When choosing to install a hydraulic lift or an electric lift, we must take into account different factors.
What are the advantages of installing a hydraulic elevator?
Security advantages
- High degree of user safety (double security system).
- Passenger evacuation guaranteed in the event of a power failure. The system has a 12v coil connected to a backup battery as standard, which allows the journey to be completed at the nearest stop.
- High level of safety for the operator due to the way it is assembled. Construction from the first to the last floor.
- Piston as a mass element.
- Safer in the event of seismic movements due to the absence of a counterweight in the hydraulic system.
Economic advantages
- High degree of reliability due to the low maintenance required by the installation due to less wear on its components.
- Lower installation and maintenance costs . Less component usage.
- Easier assembly.
- The hydraulic system does not overload the structure of the building, allowing the elevator shaft to not need concrete walls, meaning it does not need formwork.
Space advantages
- Optimization of the space of the home which allows more possibilities to install an elevator with limited space due to:
– Cabinet or MC = the machinery is inside a cabinet that can be located anywhere in the building.
– MRL = Take advantage of the space in the elevator pit to place the hydraulic machinery inside.
Energy efficiency advantages
- Smooth operation during start-up and stop.
- Energy consumption only when going uphill. When going downhill, it uses gravity without having to consume energy.
- The fluid is not consumed. It is only used.
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58 comments
Their consumption must also be taken into account.
We appreciate your comment. As you say, it is important to take consumption into account, since it is a variable that accompanies the elevator throughout its life cycle. That is why today, and in response to your comment, we are publishing a post about elevator consumption, maintenance and installation . We hope you find it useful.
Hello, I saw your blog on a forum and I am interested in knowing more about hydraulic elevators. I have a family project to rebuild my house on 6 floors and I am finding out everything about the types of elevators. What worries me is the space since the total land is 160 m2 (width x depth) 8 x 20.
and I have thought with my parents about placing it at the front of the house and here I would like to resort to your experience since the space is small, I would like to know how much space I should leave if I wanted the cabin for 4 people.
thanks for your help.
José
Hello Jose,
The minimum dimensions of the space vary according to the manufacturer, the accesses and the dimensions and layout of the cabin. In any case, bear in mind that the necessary space left in a 300 kg elevator (4 people) is usually 1450 x 1450 mm. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact us again.
Greetings!
Let's see if someone can solve a doubt for me.
My family is finishing refurbishing an old building. It consists of 2 separate floors, although the owner is the same (the family).
Of those two floors, I will live on the 2nd and we will probably rent out the 3rd.
Is it legal to install a hydraulic elevator in this building, even though it is not exactly a single-family home?
If it is legal, what regulations can I consult on this matter?
Hi Jose Carlos,
Based on how you describe the situation of the building, you should not have any legal problems installing a hydraulic lift in this home (even if it is not exactly a single-family home). The European standard that governs the installation of hydraulic lifts and that you can consult is EN 81.2.
If you need more information, do not hesitate to ask us.
Greetings,
Where can I consult the content of the European standard EN 81.2?
I am from Argentina and here there is no specific regulation for hydraulic elevators and it would serve as a guide for the projects.
Good morning Osvaldo,
The content of the European standard EN 81.2 cannot be consulted unless it is purchased from AENOR (Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification, of industrial and service sectors) through its website.
Another option is to check the day on which said regulations were published in the BOE (Official State Gazette, where all laws, provisions and acts of mandatory insertion in Spain are published), this alternative is free.
Greetings!
Hello:
I have three little questions:
1. Is it true that they make little noise? We have to install one with your hydraulic system and I am worried because on the other side of the wall there are bedrooms, and you know what buildings were like 30 years ago.
2. When we talk about the space in glass structure elevators, what can the external measurement be since we are very short of space?
Hello Carlos,
Answer 1:
The noise level of power plants is 60 to 65 dB. If the walls do not have sufficient sound insulation, it may be necessary to provide it to prevent noise transmission.
It should also be noted that the units can be placed anywhere (maximum radius of 20 metres), avoiding them being close to any wall adjacent to the dwellings. The rest of the elements inside the space generate practically no noise.
Answer 2:
As for the measurements, it depends on the elevator you want to install; although normally if the enclosure is made of glass, less space is lost.
We hope we have helped you.
Greetings!
