a pump at different speeds. When the motor turns the pump, the pump creates pressure which drives the piston and elevator up. To come down, a valve is opened which allows the oil previously pumped into the casing to flow back into the reservoir, allowing the car and piston to come down . In-ground elevators are so called because the cylinder goes down into the ground as far as the elevator travels up. This type of installation requires the drilling of a hole below the elevator. Typical installations today utilize a steel liner to prevent the hole from caving in, a PVC liner to protect the steel cylinder from electrolytic action and, normally, to contain a device or viscous substance that is intended to prevent the cylinder from chemical reactions, i.e. oxidation. As previously stated, RMR does not install this type of elevator. Due to the inability to observe and maintain the jack assembly after it is placed into the ground, we have determined that there is no need to expose our customer or our firm to the liability associated with an underground hydraulic oil leak. Holeless elevators are so called because they do not use a conventional under cab piston/casing arrangement. Holeless elevators come in many different styles. The two predominant types are direct-acting and roped. Holeless hydraulic elevator equipment is typically more expensive than in-ground equipment; however, the additional expense is offset by the high cost of drilling a jack hole. The other benefit to hole add hyphen between hole and less less equipment is that there is no possibility of an environmental contamination. Direct acting holeless elevators employ a piston that is connected directly to the steel that supports the elevator cab. Typically this requires either a cantilevered platform support or a second jack assembly mounted on the opposite side of the cab. Also included in this category are telescopic jacks that have multiple pistons within a single jack assembly. Direct acting hydraulic elevators are only practical for a limited amount of travel. Roped hydraulic elevators are more complicated as they employ an indirect attachment to the car. Roped hydraulic elevators utilize the same steel cables that support high rise elevators but in a 1:2 arrangement. (See Illustration) In this manner the cab will move two inches for every inch the piston travels. Roped hydraulic elevators are equally well suited to new installations, retrofits into an existing building, applications where drilling a hole for the jack assembly is impractical or in an application where travel is more than is practical for a direct acting hydraulic elevator. |
elevators are a mainstay in today’s commercial environment, generally in buildings up to six stories high. They don’t require significant overhead hoisting machinery in comparison to traction systems.
Features
Capacity: Up to 5,000 lbs
Travel Height: Up to 80 ft
Speed: 150 ft/min
Drive: Direct-Acting / 1:2 Roped
Travel Height: Up to 80 ft
Speed: 150 ft/min
Drive: Direct-Acting / 1:2 Roped
Benefits
- Designed for low to mid-rise commercial buildings
- Accommodates passenger or freight loading
- Allows for front, rear, and side openings
- Flexibility in design to accommodate the application
- Jackhole not required with holeless drive
- Eco-friendly with use of biodegradable oil
- Custom design and aesthetic options configured to complement need and budget
- Manufactured and installed per current industry code standards
- Regularly scheduled preventive maintenance helps to minimize downtime
Pump For Hydraulic Cylinder Elevators
Manufacturers
We are an authorized dealer for many leading elevator suppliers and manufacturers. We recommend the use of because it ensures that your elevator installation brings the best value to your building.
The Case for DC Elevator
Please see our case studies for examples of how we solved our clients’ problems, and what they have to say about it. Contact us with questions about elevators, discuss your building situation, and find out if this elevator type is right for you.
