The summer season is making its presence felt. The surrounding temperature is rising day by day. It may cross 50 degrees centigrade or even more in some part of the country. The temperature inside the elevator machine room will certainly be higher than the surrounding temperature. In general, it is about 10 degrees higher than the outside temperature.
Further, as you go closure to the control panel, the temperature around electronic parts will be higher by 10-15 degrees, mean the temperature near electronic cards will be around 70-75 degrees. The electronic components for commercial use are designed to work at maximum 70-degrees temperature.
The elevator control panel has electronic circuits and is installed in the machine room closer to the gear/motor unit, which itself a source of heat generation. The machine heat, control heat and the surrounding temperature will certainly affect the performance of the control panel and result into erratic behaviour of elevator.
To avoid erratic behaviour of elevator and enjoy trouble free elevator operations we must ensure that:
The exhaust fan provided in the machine room is in working condition.
The exhaust fan provided with drive unit is in working condition.
The exhaust fan provided with the control cabinet is in working condition.
Cross ventilation is available in the machine room.
The louvers are kept open.
The control panel doors are kept open.
The users or owners must ask the service provider to check that required cooling and air circulation is there in the machine room. Similarly, the service provider must check the machine room and advise the owners or users for the required action.
If you notice frequent breakdowns or erratic behaviour of the elevator during summer, it is advisable to go for additional cooling arrangement or air conditioning of machine room. Follow these guidelines for trouble free elevator use during the summer season.
(The writer is an elevator auditor, founder of the Elevator Safety Forum India, plus an active member of the National Safety Council and Society for Reliability and Safety)