I am an elevator maintenance technician and I recognize that when I have a GMV installation I hardly have any problems, they are of very good quality and you only have to worry about the piston seal, the valve block and the oil level, it hardly causes any problems.
Hello,
Thanks for your comment Ramiro. We really appreciate your opinion.
Greetings!
Hi, I need to install one in a house that is about 7.5 meters high with three stops. I would like to buy a hydraulic kit. Thanks7
In the case of two "exactly" identical lifts, with the same number of stops, the same route, the same load, the same speed, the same number of accesses, the same type of doors, etc., what power would a hydraulic lift and an electric one without a machine room have? What starting intensity would each have?
I understand that these two issues are of tremendous importance since they translate into a greater or lesser amount of electricity that I will have to pay every month. I know that a hydraulic lift only consumes energy when it goes up, but if the difference is very large (as I fear) I think that the hydraulic lift is not at all profitable. There is also the ecological issue: how many liters of oil does the hydraulic one use and how many does the electric one?
Kind regards
Good morning Jose Maria,
To calculate the power and consumption of an elevator, it is necessary to know the technical characteristics of the installation. Once these characteristics are known, the necessary motor and consumption for an electrical and hydraulic installation can be calculated and the differences between them can be observed.
Generally, electric lifts can consume less than hydraulic ones (depending on the installation), but this is not the only factor to take into account when choosing one or the other. Hydraulic lifts have certain advantages over electric ones that imply a lower economic cost. These are some of them:
– The cost of a hydraulic elevator is usually lower than an electric one, and on the other hand, the installation and maintenance cost of a hydraulic one is also lower.
– Automatic rescue with a 12V battery, allowing someone to get out if they are trapped thanks to this system
– It does not require load-bearing walls and does not exert forces on the walls, thus avoiding weakening the structure of the house or building. This also translates into lower installation costs since it does not require concrete walls.
Regarding the oil issue, there are currently biodegradable, non-polluting ecological oils. In short, the choice of the type of traction (electric – hydraulic) depends on many factors, not only on the difference in consumption, since the cost of installation and maintenance also directly influences the cost of an elevator. If you want more information, I recommend that you contact our Sales Department, where they will advise you and explain the different possibilities with their advantages and disadvantages in each case.
We hope we have resolved your doubts.
Greetings!
In my opinion, a hydraulic lift has no advantage over an electric one:
1st Both need an electric motor, but the hydraulic one is more powerful.
2º The electric one needs steel cables, in most cases, except for small heights (one floor) the hydraulic one also.
3º The hydraulic system triples the installed power, that is, a: electric motor, b: hydraulic pump, c: hydraulic cylinder, that is, by necessity, the cost of the machinery is higher, and the overall performance is lower, since 3 machines must be moved.
4. The counterweight, in the electric one, is calculated for the weight of the cabin plus half of the load, so the motor only has to lift half of the load in all cases, the hydraulic one instead has to lift the cabin plus the load in all cases. This justifies why the motor of the electric one is always smaller, therefore it consumes less.
5th Both systems can be made self-supporting, so there is no justification for hydraulic systems in old buildings.
6th Throughout the world, electric motors are used almost exclusively, and hydraulic motors are used in very few cases. Are we all wrong?
7th I don't remember any case where the counterweight has had.
problems due to earthquakes, like buildings, are normalized.
8th The "advantages" of stopping on a floor can also be solved in the electrical one, the electrical cabinet is necessary in both cases, the hydraulic one is more complex, the maintenance is less in the electrical one.
8th Finally, for more than three or four floors, the hydraulic ones are no longer usable, since the cylinders are too long.
For the reasons stated above, I do not agree with you Mar.
Greetings
Antonio
Good morning Mr. Antonio,
As you indicate in your comments, choosing a hydraulic or electric elevator in an installation depends on several factors that allow us to choose the best option in each case (hydraulic or electric):
– The type of building according to the area or country of installation (2-3-story houses, public buildings, high-traffic buildings)
– the type of use (low, medium or intensive traffic)
– and the load capacities and speeds that also determine the best type of elevator to install.
In buildings with a high number of stops and medium or heavy traffic, we will install electric elevators (traditional with an upper machine room or gearless) since, due to their characteristics, they are the ones that provide the best performance for this type of installation.
