Water exposure
- Description of defect
It is very important to keep the room free from any water exposure as it can damage the electrical components which will cause short-circuit. Besides, presence of water in the machine room will increase room’s humidity level, which will promote corrosion to mechanical and electrical system such as insulation failures, electrical shorts, and electronic failures. Meanwhile, machine room that is too dry (low humidity) can cause damage to the electrical components, dries out lubricants and causing commutation problems.
- Causes
- Leaking structure due to Cracks on structure causing to leak, allowing water to penetrate through the cracks
- Diagnostic/testing method
High humidity will cause dampness to the hoisting ropes and it will shorten the rope’s life. Water comes from humidity, condensation or by direct water contact.
Ropes that absorbed moisture will cause the core to swell and this causes the strands to push outward which will increase the diameter of the ropes, and decrease the length, as in the stretch principle, length is diversely proportional with diameter.
Damp ropes core also promotes the problem of rouging as the core deteriorates and unable to support the rope’s strands. For machine rooms that do not equipped with humidity control device, hygrometer can be used to measure level of moisture in the atmosphere.
Digital hygrometer [21]
- Good practices
Critical components such as wiring should be properly sealed to hinder electrical hazard problem if there is a case of water entry. For room that located in area with high humidity levels, it is recommended to install air conditioning that can regulate both temperature and humidity level.
For fire protection, fire sprinklers shall not normally be fitted in machine rooms as it can result in potential loss of control of elevator. Besides, the other equipment such as traction machine, ropes and controllers are critical to be kept away from source of moisture.
- Corrections
The machine room should be kept protected against weather ensuring no water means can leak into the machine room. For metal equipment and wirings, is recommended to use material that provide high degree of protection against corrosion (moisture proof) such as stainless steel. The cables are shall to be placed in conduits.