Hello, I am hoping to get some advice from the experts on this board. My apartment building has a passenger elevator and due to construction, it has been used as a freight elevator for the past 3 years. The building is a 7 story building and the upper unit has had a 3 year long gut renovation, so our elevator has been working nonstop, hauling heavy equipment and demolition material. We have had major elevator troubles with the drive and rollers malfunctioning. My question is this, what are the repercussions of using a passenger elevator as a freight elevator for 3 years? My amateur opinion is that increased number of cycles, the heavy weight, the unbalanced loading, and the demolition dust has taken a heavy toll. What parts are vulnerable and what can we expect for the total whole life of the elevator? Will this period of overuse mean that we have to replace major parts and even the entire elevator earlier than expected? we have had monthly servicing and have been told that the dust present after one month is similar to dust after one year of normal use. We have had 10+ breakdowns a month requiring servicing. We have had multiple instances of passengers stuck in the elevator requiring the fire department to come open the doors. Thanks for your help!!!

You're thinking along the right lines. Your service provider should be able to tell the problems. As long as they are using it within the weight limit the elevator shouls be able to handle it. Most obvious problems will be with the cosmetics, construction workers usualy aren't careful. Construction dust will be a big battle and yes there may be some premature wearing out of parts from the added use of elevator. My experiance has been almost all problems have been from the abuse from contractors on the doors and buttons, and a majority of the calls caused by construction dust.

Something is not right, beyond just construction, for it to break down more than ten times in a month.

Thanks for your replies. Will our service company be able to tell us if any parts are damaged from the overuse? The breakdowns have been due to various reasons - the fan that cools the drive malfunctioned, relays had to be replaced, the rollers needed replacing, etc. It seems a unlikely coincidence that these would all happen at once unless they are related to the construction. Is the dust a temporary problem? Or could it cause permanent damage to any parts?

Turtle,
Yes they should be able to determine what is coincidently wearing out vs outright abuse of things like hallway doors on the 7th floor or the cab doors getting beat up or buttons being broken. Construction elevators, which your is not, can suffer from doors being hit and knocked out of alignment which then result in doors that do not close fully or properly and possible entrapments may ocurr.
The guys are right in that a construction car will take or suffer a bit due to the types of materials being transported to the egress floor for removal. Not knowing the real condition of your equipment, roller guides do wear out. From improper loading? Maybe, maybe not.
Your service guy, if it has been the same person for a few years should be able to determine whether failures are normal wear and tear, or failed do to other factors. Other things may ocurr with improper loading, but I don't believe drive problems or rollers unless they were in a pre state of failure before your renovations commenced...three years ago.
One way your equipment will suffer is due to the excessive dust and construction materials being trucked across the landing sill, and this may be in part responsible for entrapments. But I'm only guessing. Failed Drive Cooling Fans will cause shut downs and entrapments.
The age of your buildings equipment, the degree of maintenance it has received in the past, and is receiving now and the responsibility of the GC on the renovation project all come into play.
All "Billable Due to Construction" tickets should be the responsibility of the GC if the trouble can be proven to be construction related, as he has taken your elevator to use for his project, subjecting it to what may be defined as extreme invironments which your equipment is not normally exposed to.
Dust (construction dirt) is temporary, but it is also accumlitive. Over time it will affect a number of operations mechanical and electrical, and typically, your maintenance agreement won't cover the extra time to vacuum or brush out excess dust, so it is what it is.
The issues you cited i.e drive fans, relays, rollers, May be normal wear issues. However, if your equipment has a penthouse on the roof, construction dirt and dust will be drawn up through the the openings in the floor leading to the machinery space, and ultimately the drive fans will suck it up, quite possibly leading to overheating of the drive unit itself. Could they have failed due to excessive use or dirt/dust? Does the equipment room look as though a dust storm has hit it week after week (slight exaggeration) for three years? Excess dirt/dust may be a cause. Visual inspection may reveal clues, and it may or may not be obvious to you. Again, the age and condition of the equipment before the job started plays a role here and the overall environment your equipment is and has been subject to for three years is important in determining the outcome.
Talk to your service provider and see what can be done to keep things rolling smooth for the duration.

Just my dollar and 22 cents worth.

Turtle,
3 years! The elevator service men must have been charging a fortune for having to clean up the extra dirt.

I do have some questions.

When were these elevators installed?
How many elevators are in the building?
How many apartment units are there?
How many occupants are there?
What parts were replaced recently?
Were the parts original to the elevators installation?
How many service call were there three years prior to the construction?
How many service call have there been during the 3 years of construction?

Can you post a few pictures of the elevators machine rooms current condition?