Work is well underway on a lift modernisation at Oxford House in Liverpool. These works will include new entrances being created and existing entrances formed. This is a full turn-key package with our industry partners, International Lift Equipment and for the major builders works, PRNS Building Services Ltd. The left-hand lift (whilst looking into the Lift shaft from the landings) serves the even floors of the building whilst the right-hand lift serves the odd floors. Once complete, one of the refurbished lifts will be a firefighter lift, which in turn will meet the requirements of EN81-72.
What kind of lift refurbishment is this?
Located at Oxford House this major project entails a full, back to guides turn-key refurbishment. A removal of all lift components including wiring, trunking, entrances, lift car and ropes will be programmed into the life cycle of this project to be completely replaced. At the start of the project, our lead technician Paul Knight worked on the lift earmarked to be refurbished first to disable all electrics within the lifts shaft, disconnect the CCTV and make safe the areas that will be focused on by the building teams
What’s entailed?
The process then follows the same pattern for both lifts. Upon completion and ultimately the hand-over of both lifts, there will be two highest specified vertical transportation units that can serve every floor for the tenants of this building.
The side by side lifts will be ‘duplex’ Lifts. This means when passengers select their own destination floors at landings before they enter the elevator car, the ‘duplex’ system allocates the most suitable lift to the passengers who are going to the same floor.
During the primary builders works, the lifts will be completely stripped out to literally resemble a box. As mentioned beforehand, the electrics will be removed and the entrances replaced. Going in their place will be high specification hoardings from PRNS. Heavy duty industrial cutters will be utilized to ‘chop’ through the reinforced concrete wall landings. Completely enclosed work areas will be employed with fans and an independent team to assist any tenants go about their normal daily business whilst the works are present on their landing.
Once the new entrances are formed, the existing adapted and a full clean down and painting of the lift shaft has been achieved, the lift works start!
Our Sheridan Lifts engineer team will disable the motor room lift controls and strip these out completely. We will replace with a new controller, bed plate and motor, all with high quality low smoke and fume, fully specified cabling and trunking. The counterbalance will be suspended, and the lift car safely landed. The remaining contents will be stripped away and then replaced with the new equipment. Care to be taken to fit the safety systems employed on all lift projects.
Next step will be to carry out the re-rope and preliminary re-wire before ‘firing up’ the motor and we can use this as a safe working platform. Then we can commence work on the lift entrances.
At this point the specialist trades will come in and measure up for new architraves. These hand built stainless steel architraves are constructed and eventually back filled with a full consideration to become part of the fire rating and to fully sustain a long lifespan. In these works there is concrete poured into the architraves for them to achieve fire rating and create a sustained lifespan durability.
Final works will entail switches, secondary wiring, looms, trailers, CCTV, indicators, fireman’s control and making good all landings to the high standard that matches the finish on the rest of the building. Builders works will entail ramping the floor (+25mm for a fire fighter) and commissioning of the Sump Pump system within the Pit. Car interior, COP and the car floor will be completed.
Then the lift is ready to test! This will take however long is required, with test weight ratio’s and a detailed program of testing that sits within the mandatory fields of a fire fighter lift.
Once the lift test is completed, there may be (not many!) snags for parties involved. When completed, the specific lift will be inspected by both the client, specialist consultants and insurance inspectors. Once signed off and commissioned for general use by the building residents, the newly refurbished lift will be ‘bedded-in’ for around 2-4 weeks. Once this has happened, the second lift will be disabled, and the building process will ‘resume again’!
Throughout the lift refurbishment on site there will be a person of great importance, called Tracey who assists the residents in any way to sustain ‘business as usual’. This can be in the form of helping them to their door or with transportation of goods or shopping into their homes.
During the whole process, residents will be coming and going. It is always of great importance that Sheridan Lifts Ltd work with our usual care, professionalism and sensitivity that is of the highest standard on every one of our projects.