We install hydraulic elevators by a variety of manufacturers. Commercial hydraulic elevators fall into two basic categories; conventional (or in-ground) and holeless. We only install the holeless variety. Years ago my father, my brother and I made a policy decision based upon the premise that the placing of a hydraulic cylinder in the ground where it could not be observed or maintained, and the accompanying exposure of ground water contamination, made in‑ground hydraulics an inferior choice. All hydraulic elevators are raised by a column of oil that is forced into a cylinder by a motor driven pump through a control valve. While there have been many improvements over the years such as electronically controlled valves and variable frequency motor control, the system is effectively the same as it was forty years ago. The actual lifting is done by a piston mounted within a casing or cylinder (jack assembly). Car speed, acceleration, deceleration and relief pressure are regulated by a control valve mounted between the pump and the cylinder or by a variable voltage variable frequency motor driving a pump at different speeds. When the motor turns the pump, the pump creates pressure which drives the piston and elevator up. To come down, a valve is opened which allows the oil previously pumped into the casing to flow back into the reservoir, allowing the car and piston to come down . In-ground elevators are so called because the cylinder goes down into the ground as far as the elevator travels up. This type of installation requires the drilling of a hole below the elevator. Typical installations today utilize a steel liner to prevent the hole from caving in, a PVC liner to protect the steel cylinder from electrolytic action and, normally, to contain a device or viscous substance that is intended to prevent the cylinder from chemical reactions, i.e. oxidation. As previously stated, RMR does not install this type of elevator. Due to the inability to observe and maintain the jack assembly after it is placed into the ground, we have determined that there is no need to expose our customer or our firm to the liability associated with an underground hydraulic oil leak. Holeless elevators are so called because they do not use a conventional under cab piston/casing arrangement. Holeless elevators come in many different styles. The two predominant types are direct-acting and roped. Holeless hydraulic elevator equipment is typically more expensive than in-ground equipment; however, the additional expense is offset by the high cost of drilling a jack hole. The other benefit to hole add hyphen between hole and less less equipment is that there is no possibility of an environmental contamination. Direct acting holeless elevators employ a piston that is connected directly to the steel that supports the elevator cab. Typically this requires either a cantilevered platform support or a second jack assembly mounted on the opposite side of the cab. Also included in this category are telescopic jacks that have multiple pistons within a single jack assembly. Direct acting hydraulic elevators are only practical for a limited amount of travel. Roped hydraulic elevators are more complicated as they employ an indirect attachment to the car. Roped hydraulic elevators utilize the same steel cables that support high rise elevators but in a 1:2 arrangement. (See Illustration) In this manner the cab will move two inches for every inch the piston travels. Roped hydraulic elevators are equally well suited to new installations, retrofits into an existing building, applications where drilling a hole for the jack assembly is impractical or in an application where travel is more than is practical for a direct acting hydraulic elevator. |
Hydraulic elevators are elevators which are powered by a piston that travels inside a cylinder. An electric motor pumps hydraulic oil into the cylinder to move the piston. The piston smoothly lifts the elevator cab. Electrical valves control the release of the oil for a gentle descent.
Hydraulic elevators are used extensively in buildings up to five or six stories high. Sometimes, but rarely, up to 8 stories high. These elevators, which can operate at speeds up to 61 meters (200 ft) per minute, do not use the large overhead hoisting machinery the way geared and gearless traction systems do.
All modern hydraulic pumps are either equipped with a Solid-State Contactor or a mechanical Y-Delta starter. Solid-State Contactor statrers are better for the motor and the building’s power supply, as the windings last longer and there are no voltage drops across the line of the building’s power supply. Y-Delta starters use two contactors to start the motor on a reduced speed, then kick on full speed. Old hydraulic elevators just started up abruptly, sending mains power at full blast right into the motor. This puts a lot of strain on the motor which, in turn, makes it burn out faster than motors on Y-Delta or Solid-State Contactor starters.
There are three types of hydraulic elevator; holed hydraulic, holeless hydraulic and roped hydraulic.
Holeless hydraulic
Holeless hydraulic consists of pistons mounted inside the hoistway to raise and lower the car. This is especially a solution for buildings built in bedrock, a high water table or unstable soil conditions locations that can make digging the hole required for a conventional hydraulic elevator impractical. Holeless hydraulic systems use a direct-acting piston to raise the car.
Roped hydraulic
Roped hydraulic elevator extends the rise of the holeless elevator to 18 meters (60 ft), without the need for a belowground cylinder. Roped hydraulic elevator systems have the piston attached to a sheave which has a rope passing through it. One end is attached to the car while the other is secured at the bottom of the hoistway. Also, roped hydraulic systems require a governor because the rope is holding the car up.
Machine room less hydraulic
This hydraulic elevator does not require a fixed room to house the hydraulic machinery, instead, the machinery itself is usually installed on the elevator pit and the controller is installed behind a locked cabinet on the wall near the elevator. The benefit of machine room less hydraulic elevator is that it saves construction time and cost. Examples of machine room less hydraulic elevator is Otis HydroFit and ThyssenKrupp Endura MRL.
Benefits of Hydraulic Elevators
- No need for reinforcement. The cylinder that lifts the elevator cab is supported by the ground underneath.
