Elevator Renewal Project Hamzeh Roumani, Board of Directors President November 11, 2023

Background
Our condo corporation operates five elevators located in blocks 100, 200/300, 500, 600, and 700/800. They are of the in-ground, direct-acting, piston type, not the hoisted type found in towers. They were installed in 1995 and have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years. Our elevator maintenance contractor tests the components (cylinder, power-unit, door-operator, controller) of each elevator monthly and determines if any needs to be repaired or replaced. Our reserve fund study has funds allocated for replacing these components as needed between 2020 and 2030. We have not replaced any yet except for the cylinder of the elevator in Block 500 which was replaced in 2019.

Pre-emptive Replacement
Normally, the Board replaces reserve-fund equipment only when they fail, but sometimes, consultants recommend pre-emptive replacement. For the above-mentioned four components, the consultant recommended replacing the cylinders and the power units pre-emptively, not because of safety, but because of the rising cost ($60K in 2020, $80K today) and the long manufacturing time (4 months to custom-make a cylinder and it must be installed upon receipt). Hence, if we wait for a cylinder to fail, the elevator will be out of service for 5.5 months (4 to make + 1.5 to install), which is un-acceptable.

The Plan
The project will proceed in phases, one block at a time, starting in mid-January, 2024. We have already ordered the cylinder for the first phase and it will be ready by then. Since 700/800 is the largest block, we will start with it, which means its elevator will be out of service for about 1.5 month. If all goes well, the second largest block, 200/300, will be next.

Once we receive the project schedule from the installer, more details and exact dates will be communicated through notices, and in addition, this blog will be updated.

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Updates

• Jan 12, 2024
  The project will start (as planned—see above) in the 700/800 block on:
  Tuesday Jan 16.
  
  
• Feb 1, 2024
  The installation has been completed ahead of schedule. The TSSA (Technical Standards and Safety Authority of Ontario) will inspect the elevator on Feb 6. If all is good, a permit will be issued and the elevator will be put back in service soon after.
  
  
• Feb 6, 2024
  The 700/800 Block elevator project has been completed and the elevator is back in service.
  
  
• Feb 7, 2024
  The 200/300 Block elevator project will start (as planned—see above) on:
  Monday Feb 12.
  
  
• Mar 4, 2024
  The 200/300 Block elevator project has been completed and the elevator is back in service.
  
  
• Mar 5, 2024
  The 100 Block elevator project will start (as planned—see above) on:
  Monday Mar 11.
  
  
• Mar 22, 2024
  The 100 Block elevator project will be done in 10 days. The plan next is to install the power unit for the Block-500 elevator (its cylinder was replaced in 2019) in early April. The final phase will be in the 600 block and it will start in the 3rd week of April. If all goes as planned, the entire project will be completed by mid May.
  
  
• Apr 2, 2024
  Work on the 100 Block elevator has been completed on March 27. But due to the so-called blackout in the TSSA and its resulting backlog, the TSSA inspectors were not available to inspect the work and clear the elevator to be put back in service. We are hoping that they will do so in the week of April 15..
  
  
• Apr 3, 2024
  Work on the power unit of Block-500 elevator will start on Monday Apr 8 and should be completed within 10 days. No TSSA inspection is needed for power unit installation as it is not considered a major update.
  
  
• Apr 12, 2024
  The 600 Block elevator project will start (as planned—see above) on:
  Thursday April18.
  
  
• Apr 16, 2024
  The 100 Block elevator project has been completed and the elevator is back in service.
  
  
• Apr 18, 2024
  The 500 Block elevator project has been completed and the elevator is back in service.