Author: AltaVista

If circumstances have put you in the market for a new elevator service provider, it may be time to evaluate and compare the elevator companies in your area that can better serve you. Although seeking referrals from other building owners or checking online reviews is a great place to start, remember your commercial property is unique in terms of size, location and equipment. As you contact each business, ask questions and keep notes on important requirements.

1. Accessible Service

Find out emergency response times and the elevator company’s process to meet customer service needs. It’s easy to assume providers located nearby may provide the fastest response, but this is not always the case. Service routes and the strategic location of elevator mechanics also play an important role.

2. Experienced Technicians

When it comes to elevator service, a business is only as good as the skills of the mechanics who work on the lifts. While customer service, management and procedures are important, include questions about training, certifications and experience of the service team. Also, ask about mechanical supervision and quality control.

3. Expertise With Your Elevators

In the same way that auto mechanics may have experience with different brands and types of vehicles, elevator technicians tend to excel with various kinds and manufacturers of elevators. Whether your building uses hydraulic or traction elevators, for example, may make a difference with the type of mechanic best suited to maintain your system. Ideally, you want a technician familiar with the type, age and brand of your elevators.

4. Clear Contract Details and Cost

When it comes down to receiving the initial proposal, carefully compare pricing and included services in potential maintenance contracts. Make sure everything is spelled out and you are evaluating comparable services. If a more expensive plan includes extra services, ask the competing company for quotes to add these benefits.

5. Excellent References

Once you’ve assembled a list of desirable service vendors, check their references to make sure they live up to what they promise. Listen carefully to what other building managers have to say about them as well.

If you are looking for responsive, experienced elevator professionals, contact Puget Sound Elevator Company today by calling 425-800-8256 or sending us an email today!

Elevators can last for decades. For many people, this is a good reason to keep elevators how they are. However, there may be more benefits to modernizing your elevator than you realize. If you have an older elevator, take note of these three modernization benefits and discover if an upgrade is right for you.

Lower Energy Costs

Older equipment tends to use more energy to run than new, upgraded equipment. A modernized elevator can even convert the friction into energy for later. In addition, most new elevators do not require you to have a machine room. This means that you can also cut down on your cooling and ventilation prices.

More Upscale and Trustworthy Appearance

The design of your elevator matters to your staff, guests, and others who enter your building. If you have an upgraded, modern building, then an old-fashioned elevator will stand out. It will not complement your design elements. Likewise, when you have a new elevator, passengers are more likely to feel secure inside of it. Your elevator’s appearance should leave a good impression. Elevator modernization provides you with a trustworthy and upscale aesthetic.

More Efficient 

Elevators can have a very long life. Unfortunately, this means many elevators may have out of date technology. Modern elevators have technology that can provide passengers with quicker trips and no wasted time going in the wrong direction. New technologies make elevators more efficient, especially in terms of acceleration and deceleration rates.

While the most important reasons to consider an upgrade tend to be in the added efficiency, cost savings, and the appearance of the elevator itself, they are not the only reasons. There are plenty of reasons to make the change to a new elevator system. To upgrade your elevator, contact Puget Sound Elevator Company by calling 425-800-8256 or emailing us today for more information!

No one wants a run-down, underperforming elevator on their property. If you choose to ignore elevator maintenance, then your elevator may decline more rapidly than it should and leave you in the dark. The service life will be shorter, you’ll have more complaints, and the safety of your guests and employees may be compromised. Invest in a maintenance plan if you wish to avoid the following issues.

Breakdowns

Frequent breakdowns are frustrating. Over time, components may wear down and interfere with the elevator’s operation. Door operators are activated at least twice every time the elevator stops. This results in more wear and tear than other features, leading it to be the most common feature to malfunction or breakdown.

Overheating

Elevators have sensitive drive and control systems. If you don’t have the appropriate cooling system, your elevator’s mechanical rooms could suffer from overheating. Overheating ultimately leads to more breakdowns.

Wait Times

The world grows more and more impatient every day, do not let your elevator be a cause. If you slack on maintenance, your elevator may be slower than usual, creating longer wait times for your customers. Malfunctions or age can lead to these delayed wait times. Be sure to have the wait times and speed checked on a regular basis.