- Are usually cheaper than traction units.
- If the line breaks, the elevator will fall no faster than oil can escape.
Detriments of Hydraulic Elevators
Hydraulic Elevator Pump Unit
Older hydraulic elevators may have a risk of leaking hydraulic oil into an aquifer and causing potential environmental contamination. This has led to the introduction of PVC liners (casings) around hydraulic cylinders which can be monitored for integrity. Additionally, Older hydraulic elevator systems usually have a motor outside of the tank and cause noise when the motor is running (this system no longer exists in the hydraulic elevators installed in mid-1990s or later when the submersible hydraulic power unit introduced which placed the motor inside the tank to make some of the motor sound isolated in the oil tank).
In 2007, Kone announced that the company would stop manufacturing and producing hydraulic elevators due to environmental concern, therefore replacing them with the eco-friendly MonoSpace and EcoSpace elevators. This makes Kone the first elevator company to only produce traction elevators. Also, some other elevator manufacturers has stopped produce hydraulic elevators due to the same reason.
Notable hydraulic elevator models
- Oildraulic (1937 – 2012) – notable hydraulic elevator system invented by Automobile Rotary Lift Co., normally used on Dover and ThyssenKrupp elevators in the United States and Canada.
- Schindler 300A (1995 – 2001)
- Schindler 321A (1998 – 2001)
- Schindler 330A (2001 – present)
- Otis 211 (1987 – 2013) Common hydraulic controller used on Otis elevators.
- Otis HydroFit (2011 – present) Otis’s new hydraulic system. Also comes with MRL option.
- ThyssenKrupp Endura (2012 – present) – successor to the Oildraulic.
- ThyssenKrupp Endura MRL (2014 – Present) Successor to the Oildraulic; MRL version of Endura.
Hydraulic Elevator Diagram
If you’re not keen on climbing flights of stairs to get to your apartment or to the doctor’s office, then you’ve used an elevator. With the click of a button, an elevator is at your disposal to get you there in less than a minute. There is more to an elevator than sleek floors and buttons with numbers. Have you ever wondered what makes it travel vertically?
There are two types of elevators: Hydraulic and Traction– and underneath these elevators is a pit.
Hydraulic Elevators
Hydraulic Elevators are powered by a piston that travels inside of a cylinder pumped by hydraulic oil. Spring buffers on the sides of the pit cushion assist in the descent of the elevator cab. The pit ladder allows you to go in and out of the elevator pit safely and easily. Because pits are dark, pit lights are important for visibility. The drain bucket collects any minor oil leakages around the elevator seal.
Hydraulic Elevators are powered by a piston that travels inside of a cylinder pumped by hydraulic oil. Spring buffers on the sides of the pit cushion assist in the descent of the elevator cab. The pit ladder allows you to go in and out of the elevator pit safely and easily. Because pits are dark, pit lights are important for visibility. The drain bucket collects any minor oil leakages around the elevator seal.
- Hydraulic Cylinder
- Spring Buffers
- Pit Ladder
- Pit Lights
- Drain Bucket
Traction Elevators
Typically found on buildings with eight stories or more, traction elevators are lifted by ropes which pass over a pulley. A counterweight is a counter balance to the elevator full load capacity. Oil buffers soften the descend of the elevator cab and counterweight. The tail sheave is part of a governor which activates the brakes if the elevator car were to over speed.
Typically found on buildings with eight stories or more, traction elevators are lifted by ropes which pass over a pulley. A counterweight is a counter balance to the elevator full load capacity. Oil buffers soften the descend of the elevator cab and counterweight. The tail sheave is part of a governor which activates the brakes if the elevator car were to over speed.
- Counterweight Frame
- Oil buffers
- Pit Ladder
- Pit Lights
- Tail Sheave
- Pit Channel
Maintained elevator pits allow technicians and elevator pit professionals to easily identify the problem sources such as water intrusion, electrical damage and oil leaks. There are minor differences regarding water intrusion in an hydraulic elevator pit versus a traction one. The only differentiating factor is that in a hydraulic elevator pit, the cylinder that powers the elevator car is drilled far into the ground for support. This hole increases the chance of water intrusion.
TG Oil Services specializes in elevator pit waterproofing.
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