BUILDING UTILITIES

MECHANICAL

Elevators

Elevators – is a type of vertical equipment that

efficiently moves people or goods between floors of
a building.

Types of Elevators
According to Hoist mechanism…
Hydraulic Elevator (Push Elevator) – supported 
by a piston at the bottom of the elevator that pushes Rope
the elevator up. They are used for low rise
application of 2-8 stories and travel at 100, 150 and
200 ft. per minute. The machine room for hydraulic
elevators is located at the lowest level adjacent to the
elevator shaft
Holed
 Well hole drilling required
 PVC protection surrounds wall and bottom of
in-ground cylinder to prevent contact with
underground contaminants
 Solid state starter improves performance
through precise control of electric current
 Both in passenger and service elevator
configurations and capacities Hydraulic Elevator Basic Parts
Car/Cab
 Speed:100, 125, 150 ft./min ; 7 floors
Plunger – inside moveable part of a hydraulic jack
Spring Buffer
Guide Shoes – guide car along rails
Guide Rail – bracket
Shaft / Hoist way
Elevator Machine Room
Elevator Pit
Control system

Traction Elevator (Pull Elevator) – are lifted by

ropes.
Geared-Gear and Worm – they have a gearbox
that is attached to the motor, which drives the
wheel that moves the ropes. Geared traction
Hole-less – Non-Telescopic
elevators are capable of travel speed ups to 500
No need for well hole drilling and its associated
per minute. Moderate speed 200, 300, 350 ft. /min
costs
Above ground solution substantially reduces Gearless-Spun and Worm – they have the wheel
risk of soil and ground water contamination attached directly to the motor. Gearless traction
Applicable for: hazard sensitive sites, elevator are capable of speed up to 2000-3500
waterfront sites, existing building ft. /min for 18 floors and above. Best high rise
Available in passenger elevator configurations buildings
and capacities only
Solid state starter improves performance Machine Room-Less – the permanent magnet
through precise control of electric current synchronous gearless drive unit is installed inside
Speed:100, 125 ft./min ; 3 floors of the shaft, so that the space of traditional
machine rooms is obviated and the costs for
building construction are consequently reduced.
Hole-less – Telescopic Uses gearless machine. Speed: 200, 350,
Speed:100, 125 ft./min ; 3 floors 400ft/min, 30 floors
 underside of the roof where the hoist way does not
penetrate the roof
Traction Type: add 1’-1’6” to the elevator car
interior width and depth depends on the location
of door. Standard Pit Depth 6’0” overhead 15’0”
Hydraulic Type Elevator: standard pit depth 4’0”
overhead 12’3”
Roped Hole less Hydraulic Type Elevators: add 2-
4” to hoist way width based on capacity. Note:
standard Pit Depth 4’0” Overhead 13’6”

Guide Rails – rail running in the form of “T”. It

has a length of shaft, a round or shaped part with a
guide surface. It is used to guide the lift of the
elevator car and the balance weight of the elevator
and is usually installed on the side.

Counterweight – a tracked weight that is

Traction Elevator Basic Parts suspended from cables and moves within its own
Car – vehicle that travels between the diff elevator set of guide rails along the hoist way walls. It used
stops carrying passenger and good, it is usually a for balancing the mass of the complete car and a
heavy steel frame surrounding a cage of metal and portion of rated load and it will be equal to the
wood panels. dead weight of the car plus about 40% of the rated
Normal Cabin load
Open through Cabin
Diagonal cabin Suspension Ropes – means for car and
counterweight which are represented by steel wire
Elevator Car Components: ropes
Car Sling, a metal framework connected to the
means of suspension Landing Doors
– seen from
Elevator Cabin each floor of a
Min Dimension: 1.1m x 1.4m building is
Ceiling Height: 2.4m referred to as
Min Door width: .9m the outer or
Typical Door width: .914m hoist way door.
 Automatic
Mechanical accessories Door
Control Panel – controller  Swing Door
Call button  Telescopic
Intercom Door
 Collapsible
Car Door and Door Operator Door
Center Opening Doors
Two speed Doors Machine / Drive
Single Speed Doors System – power
unit
Guide Shoes, used mainly to guide the car and Electric motor – used to raise and lower the
counterweight along the path of the guide rails. elevator cab, the direction of motor rotation and
Roller Guide speed are directed and supervised by devices
Sliding Guide located within the elevator controller

