Having a safe elevator installed in your home is of upmost importance, and is critical in jurisdictions such as Alberta where these devices are not inspected. The following is a list of items we feel are imperative to ensure your safety, and give you peace of mind.
Does your home elevator meet code?
This should be a no-brainer, but believe or not there are manufacturers out there that either “fudge” the code or completely ignore it. ASME A17.1 CSA B44 is the safety code governing elevators and escalators, which North American manufactures are required to adhere to. Home elevators are required to have either a safety gate or sliding door inside the car. This is designed to prevent a shearing hazard as the elevator travels.
There is some debate as to whether a light screen or light curtain is acceptable, but in my recent conversations with a code committee member, there was no question in his mind whatsoever. The answer was clear – a physical barrier was necessary and this “invisible light screen” was not code compliant. For this reason, we provide a door or gate with every home elevator. By doing this, there is no gray area and you can rest assured that your elevator offering is 100% compliant.
Elevator gates and doors
Does your elevator have battery lowering?
We highly recommend that your home elevator comes equipped with battery lowering in the event of a power failure. For this reason, all of our residential elevators have this feature included in our standard offering. It’s unlikely to experience a power outage while travelling in your device but if you’re alone in the home and the power goes out, you will be grateful you have the ability to exit the elevator safely. In addition to battery lowering, we also have a manual lowering device that is housed in a small monitored hatch above the upper door. This, of course, is only of use if someone outside of the elevator is available to assist you.
Does your elevator come with a phone?
If you purchase an elevator from Uppercut, it will come with a phone integrated into the car operating panel. All we require is a phone line ran to the controller and you will have the ability to dial any number from the elevator car.
Quality elevators
Is someone local available to answer the phone?
Having a phone in your elevator is great, but this doesn’t do you much good if there is no one at the other end to answer it. I’m always amazed that there are companies that will sell you an elevator but either choose not to answer the phone after hours or simply don’t have local staff to assist you in your hour of need. At Uppercut, we have local staff in Calgary and Edmonton and are always available should you need us. We encourage clients to do their homework, read reviews, and see who answers their phone after hours or on the weekend.
Elevator and lift service
As you can see, having a code-compliant device with the necessary features is critical for a safe elevator installation. Equally important is choosing a company that actually answers their phone and has the resources to provide after-hours service.