The Advantages Holeless Hydraulic Elevators
The holeless hydraulic elevator may be preferable to the conventional hydraulic elevator that requires a pit for the placement of its pair of hydraulic jacks. This arrangement is suitable as a residential elevator for buildings that have two, three or four floors. While there are other benefits provided by the holeless hydraulic elevator, it is mainly used for homes where there is a possibility that the soil or groundwater may be contaminated when the conventional design is used.
The reason for the possible contamination is the leakage of oil used in the jacks due to electrolysis and corrosion in the metal parts of the jacks themselves. Thus, if the condition of the soil is such that it allows the seepage of the contaminants, the holeless hydraulic elevator is a possible solution for the home with up to four floors. If possible contamination is a worry for you then holeless hydraulic elevators might be the solution.
Another advantage of holeless hydraulic elevators for home elevators is that it requires less expense because there is no need to dig a pit to provide a space for the pair of hydraulic jacks. Another benefit is that jack replacement is much easier because it is located above ground. Corollary to this, maintenance is also less expensive and easier to perform.
However, for the residential buildings where the number of floors is higher than four, the hydraulic jack design has to be assisted by a rope system. The roped hydraulic elevator is applicable for up to 10 floors. It retains the advantage of the holeless design because the jacks are still above ground. It has a plunger on both sides of the car and a sheave that is regulated by plunger guides. The ropes are attached to the bottom of the car and to the top parts of the jack stands. For safety, this system slows down a dropping car by using a governor tension sheave and a traction governor.
Meanwhile, residential elevators in general offer the advantage of assisting the elderly in their mobility requirements. While these are quite expensive, they are essential for households with members who are either physically disabled or are in their golden years. However, it is also important to consider less costly alternatives. For example, if the purpose is to aid the elderly in climbing the stairs for a two-story or three-story home, a stair lift, or even used stair lifts, may be less expensive both in the initial outlay and in maintenance. And if the intention is for lifting objects, such as food and other materials instead of people, a dumbwaiter may be the better choice, again because of lower expenses.
In conclusion, the holeless hydraulic elevator is the possible choice for those situations when the soil permits the seepage of the oil from the hydraulic jacks that may result contamination of groundwater. Of course, there are other alternatives that prevent such contamination. One possibility is the pneumatic elevator that does not require hydraulic jacks nor does it require a pit. Another potential alternative is the gearless or geared traction elevator, which is powered by an electric motor where the safety provision against power failure or breakage of the cable is a brake that is automatically activated when there is loss of power.