Energy Use

Older elevator systems are not as efficient as newer systems. Sometimes you may not notice the higher energy usage of your elevator. However, if you have a separate meter to check the elevator’s energy use you can keep better track. Another problem you may encounter involves the low power factor of older elevators. Older systems may increase your utility bills and lead to overloaded circuits.

Maintenance is a requirement when it comes to elevators. If you don’t keep up with regular maintenance, your elevator could suffer from frequent breakdowns, overheating, high energy usage, and more. For elevator modernization and repair in the Seattle area, contact Puget Sound Elevator Company by calling 425-800-8256 or emailing us today!

When you’re tasked with coming up with the best elevator design for your commercial building, you may not know where to start. The good news is, you can work with a professional to come up with the perfect design. The following three factors could help get you started.

1. Your Budget

When it comes to any improvements to a commercial building, your budget should be one of the main factors you take a look at. Components of a building that are custom-made are already expensive, but when you consider the different aspects of an elevator, it becomes even more expensive. If your budget doesn’t allow it, don’t plan on the most high-end features. Instead, settle for something that looks and functions just as well, but fits better within your budget.

2. The Style of the Building

If your building is historical with a lot of old charm and character, you probably wouldn’t want an extremely modern-looking elevator. Similarly, if your building is quite new with modern features, you wouldn’t want to include an elevator that looks vintage. Choose an elevator design that fits with the type of building it’s being installed in, including colors, style, size, finishes, lighting, and other features.

3. The Use and Purpose

Consider what your elevator is going to be used for on a regular basis. If it’s going to be a cargo or freight elevator, you would want to use materials that are quite durable. If the elevator is simply for casual use by employees or tenants, you could include materials that are more enjoyable to look at, but that might not be quite as durable. If the elevator is being installed in an area of town where vandals seem to hit often, you could consider durable, yet washable, and easily-replaceable materials.

Getting Started

There are a lot of things to consider when choosing the right elevator for your commercial building. To get started, contact Puget Sound Elevator Company by calling 970-409-1245 or emailing us today!

When you take a look at your old commercial elevator, do you wonder if there’s something you can do besides having it completely replaced? It’s possible you can modernize it! There are a few things you can consider that will help you determine if modernizing is the best option for your elevator at this point. Ask yourself the following questions.

1. Have Service Calls Increased?

If you have found there are more and more service calls every year required to keep your elevator running, it might be time to modernize it. Service calls cost money, and if you can put that money into modernization, it could end up saving your budget in the end.

2. How Old Is Your Elevator?

An elevator that is just a few years old probably doesn’t need modernization at all. If your elevator is 20 years or older, however, it is obviously out of date. Modernization might be your best bet at this point.

3. Have Passengers Experienced Safety Issues?

If there have been recent safety concerns brought up by passengers of the elevator, it’s something worth looking into. You want your passengers to feel safe and secure every time they step foot in the elevator. If safety is a concern, some modern fixes might remedy the problem.

4. Do You Frequently Have Elevator Downtime?

Downtime for your elevator generally means it’s in disrepair and waiting to be fixed. If your elevator is down frequently, it might benefit from some modern fixes that will make it run more efficiently.

5. Are Parts to Your Elevator Obsolete?

If your elevator repair company has to look for obsolete repair parts, it could save you both time and money to modernize the elevator. Obsolescence is a common driver of the decision to modernize as parts that are hard to come by are going to eventually be impossible to come by.

Learn More About Modernization

Modernization is a great way to keep your elevator running. To learn more about elevator modernization, contact Puget Sound Elevator Company by calling 425-800-8256 or emailing us today!

If you are a commercial property owner looking to have some elevators installed, you may begin to wonder how many to order. Whether your building is extremely large or very small, there are a couple of things to take into consideration. Working with professional elevator installers, you can look at the following factors for help in making this decision.

How Many People Will Use the Elevators

If your building is still in the works, it might be impossible to determine an exact number of people who will use your elevators, but you can come up with a rough estimate. You should consider how many people will need to use the elevator, as well as what times of the day they will be using it.

