How Often Should Lift Maintenance be Scheduled?

Why Preventative Lift Maintenance is a Strategic Business Investment

Lifts are the unsung heroes of our built environment; efficiently moving people between floors, they’re integral to the smooth functioning of office buildings, residential complexes, hospitals, and commercial environments. A poorly maintained lift can disrupt the fine tuning of a building’s logistics, cause upset to passengers who depend on it, and even risk the safety of visitors or employees.

At Tower Lifts, we take a proactive approach to scheduled lift maintenance for our clients across the UK. It’s not just about keeping lifts running; it’s about maintaining reliable lift systems to minimise the risk of business disruption. Crucially, our commitment extends to prioritising passenger safety, providing assurance and peace of mind.

In this blog, we consider the legal aspects of lift maintenance, share a detailed maintenance checklist, and highlight signs that could indicate potential problems with your lift system.

Scheduling Lift Maintenance – The Legal Requirements

According to the LOLAR 1998 regulations, if you are an owner, manager, or hold control over a workplace lift, it is mandatory to schedule a comprehensive examination at regular intervals. The primary objective is to guarantee the safety of the equipment, ensuring it remains fit for use.

The legal guidelines for scheduled maintenance are as follows:

Passenger Lifts – every 6 months
Goods Lifts with attendant – every 6 months.
Goods-only lifts – every 12 months.
Dumbwaiters – every 12 months.

What is Preventative Lift Maintenance?

Regular lift maintenance, first and foremost, ensures that your lifts are safe to use. Safety can only be guaranteed when lifts are maintained proactively in order to prevent faults from developing, rather than in response to recurrent symptoms, or breakdown.

Beyond safety, preventative lift maintenance is a strategic investment for businesses. By proactively addressing potential issues, businesses minimise the risk of operational disruptions, ensuring efficient logistics. This preventive approach not only extends the lifespan of lift systems but also safeguards against unexpected breakdowns, reducing costly repairs.

Lift Maintenance Checklist

Tower Lifts engineers conduct thorough maintenance checks to keep your lifts in excellent condition. From inspecting the passenger cabin inside and out to checking the machine room, shaft, and pit, we cover it all. We follow a comprehensive checklist:

Passenger Cabin Lift Maintenance

Check exterior call button lights.
Inspect lift door panels and clearance.
Verify firefighter lift controls.
Test lift operation for smooth acceleration, deceleration, and levelling.
Ensure the lift door doesn’t slam or bounce and check the door restrictor.
Check position indicators.
Examine the cabin interior for damage or wear and tear on the ceiling, handrail, floor, and walls.

Top of the Cabin:

Remove any debris on top of the cabin.
Check the lift shaft for vandalism, rodents, or pests.
Inspect the stop switch and the cabin top inspection station.
Examine cabling for wear, inspect connections.
Check the door operator and connected components.
Inspect guide rails, rollers, and levelling devices.
Ensure all components are clean, lubricated, and dirt-free.

Machine Room Lift Maintenance:

Ensure the machine room is clean.
Inspect components for wear, unexpected vibration, or leakage.
Check electrical components for failure, wear, tear, or overheating.
Perform an oil level check.
Conduct lubrication where necessary.

Pit Lift Maintenance:

Check GFI outlet, stop switch, and lights.
Inspect the lift cable for snags or wear.
Examine guide rails, rollers, and switches.
Check sump pump operation and clean.
Inspect securely attached spring buffers, ensuring correct alignment and no signs of corrosion.

If wear and tear is detected, Tower Lifts engineers flag concerns and schedule appropriate remedial action.

5 Warning Signs Your Lift Requires Maintenance

Lifts tend to develop faults and issues slowly. Recognising the symptoms early, and booking preventative maintenance promptly will remedy the problem, keep goods and people moving safely, and save you from a costly repair bill.

Here are 5 key symptoms to watch out for:

Unusual Noises. If you notice unusual sounds during the operation of the lift, such as grinding, squeaking, or clunking, it could indicate issues with mechanical components that need attention.
Slow Operation. A noticeable slowdown in the lift’s speed or delays in responding to commands may suggest wear and tear on critical components, necessitating maintenance to ensure optimal performance.
Inconsistent Levelling. If the lift consistently fails to level properly with the floors, causing jolts or uneven stops, it signals potential problems with levelling devices that require investigation and maintenance.
Doors Issues. Malfunctions with lift doors, such as not opening or closing smoothly, slamming shut, or showing signs of wear, indicate the need for maintenance to ensure the safety and reliability of the door mechanisms.
Warning Lights or Alarms. Any activation of warning lights, alarms, or error messages on the lift’s control panel suggests underlying issues that should be promptly addressed through maintenance to prevent potential safety hazards.

Tower Lifts Offers Maintenance Packages

Our lift maintenance packages prioritise safety and performance. Conducted by skilled engineers, each visit includes safety checks, lubrication, and component adjustments for optimal functionality. Customised to your business needs, the frequency is determined through an initial audit.

Tower Lifts goes beyond routine maintenance, offering options such as:

24/7 Breakdown & Lift Repair. From faulty buttons to complete breakdowns, we ensure minimal business interruption with prompt solutions.
Ongoing Repairs, Modernisation. Our engineers address repairs identified during checks and suggest component modernisation for cost-effective operations.
Reports. Service visits generate recorded information on the lift’s status, running repairs, and recommendations for upgrades or refurbishments as needed.

Exemplary Lift Maintenance Services

As well as agreeing your lift maintenance package, Tower Lifts engineers establish clear procedures. This includes pre-agreed access protocols, lines of reporting, and a streamlined booking system, ensuring that maintenance checks seamlessly integrate into your operations.

With a legacy of UK-wide lift maintenance contracts since 2006, Tower Lifts’ factory-trained engineers are familiar with most models. Our commitment to quality is affirmed by our ISO9001:2008 Lift Cert and UKAS approval, ensuring strict adherence to current Lift Regulations.