On the contrary, in installations with medium and large loads, car lifts, freight elevators, buildings for private use (low-speed lifting platforms 0.15 m/s) and in homes with 2, 3 or 4 medium-traffic stops, the use of hydraulic elevators is more optimal and convenient.
The cases in which doubt arises about the choice of the type of elevator (electric or hydraulic), are usually residential buildings with a small number of stops (4,5 or 6 stops) with medium or high traffic. This is when all the aspects that you have detailed must be taken into account.
Regarding the various points you have mentioned, we would like to make several clarifications:
1. Engine power
The difference in contracted power in electric lifts compared to hydraulic lifts is a reality as a result of the use of different types of diverse technologies. But as has been shown in various published studies, the real consumption of an installation is not so diverse between both types of lifts. We must bear in mind that currently, electric lifts with latest generation motors and VVVF control (variable frequency drive) have a higher energy consumption due, precisely, to the contribution of the use of the drive for speed control and the consumption of the resistors necessary to dissipate the heat generated by the VVVF.
On the other hand, hydraulic lifts have improved the control of the valve group in order to improve the characteristics of the installation and reduce its consumption. In this way, valve groups with electronic technologies, together with biodegradable fluids, considerably reduce the actual consumption of the installations by maintaining constant travel times in the face of variations in environmental conditions. They also allow working with equipment that provides greater efficiency for the installation.
However, it should be noted that in a residential building, the actual consumption of the elevator represents only 1% according to studies published in the sector.
2. Use of fluids
The fluids currently used in lifts are biodegradable and high-performance. In hydraulic lifts, the fluid is the conductive thread that allows the lift to move, and therefore a high volume of oil is required. The conditions of use of the oil mean that this oil has a very long life cycle. That is to say, a fluid in a hydraulic lift with adequate maintenance could last more than 15 years.
Another aspect to take into account is the use of lubricated guides, which, as standard, in electric elevators entails a higher maintenance cost as they have 4 guides, compared to hydraulic elevators that only have 2 guides.
3. Structural loads
The loads in a hydraulic lift have always been generated directly on the installation pit, since the piston is the one that supports the direct load to be moved together with the guides. On the other hand, in electric lifts with an upper machine room or with motors located in the flight and fixed on profiles, the loads are transmitted over the upper part of the shaft.
It is true that, as indicated in the electric elevator models, with motors fixed on the guides the loads are transmitted onto the installation pit.
For all these reasons and for the correct use of technologies, different aspects must be assessed, which elevator technicians take into account when carrying out the installation.
That is why, as manufacturers of hydraulic lift components, we can argue that the use of hydraulic lifts is a solution that is normally suitable for lift installations around the world, and that lift engineers consider it to be an appropriate solution for both new buildings, renovations and modernisations. Furthermore, at a national level, we can highlight that after 38 years defending the use of hydraulic lifts as a good solution, there are more than 150,000 lifts with our GMV hydraulic equipment installed and currently operating, representing 70% of the hydraulic lift fleet in Spain.
Greetings,
Dear Jose Maria, I regret to completely disagree with Mr. Mar, his arguments have no technical basis.
The reasons given are some wrong and others outdated:
1. Installation, consumption and maintenance costs are clearly in favour of the electric one, since only one machine is purchased and moved, whereas in the hydraulic one there are three: the electric machine, the pump and the cylinder. On the other hand, these last two elements are of high precision and very expensive.
2º Automatic rescue with a 12 V battery is also available in current electric vehicles, since it depends on electronics, not mechanics.
3. Like hydraulic self-supporting vehicles, electric vehicles do not need concrete walls or a machine room, nor do they overload the building. Their structure is lighter and they only contain a small amount of oil in the reducer (around 1 litre), compared to tens or hundreds of litres in the hydraulic one, which, over time, begins to be lost through its high-pressure seals, generating expensive maintenance.
In electric vehicles, the motor power required is 50 to 75% lower than in hydraulic vehicles, with consumption following the same proportion.
Hydraulics are the best option in some fields such as aeronautics, lifting or moving huge loads, etc., but not in passenger elevators, low loads and medium or long distances.
In my opinion, for all the reasons stated above, hydraulic elevators are neither profitable nor advisable compared to electric ones.
Finally, the proportion of hydraulic elevators in buildings should not exceed 1% compared to 99% for electric elevators.
Greetings
Antonio
Thanks for the technical contributions.
