The mechanics of the high-rise elevator systems mentioned above consist of cables and sheaves, also known as pulleys, which run between the elevator cab and elevator machine room, counterweights that balance the elevator cab, the electric motor, and the braking system. These mechanical elevators are also referred to as “traction elevators.” Traction elevators are recommended for NYC skyscrapers due to their energy efficiency, smooth ride, and high-speeds that whisk passengers to their desired floor, faster than its passengers can ‘name the tune’ of the elevator ‘muzak’ played inside the cab.

Elevator violations can be costly, as described in the blog, Correcting Department of Buildings OATH Violations, and why the investment in an elevator maintenance plan is a ‘no-brainer’ when considering the cost of elevator service disruption, unhappy tenants, and liability issues for Failure To Maintain the elevator.

A myriad of city codes can boggle the mind of responsible NYC building and property owners maintaining safe building operations. According to the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), there are mechanical codes, electrical codes, housing maintenance codes, plumbing codes, fire codes, energy codes, and fuel-gas codes to consider every day. Elevators are not exempt from such DOB compliance codes. As of January 1, 2020, all NYC building elevators needed to comply with the DOB elevator door lock monitoring code.

Property taxes, liability insurance, a mortgage — Oh My! These are the three fixed costs of owning or managing an office building, condo, or apartment building. There are also the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual operating expenses included in every business budget, such as snow removal, landscaping, trash removal, and recycling. Indeed, owning or managing a commercial building takes a keen sense for business budgeting, which falls under the general category of property management.

The quandary of building owners and managers during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is how to keep their elevators running safely while adhering to state orders to maintain ‘social distance’ within the typically tight confines of an elevator cabin. Elevator passengers, also, ponder how to safely ride the vertical transportation devices, shoulder-to-shoulder with neighbors, and work colleagues.

In our January blog, 4 Best Practices For Winterizing Elevators, we described the best practices for sustaining the proper functioning of an elevator in winter. A 2018 NYC Department of Buildings Elevator Report indicated there were over 84,000 vertical transportation devices in New York City, with 63,000 of these devices being passenger elevators carrying over 100,000 riders on 35 million trips DAILY! 

As an elevator transports riders’ up and down to their daily destinations, the passengers are often unaware the reason for their calm and contented demeanor has as much to do with the soothing sounds of the elevator etiquette-approved piped-in music, commonly referred to as elevator ‘muzak.’ Elevator ‘muzak’ was the brainchild of a World War I U.S. Army Chief Signal Officer, Major General George O. Squier. Since radio was still only a promising innovation in the 1920s, Squier would transmit radio signals across electrical wires.

For the majority of Americans, the daily elevator ride is a simple matter of pushing a button and waiting until the elevator brings you to your desired floor. Consequently, for those in the elevator industry, there’s a little more to it. Very few elevator riders contemplate the complicated mechanics that are at work within that metal box-like structure, such as the counterweights that balance the elevator cars, the electric motor, the braking system, and the system of strong cables and sheaves running between the cars and the machines.

If looking for brief elevator banter while shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow travelers, keep today’s blog handy and share information regarding the oldest operating elevators in the U.S! Who doesn’t love a snippet of history?

Pardon this one ‘pun,’ but the elevator sector is ‘on the rise’ and Champion Elevator, one of the leaders in elevator maintenance, repair, and modernization, believes it is time to ride the growth of the elevator sector ‘to the top.’