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The 4 Main Parts of a Home Elevator You Need to Know

Posted on September 9, 2019

Whether you live in Howard County, Fairfax, Silver Spring, or the DC area, it’s always a good idea to consider the future by having a residential elevator installed in your Maryland home. But you might be wondering what is involved in the elevator installation process, such as what exactly are the components that make your elevator work. Here are the main parts that will make up most traditional residential elevators. 

The Machine Room

The main functional components of your residential elevator will be housed in the machine room. These parts include the drum motor, cables, and control box. The contents of a machine room will differ depending on the type of elevator you choose. A hydraulic lift elevator will have a hydraulic tank in its machine room, and many pneumatic vacuum lift elevators do not require a separate machine room at all.

The Hoistway

Next, one of the most important parts of your residential elevator is the hoistway because this is the part that contains the elevator car. A hoistway is made up of three components which are the pit, the travel, and the overhead. In order from lowest to highest, the pit is the area beneath the lowest floor of your home, and its purpose is to allow your elevator floor to sit flush with the floor of your house. Next, the travel is simply the space between the bottom and top floors, also known as the shaft, and it is so named because it is the space where your elevator car travels between floors. Lastly, the overhead has the same function as the pit in reverse so that the elevator ceiling at the top will be flush with your house’s ceiling.

Support Structure

Another equally vital part of the elevator is its structure. Constructed of guide rails, a counterweight, and more, the elevator’s support structure is designed to keep your car secure within the elevator shaft as well as to bear the load of the elevator and its passengers safely. Support structures will vary depending on the type of elevator you choose, but it is always the component that directly interacts with your power source.

Elevator Car

Last but not least is the part of the elevator you will become the most familiar with. The elevator car is designed to carry a user safely and comfortably from floor to floor. It can be customized any number of ways, from its interior design to the type of buttons on the control panel. Most homeowners are only interested in the elevator car, but it doesn’t hurt to know the details of the other parts of a residential elevator to help you decide what type most interest you.

Contact Signature Elevators Today!

Signature Elevators & Accessible Design, LLC works with leading manufacturers to provide you with the beautiful residential elevator that you need. Located in Rockville, MD, we have years of experience with incorporating elevators into multi-story homes and working with customers to ensure the elevator meets their specific needs. With styles from modern tubes to wood-paneled cabs, Signature Elevators has all the tools you need to build the perfect elevator for your home!

Contact us online or call us at (301) 251-1658 for more information.

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