We are interested in knowing:
A) types of elevators (cabin dimensions),
B) Capacity/Area ratio by Level,
C) Location of access doors / Exterior flow
Good afternoon,
Sorry for the delay in response.
For these types of queries, you should contact GMV's Sales Department, where they will provide you with all this type of information without any problem. You can do so by calling 902 345 234, +34 937 745 455, or by sending an email to comercial@es.gmvgrupo.com
Greetings!
In my community, the neighbors want to install a hydraulic elevator right in front of the smoke outlet pipes of each neighbor's boilers... is this possible?
Hello Rachel,
First of all, thank you very much for your comment.
Regarding your query and based on the information you have provided, the hydraulic lift would be installed within a metal structure, so there should not be any problem that would prevent the installation.
We hope we have helped you!
Greetings!
I am designing six blocks or buildings of 24 apartments each in Bogotá Colombia,
By chance I have found this page of yours
I work with lots of 400 square meters
I am interested in the type of elevators with the minimum installation area and it seems to me that you have it.
What are the chances that you can give me a quote for an elevator for six people?
ability to lift a normal refrigerator or washing machine, family-type furniture.
I would greatly appreciate your collaboration.
My address in Colombia is Carrera 22 137 09 Bogotá
Telephone 2581243
Much obliged
HELLO, GOOD DAY, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW LONG THE INSTALLATION OF AN ELEVATOR WITH AN ELEVATOR BUCKET TAKES. IF YOU COULD HELP ME WITH THAT
Hello, I have a hydraulic lift in my house and when it is hot it goes down little by little. So far so good, but the problem is that when it goes down it does so abruptly and with a lot of noise that wakes us up at night. What is the cause? Or is it normal for this type of lift? It is a newly built single-family home.
Thank you for your enquiry. It is normal for hydraulic lifts to “slowly fall” as you say, due to the decrease in oil volume due to the change in temperature. For this reason they have an automatic re-levelling system. If it makes noise when going down it could be due to:
-Lack of lubrication in the guides
-The chassis that holds the cabin is rubbing a lot on the guides or is getting caught in the guides. In this case, some roughness would also be noticed during normal operation of the elevator.
It is not normal for the noise to occur. To resolve the problem, it would be best to contact your maintenance company to have them check the installation.
All the best.
I have a 3-stop hydraulic lift (2 floors) from 2012 and the company that maintains it says that we now have to change the seal because it is about to burst. It is a 1400 euro breakdown.
What could be the reason that the seal has deteriorated? Bad installation, poor maintenance or a defective part? Is the useful life of a seal 3 years?
In our case, the elevator does not go down after a while.
How should we proceed to make a claim?
Good morning,
First of all, thank you for visiting our blog. In response to your question, we would like to inform you that the useful life of the oil seals is not 3 years. We have facilities where they have not been changed for 20 years.
Premature deterioration of a seal can be due to several factors such as installation, maintenance, traffic, oil quality, but in any case you should consult your maintenance company.
Greetings,
Hello everyone, I have read your comments. I would love to share information with my experience in Colombia in the construction of freight elevators for the industrial sector and any recommendations you can make based on the extensive experience in Spain. You can leave me a message on the page http://www.ipmgroup.com.co or leave a message on my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ipmgroupelevaciondecarga thanks
Good morning,
We appreciate the interest you have shown in our work. We provide you with the link to visit our web portal: http://www.gmveurolift.es On the portal you will find a lot of information about what you refer to and you can even register in our technical catalogue. If you need any clarification, do not hesitate to contact us.
Good evening, I am interested in more information and a quote.
Welcome rooms
Cel. 311-4151355
Barranquilla
It
Hello Welcome,
Thank you for your enquiry. Our sales department will be in touch shortly to provide you with information and help you with whatever you need.
All the best!
As for the advantages, energy consumption is not such an advantage. A pulley elevator consumes little energy both when going up and when going down because the weight is balanced with the counterweight. It is true that a hydraulic elevator does not consume energy when going down, but when going up it needs all the energy to overcome its own weight and the load. There are no miracles when it comes to energy. If it does not consume energy when going down, when going up it has to consume twice as much.
Hello, I have a hydraulic elevator and for some time now I have noticed that I leave the cabin on the floor and the next day it has gone down about 10 centimeters. What is the reason? Thank you.