5 Essential Elevator Maintenance Tips That Will Save You Money

Business owners already face numerous tasks and challenges on a regular basis. You must address scheduling, handle client or customer requests, and don’t forget about the joys of recruitment and hiring. The very last thing you want on your plate is a malfunctioning elevator.

Elevator repairs, especially ones not covered in your service contract, can prove very expensive. So, how do you handle elevator maintenance in a cost-effective way? Keep reading for five elevator maintenance tips that will save you some money.

1. Daily Inspection

Don’t go overboard with the daily inspection. It doesn’t require an in-depth approach or an elevator maintenance checklist. Instead, focus on the big things.

Is there any obvious damage inside the elevator car? Are the lights and buttons working properly? Is the elevator traveling at its normal speed and without new noises?

If these things all appear normal, you’re good for the day.

2. Log Problems and Repairs

A key piece of elevator maintenance advice is to log all reported problems and all repairs. If you see a pattern in the problems, that can indicate a persistent problem that you should get an elevator maintenance company to look at for you.

Logging repairs can help you ensure that repair work was done properly. If a company says they made a repair and the same problem recurs a week later, you know to call them.

3. Understand Cleaning Requirements

While elevator design places a heavy emphasis on safety, the interior of the elevator car and the electronics can often prove sensitive to heavy-duty cleaners. In fact, those cleaners you use everywhere else in the building might actually corrode or otherwise damage the electronics and finishes in the elevator.

Discuss proper cleaning with the elevator company. They can advise you on the proper cleaning chemicals to keep the elevator in tip-top condition.

4. Check Doors and Tracks

The doors and tracks on your elevator are natural weak points. Things can drop into the tracks or grime can simply accumulate. That can throw the doors out of alignment, which you can usually spot by the appearance of new scratches on the elevator doors.

If you notice a problem, contact your service provider.

5. Get Help

Like most service providers, elevator service companies use contracts. Those contracts can prove almost indecipherable to anyone without a law degree. They may also leave you wondering what services the contract covers.

Consider getting help from a company that will provide an elevator audit report on your service provider.

Elevator Maintenance and You

The idea of people getting trapped in a malfunctioning elevator can give any sane business owner cold sweats. That is why regular elevator maintenance matters so much.

That doesn’t mean you should carry out the repairs yourself. In fact, you shouldn’t.

It means keeping an eye on your elevator for problems like burned-out lights, changes in performance, and new or alarming noises while the elevator moves. When you notice problems, you get an elevator maintenance company on the job.

Looking for more business maintenance tips? Check out the posts in our Business section.