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ToggleWhat is the elevator machine room?
“ It constitutes the space outside the shaft occupied by the elevator machinery .”
A very important element to take into account when we want to install an elevator, apart from whether we choose a hydraulic or electric system, is the location of the machine room or elevator room, if there is one. The location of the machinery is decisive for each type of elevator, and is sometimes determined by the structure of the building that conditions the entire installation as well as the elevator system (hydraulic or electric).
There are three options for the location of hydraulic lift machinery:
Elevator with machine room or MR
The machine room or MR (machine room) is the traditional structure of the facilities. In the case of the hydraulic elevator , the advantage over the electric one is that the machine room does not have to be at the top of the shaft (which is required by an electric elevator ), but can be located anywhere in the building (as long as it respects a maximum distance -20m approx.- from the elevator). The machine room or MR is the most comfortable option from the operator's point of view.
Cabinet for MC elevators
In this case, you create the machine room yourself. This option has the great advantage of the flexibility it offers, since you can locate the “machine room” inside a lift cabinet or MC (machine cabinet) designed to be located anywhere in the building (as long as it respects maximum distances - approx. 20m - from the lift).
Machine roomless elevator or MRL
The machine room-less elevator or MRL (both hydraulic and electric) is an evolution of the two previous situations (MR and cabinet or MC) that has seen significant progress in the lifting market. Its system offers significant advantages from an architectural point of view, both for the builder and the architect.
- Elimination of the classic machine room, allowing this space to be used for other purposes
- Full use of the space: it does not take up any extra space
- Location of machinery in the pit (bottom of the pit itself)
Regarding noise levels, we must say that everything depends on where the machine room is located (in the garage, near the bedroom, etc.), which is why the degree of flexibility of each option is important.
Related Post: Machine Roomless Hydraulic Installations (MRL)
31 comments
What are the dimensions of the machine room of a hydraulic elevator? And the closet?
Good morning Graciana,
The dimensions of a machine room and a cabinet vary depending on the type of installation and the type of lift: a hydraulic power station in a hospital requires a machine room larger than that of a four-storey house. The same applies to the size of the cabinets, which vary between 400 and 700 mm wide.
If the control unit is located in a machine room, it must be taken into account that there must be a minimum distance of 500 mm in front of the control unit and 700 mm in front of the control panel.
We hope this answer has been helpful. Best regards!
Please, what is the machine roomless electric elevator system or machine roomless hydraulic elevator system that makes the most use of the elevator shaft?
And where can the machinery be installed to reduce noise? Above the elevator or in a different location?
Thank you and best regards
Hello SA,
Hydraulic lifts make better use of the shaft than electric lifts without a machine room, which have a counterweight system that takes up space. In hydraulic lifts, the machinery can also be placed inside the shaft, but there are other options of placing both the hydraulic unit and the control panel inside a cabinet with dimensions of only 350 mm deep. This cabinet can be placed adjacent to the shaft or separate from it. On the other hand, electric lifts without a machine room always have the machinery at the top of the shaft and generate more noise than hydraulic lifts.
We hope we have answered your questions!
Greetings!
Good morning.
I need to know the specifications of the control cabinet of a hydraulic elevator to justify compliance with the fire safety requirements of the Technical Building Code.
Thank you and best regards.
Good afternoon Pilar,
The cabinets do not have any fire resistance certification, but the room where they are installed must comply with the CTE.
We hope our answer helps you! Best regards!
Hello Mar,
How can I get drawings, preferably dwg or dxf, of this type of elevators?
Thank you!
Hello Daniel,
We may be able to provide you with a couple of plans. We will contact you.
Greetings,
Hello, I am a neighbour who owns a property in a community and three years ago we installed a hydraulic lift with a capacity of six people and they installed the machinery, that is, the oil tank with the pump incorporated inside it and nobody can sleep because of the noise, even though I have soundproofed the machine room with discotheque soundproofing fibre, I have placed an anti-rattle mat under the tank and the noise continues the same. The situation of my house is under the machine room and we need to sleep. We are over sixty-five years old and we cannot rest. Can you give me a solution? Thank you very much.
Good morning Pedro,
In this situation, we advise you to contact the elevator company that maintains the installation. As you mentioned, different aspects of the location of the hydraulic equipment (position, insulation, machine room, equipment manufacturer, etc.) must be analyzed to analyze the vibrations you detect.
