Upgrading a lift: What’s involved? When should you do it? What are the benefits?

Let’s consider the following example: What is the average service life of a car? It would be unusual for you to keep using it after 15 years. However, have you ever stopped to think about how old your lift is? For all you know, it may have been in your building for 30 or 40 years.

To conform to legal requirements and, above all, ensure its proper operation, it is essential to upgrade the lift. There are basically two ways to do this:

•  We can do a total replacement (change the lift), which is a significant investment economically and will leave the building without a lift for a considerable time while the work is being done.
• We can make one (or several) upgrades to the lift to optimise the equipment and extend its useful life, which is much faster and takes the lift out of service for a very short time. 

But what exactly do we mean by modernising and upgrading lifts? How do I know if the time has come to do it? What are the advantages and benefits?

What does upgrading your lift involve?

Upgrading a lift means partially renovating the installed lift, depending on what it needs.

There are two possible scenarios: On the one hand, residential buildings that have a lift that is too obsolete to continue providing an adequate service. And on the other, when a lift that is already a few years old starts suffering from various problems, such as slow operation or excessive energy consumption.Whatever your case, at ILS we specialise in evaluating it to find the best alternative and offer you different solutions. This will improve the reliability and safety of your lift, reduce its energy consumption and increase the useful life of the equipment and the value of the home. Upgrading is, without a doubt, synonymous with improvement.

When will you know that your lift needs upgrading?

Questions about when to upgrade a lift are quite common. However, there are clear indications that the time has come to refurbish it. Here are six of the most important:

• The lift breaks down frequently
• It consumes too much energy
• Despite constant adjustments, there is often a gap between the cab and the floor landing, which can cause accidents and is especially dangerous for people with reduced mobility.
• It still has heavy old manual lift doors that make it difficult to enter and exit the cab
• A baby trolley or wheelchair can’t fit in the cab because it is too small
• The cab’s aesthetic is outdated

Benefits of upgrading your lift

There are several important reasons why you should consider upgrading your lift. Depending on the changes made, they could result in:

• Energy savings: installing a control panel with a variable-frequency drive to provide smooth acceleration and braking, the incorporation of LEDs for lighting, or a stand-by system so the lift doesn’t use as much electricity when not in use will yield almost 80% savings in the electricity bill. Other solutions, such as adding automatic oil dispensers to keep the lift lubricated and, above all, installing the ION eco-drive system, which also significantly reduces noise, are other major improvements to consider.
• Guaranteed accessibility and safety: by replacing manual doors with automatic doors that don’t take away space, we will help people in wheelchairs, with walkers or trolleys to enter the lift more easily. Adding infrared barriers will improve the safety of users, especially children, the elderly and pet owners. 
• Increased home value: updating the look of your lift is especially recommended for lifts over ten years old. Renovating the cab panels, handrails, ceiling, floor, button panels and even mirrors can increase the value of your home.

Are you interested in upgrading your lift? Don’t hesitate to contact us. We will send you the quote you need and the first report completely free of charge!