For property owners and managers providing elevator service to their tenants, it’s an open-and-shut fact that 80-90% of potential problems are attributable to the doors. The reasons for this are several and readily apparent. Aside from unpredictable and hopefully rare vandalism, passengers routinely bash into the doors with all manner of objects, hold the doors open and jam things into the mechanism to prevent them from closing. But above all it’s that the doors operate two times as often as the elevator itself, since with each run, they open and close twice. The door equipment tends to reach end-of-life in half the amount of time as the rest of the elevator and becomes increasingly troublesome along the way, exposing occupants to the heightened possibility of major inconvenience and the building owner to tenant complaints and undue costs. Therefore – to help keep the tenants happy and callbacks and costs to a minimum – of all components in an elevator system, the doors require a particular focus of attention and care.

Preventive Maintenance is the Key

Typical components of a door system are as follows, with items 1 through 6 statistically most likely to fail:

1. Door operators
2. Hanger rollers
3. Door tracks
4. Door checks
5. Door pivots
6. Door locks & clutches
7. Hatch door panels
8. Car door panels
9. Sills
10. Struts
11. Door bucks
12. Door “eyes” (safety edges)

• Before they fail, periodically replacing/upgrading various door components – particularly the “top six” – can go a long way toward preventing shutdowns and callbacks
• Periodically upgrading door equipment is necessary to ensure proper operation. For example, misaligned doors, which can cause breakdowns, and, in a worst-case scenario, entrapment, require immediate service.
• Keeping the door tracks free of obstructions, particularly during the winter months (gravel, ice, holiday tree needles, etc.), can be helpful in extending the life of the door system
• If the doors start opening and closing erratically and making noise, it’s likely time for a new operator system
• If the elevator has been in service in the neighborhood of 10-15 years without any meaningful door system upgrades, it’s time to consider a complete door system modernization to head off a sudden intermittent shutdown and its accompanying downsides 

Talk to D&D Elevator

The experts at D&D can evaluate your system and advise what is best to maintain the reliability of your elevators, the safety and convenience of passengers, and the ways to maintain these standards at maximum cost-efficiency.

Call us at (914) 347-4344

For property owners and managers, life today brings the major challenge of maneuvering through a pandemic, the uncertainties of the current rapidly-evolving real estate landscape, and the intricate maze of tenant relations. Across the commercial real estate landscape, tenants are actively considering their future strategies: whether to stay put where and as they are, downsize by converting to a full or hybrid remote work model, or relocate entirely to another building. In this environment, one of the surest ways to retain and attract tenants is to operate a building that is known for adhering to the highest standards of safety and caring for its occupants and visitors.

A prime component of this is the safety of the elevators, both for passengers, and for the technicians who service the systems. To support our customers, D&D has prepared a comprehensive Safety Guide for Building Managers, addressing the following key topics:

• The Covid-19 Risks
• Building Managers’ Responsibilities
• What to Expect from Passengers
• Safety Products Available
• How D&D Supports You

The Guide outlines various practical steps that property managers can take to create the safest possible environment for all those moving around the facility. It also addresses various commonly-asked questions, including whether elevators are hot spots for Covid-19 transmission and the relative dangers of various surfaces.

Learn More and View/Print Guide - 800 kb pdf

Details re: Covid Safety Products Available from D&D

D&D Stands Ready To Help!

Call (914) 347-4344 with any questions you may have, to and to review how we best serve your particular needs.

For property owners and managers, it is vital to avoid elevator-related violations and to resolve them as soon as possible if and when they occur. The consequences of unresolved violations can be severe, including costly penalties, disruptive shut-downs and possible legal liabilities. It is equally vital to check whether there are any “violation skeletons in the closet” – old violations that may have been forgotten or ignored, certain to resurface and haunt later – which do not “go away” and must be addressed. To stay on top of this, it is important to be aware of the various issues and requirements surrounding violations, one’s own responsibilities, and what actions are best to be taken.

The Solution for Violation Avoidance & Management

A top priority is to proactively review one’s inspection paperwork, and, while this is the building owner’s/manager’s responsibility, today’s demanding life can easily cause this to be overlooked and lead to problems. Best practice, therefore, is to establish a program of inspections to stay on top of the issue.

How D&D can help!

• Conduct regularly-scheduled maintenance inspections to identify problems that can be corrected with minimal repairs and downtime, before they become major problems that can lead to violations and fines
• Carefully review and process all recommendations offered by D&D Elevator to remove existing violations
• Consider following all recommendations offered by D&D Elevator to improve your elevator’s service and reduce potential fines and liabilities
• For New York City properties, support registration of the building(s) with DOB NOW, the Department of Building’s self-service tool enabling Owners and Managers to conduct all business with the Department entirely online

Resources

• DOB NOW Registration Form
  
  
• LINK to the NYC DOB’s Frequently Asked VIOLATION Questions
  
  
• LINK to the NYC DOB’s Frequently Asked SAFETY Questions
  
  
• Info about D&D’s Violations and Testing Division

Typical Violations

• PVT VIOLATIONS (Private, also known as E-Elevator) are issued by third party elevator inspectors under contract with the Department of Buildings. Such violations are issued during routine inspections and can be hazardous or non-hazardous.
  
  
• ECB VIOLATIONS (Environmental Control Board) are issued by the Department when a property does not comply with the NYC Building Code and / or Zoning Resolution, or if a complaint is received by the City. There is an administrative court that provides hearings on violations issued by City agencies for "quality of life" infractions.  ECB renders judgment and collects all penalties assessed at hearings.
  
  

Typical Inspections

• CATEGORY 1 Inspection is a no-load safety test of an elevator device that must be performed between January 1st and December 31st of each calendar year. The filing deadline is 60 days from Date-of-Test.
  
  
• CATEGORY 5 Inspection is a full-load and speed safety test that must be performed within five years from the month of issuance of a final certificate for a new elevator or within five years from the month of the most recent CAT-5 Inspection/Test on an existing elevator. A CAT-5 Test can only be filed as satisfactory and the filing deadline is 60 days from Date-of-Test. If the CAT-5 Test is found to be unsatisfactory during a testing process, the elevator must be shut down. If the CAT-5 Test is not done at the proper time, there is an automatic $5,000 penalty fine.

D&D Stands Ready to Help!

Call (914) 347-4344 to discuss how D&D can help bring you peace of mind by keeping your property free of violations, fines, legal jeopardy and disruption!