We hope you can fix it.
Greetings,
Good morning
In my community they are going to install a hydraulic elevator right under my room and although they say that they do not make any kind of noise, I have my doubts, since over time any electronic equipment does. I would appreciate it if you could tell me what type of measures should be taken into account so that this does not happen and if it is convenient to isolate the space where it is located, what type of insulation should be used and what measures you advise me to take into account before the work is carried out.
Thank you so much
All the best
Hello Luisa,
Installing a hydraulic lift in a room does not necessarily have to affect other areas of the building or house. The traction equipment (hydraulic unit + control panel) varies depending on the equipment, manufacturer and type of lift. However, as a general rule, if we are located right next to the traction equipment, they are usually around 55 or 60 dB without any type of protection. When the equipment is located inside prefabricated cabinets or machine rooms, the noise level towards the outside drops considerably.
In the case you are describing, as far as we understand, your room is located above the equipment, isolated by the base of the building itself. Therefore, factors such as the location or the insulation of the building itself must be taken into account.
We are sending you a report prepared by the University of Vigo which shows the different sources of noise in buildings and the compensatory measures that must be taken into account in order to achieve good insulation.
We hope we have helped you!
Hello! I am a Building Engineering student and I have the following question:
Is it necessary, according to specific regulations, to provide the vertical partition that forms the elevator shaft with fire protection if it houses its machinery within the same enclosure (not the machine room)? Thank you!
Good morning, I am writing from Peru. I would like to know the price of the straight electric lift with platform only. I look forward to your prompt response.
Hello, do you know how much a hydraulic elevator for a single floor of about 300k could cost me?
Good morning, in my community they have installed a hydraulic elevator, the hydraulic unit and the control panel are inside a closet on the roof, attached to the structure of the building, just below my room.
Every time the elevator goes up, the motor makes a noise and produces a sound/vibration that can be heard throughout the room and is quite annoying.
How could this be resolved? Should I complain to the elevator company? Could I file a complaint with Madrid City Hall for exceeding the K noise/vibration thresholds?
I would also be interested in the report prepared by the University of Vigo.
Greetings and thank you very much
Hi, I love how the elevator topic is explained because we are teaching this topic at my faculty and the truth is that they don't explain anything to us. Could you send me a CAD file because I need it for my social housing project. Thank you very much.
Good night,
On the landing of the stairs, 0.10 cm from the wall of my room, they have installed the hydraulic elevator cabinet box; the building has 13 floors and 54 residents. After repeated complaints during this last year, they have installed a noise damper; they ignore the idea of soundproofing the cabinet box.
1.- Does installing the cabinet box so close to a home comply with safety regulations? (0.10 cm)
2.- What minimum distance should there be between a home and the wardrobe box?
The wardrobe box has been installed on the top floor (13); the building has a basement with 40m2 of free space.
3.- Can I demand that this wardrobe box be moved to the basement?
Thank you very much for your help.
Kind regards, Rosa
Good morning Rosa,
First of all, we would like to thank you for your enquiry. In 2013, Royal Decree 88/2013 was published, which provides information on the safety rules applicable to lifts, but each autonomous community transposes a standard that is not always the same. You should consult the standard of your community. In any case, we are sellers of lift components, so we cannot advise you on legal matters. In this case, we advise you to discuss this with a lawyer.
Thank you very much for answering my question. Your information has helped me and now I know who to ask my question and complaint to.
Thanks again.
Kind regards, Rosa
HELLO.. Can you tell me what the central hydraulic-piston connection is like, if the central is not located in the elevator shaft.. thanks
Hello. I live in a single-family home with an electric lift inside the house. The lift motor is on the roof terrace (3rd floor) and the control panel is on the second and last floor, which leads to the kitchen and living room. For aesthetic reasons and because I don't want to have that cupboard in my kitchen-dining room, I would like to know if it is possible to move the control panel to the ground floor where the parking is located or to the roof terrace (where there is only the roof terrace and the room they have made for the motor). Is that possible? Thank you.
Thank you for your enquiry Davinia, as manufacturers of hydraulic lifts, our advice is that you contact the company that maintains the lift. They will be able to carry out an analysis of the installation and propose the best solution.
Can MRL cabinets be lined with plasterboard and ventilation grilles added?