Excessive heat in machine room

• Description of defect

During operation, machineries and equipment in the machine room produces significant amount of heat, and it will cause temperature rise in the machine room and eventually causing the elevator equipment heated up which will significantly reduce the equipment’s service life.

However, approach to cool the equipment using outdoor air also introduces dirt and humidity which can caused system breakdown. Dust and dirt from unfiltered outside air deposited on the equipment and interfere the control system.

The accumulated dirt can act as a layer of insulation causing the equipment to experience overheating. Meanwhile humidity will accelerate the process of corrosion to the equipment.

• Causes

1. Inadequate opening or the opening is closed
2. Poor air circulation by dirty / dusty inverter cooling fan
3. Seepage through wall or ceiling

• Diagnostic/testing method

Machineries and associated equipment will be tested for temperature, at any point within 1000mm, and it should not exceed 38ºC (SS550).

• Good practices

Machine room should be provided with natural or mechanical ventilation. For natural ventilation, an opening 20% of the floor area is recommended to achieve cross-flow, and provision for mechanical ventilation is recommended when the ambient temperature of the room exceeds 32 ºC (SS550).

• Corrections

Some elevator machine rooms use outdoor air to cool the elevator equipment. Nevertheless, this method also can be the causes of frequent breakdowns as the outdoor air is unfiltered and it introduces dirt and humidity.

The best solution is to install a dedicated cooling system for the machine room, and the system shall regulate the temperature and humidity within the recommendation of the elevator manufacturer. Meanwhile, the openings of the room should be sealed to prevent infiltration of dirt and dust.