The hydraulic lift and rehabilitation

One of the most direct consequences of the current economic situation has been the fall of new construction. In return, rehabilitation has been presented as a business model opportunity for sectors such as lifting. In this way, the installation of elevators in buildings, where there were none before, has meant eliminating architectural barriers, as well as improving the accessibility conditions of residential buildings that until now could be an obstacle for certain end users.

This new trend directly favours hydraulic lifts , positioned in facilities with up to 10 stops, since, by concept, in addition to offering solutions for new construction, they are specialised to act both in rehabilitations and modernisations . Among their advantages are the cost of installation and maintenance that take care of the design and functionality of the building. It should be said that, in terms of consumption, this does not generate much more than an electric lift given that the hydraulic lift only consumes when going up (gravity acts when going down) while electric lifts do so both when going up and down.

The space required to install a hydraulic elevator is optimal in this type of building for various reasons:

• The use of pistons and cabinet-based control units allows for space to be optimised without limiting the installation of the lift, as the control unit can be located inside a cabinet anywhere in the building (within a radius of approximately 20 m). As it does not require a counterweight and thanks to the reduced dimensions of the piston, the cabin gains in size without taking up additional space.
• Hydraulic lifts do not require load-bearing walls: if a concrete shaft has to be created, it is not necessary to build a concrete formwork cube, but a simple solid brick wall is more than enough. Where it is not possible to create such a shaft, the option is to attach a lightweight self-supporting metal structure to the building (see image). This translates into lower installation costs.
• Technological advances allow the installation of hydraulic lifts in historic buildings where there is a power limitation in the connections, since electronic valves have managed to reduce the power of this system. On the other hand, in old buildings where the structure itself cannot withstand the forces generated by an electric motor, hydraulics appears to be the most optimal solution in the rehabilitation process.

The fact that it does not require load-bearing walls or counterweights, nor does it take up additional space, implies a significant reduction in the installation and maintenance cost of any hydraulic elevator as well as a significant optimization of space.

Related Post: Installing an elevator when there isn't one: Rehabilitation