To figure this out, take an inventory of who occupies, or will occupy, the building. If it’s an apartment building, you can count up all the tenants and break them up into age groups, such as “working adults,” “school-aged children,” and other similar categories. If you own an office building, you should consider which businesses run out of the building, how many employees each of them have, and how many clients each of them see on a regular basis. You can then figure out approximately what time each category of individuals would come and go during the day.

A professional elevator designer can work with you to analyze traffic so you can come up with a fairly accurate estimate. Once you have that, you can move on to the next step.

Wait Time

Nobody likes to stand at an elevator for longer than half a minute. Commercial buildings that house businesses often have elevators with shorter wait times because professionals are often more rushed than someone just getting home from work to an apartment building.

Consider the busiest times of the day and the number of people riding the elevator from your earlier estimate, evaluate how much time it would take for the elevator to stop at each floor, and you’ll have a rough idea of the elevator wait time. If it’s longer than a minute or a minute-and-a-half, you might consider two elevators.

Getting the Assistance You Need

If you’re figuring out how many elevators to have installed in your commercial building, you don’t have to try and do the math yourself, let the professionals do it for you. Contact Puget Sound Elevator Company by calling 425-800-8256 or emailing us today for assistance in getting your new elevators up and running.

Competition for acquiring good tenants is fierce. There is rarely a shortage of tenants who want to occupy a good space, but good tenants want to occupy great spaces. To attract these tenants, property managers need to focus on modernizing the building.

Upgrading the tech and overall decor is one way to do this, but of equal importance is modernizing the elevators. To minimize disruption of business and tenant activities, property managers should determine the scope of the modernization, make a plan, and then execute it. Here are some tips on how to do so.

Assess the Equipment

To decide what needs upgrading, you first need to assess the elevator system you have. How outdated is it? Are any of the older parts compatible with a newer system? What is the cost estimate of an upgrade? Your current elevator company may be able to answer some of these questions. If they don’t offer modernization services, it’s best to seek out the expertise of a company that does.

Assess Current Use

Most property managers have an idea of what time elevators are most in use. However, determining the scope will require more accurate numbers. Unless a building is closed with no tenant access at specific hours, it is unwise to assume tenants don’t need the elevators at certain times. If you have several elevator banks to different floors, usage may differ for each.

Schedule the Upgrade

Not every elevator company may match the availability you need to complete the modernization process. Be sure to consider this when choosing a company to work with. You will then need to inform tenants of the upcoming upgrade at least 30 days before the start date, but preferably sooner. This gives them enough time to plan.

Good tenants appreciate the need and the benefits they will gain from a modernization, but early communication is important. Working with the right elevator company also ensures the project is completed within the estimated time. you complete the project within the estimated time. Contact Puget Sound Elevator Company by calling 425-800-8256 or emailing us today!

When it comes to modernizing elevators, most people do not make the decision based on necessity. Building owners make the decision based on what they have to invest and whether it will help the business. Often, building owners choose to modernize because it might help sell the property. In some cases, it may be because the elevator will run more efficiently. Here is how most building owners know if it’s time to modernize.

Are the Parts Obsolete?

When it comes to modernizing any device, you have to consider which parts and components might be obsolete. As a building owner, you may consider updating your elevator if they are no longer manufacturing replacement parts or if there are fewer contractors who can work on your elevator. Often, service personnel for older elevators fade away over time.

Should You Hold or Sell?

If you are trying to sell the property, you might not think about an expensive or thorough modernization. Instead, if your elevator has delays or problems associated with being an older elevator, you may consider some updates to make it work correctly enough to make money off the sale. Keep in mind that this may not completely fix your elevator’s issues and you may have to take money off of the selling price. This will allow the new owner to fix the elevator.

However, if you plan to keep the building, then you’ll want to think about investing more into your elevator. If you want to stay competitive, then it might help to have the latest and best features on the market.

Elevator modernization is an expensive decision. If you are considering modernizing your building’s elevator, then you need to think about what upgrades you need to make and how much it is going to cost you. For more information on how to upgrade your elevator, contact Puget Sound Elevator Company by calling 425-800-8256 or sending us an email today!