Door Protective Device, used w/ automatic

power operated doors that detect obstructions to
the normal closing of the elevator doors
Door Contact, safety device preventing the
elevator to move unless the door are closed
Door Interlocks, hold the door in place and
prevent it from being opened when the
elevator is in use

Hoist way – the space enclosed by fireproof walls

and elevator doors for the travel of one or more
elevators, dumbwaiters or materials lifts. It includes
the pit and terminates at the underside of the
overhead machinery space floor or grating or at the
 Traction Drive Sheave – the powered pulley Capacity: 600kg – 2300 kg
connected to either the elevator drive motor output 30m max from ingress
shaft or to the output side of the mechanical speed
reduction unit

Deflector Sheave – pulley used to offset or direct

the vertical drop or location of the steel hoist
ropes running between the elevator car and its
counterweight

Brake – when a car travels in excess of 20% of top

speed, the governor will activate a safety stop
device

Speed Reduction Unit of Gearbox – a hardened

steel worm shaft, mated with a bronzed ring or
crown gear

Machine Bedplate – this fabricated steel structure

serves to keep all parts in accurate alignment and
allows one piece shipment Hospital
1 in every 100 rooms, waiting time 20-30
Safety System seconds
Over speed governor – function is to actuate the
safety gear if the car speed exceeds 115% of its Restaurant / Hotel (Dumbwaiter)
rated value. Electric hydraulic or electric cable
Capacity up to 500lbs – 277kg
Limit switch – if traveling more than a preset Platform up to 9sq/ft.
distance beyond a terminal landing, cuts off power
Self-maintained controls, call and send
to the elevator drive motor

Safety switch – interrupts the safety circuit

causing machine drive power off

Buffer – stops descending car or counterweights

beyond normal limit of travel
Polyurethane, not more than 1m/sec
Spring, less than 200ft/min
Oil, higher that 200ft/min Commercial Freight
Service elevator, cargo elevator or goods lift,
Climbing Elevator (Self-Ascending Elevator) – designed to carry goods rather than passenger
hold their own power device on them, mostly electric Manufactured w/ load capacity of 100, 250,
or combustion engine. Climbing elevator are often 500, 1000, 2000, 3200, 5000, 6300 and speed
used in work and construction area. movement of .22, .25, .4 and .5m/sec

Construction – Buck Hoist

Escalator –
Pneumatic Elevator (Air Pressure Elevator) –
Escalator
raised and lowered by controlling air pressure in a
chamber in which the elevator sits. It is the vacuum
Operating speed: 90ft/min 2000-4000 person/hr.
pumps or turbines that pull cab up to the next floor
120ft/min 5000-8000 person/hr.
and the slow release of air pressure that floats cab
down Width – 24”, 32”, 40” NBC: 558mm but not more
than 1200mm
According to Building height… Slope: 30 degree
Hydraulic Elevators – Low-rise Building 1-3
Stories
Geared Traction Elevator – Mid-rise Building 4-11 Basic Escalator Parts
Stories
Gear Less Traction Elevator – High-rise Building
12+ stories

According to Building type…

Commercial – Passenger
1 for every 30,000 – 45,000 sq./ft.
Landing Platform – these two platforms house the Braking System – utilize three different braking
curved sections of the tracks, as well as the gears and methods as follows:
motors that drive the stair. The top platform contains The Machine Brake
the motor assembly and the main drive gear, while The Drive shaft Brake system
the bottom holds the step return idler sprockets. The main drive shaft brake
These sections also anchor the ends of the escalator
truss. In addition, the platforms contain a floor plate Safety Devices – if a safety device is tripped out, a
and a comb plate. The floor plate provides a place corresponding safety relay will drop out. This
for the passengers to stand before they step onto the applies voltage to the latching circuit of that device
moving stairs
Escalator Configuration
Truss – the structural frame of the escalator and
consists of three major areas Crisscross/scissor
The lower section Parallel
Incline section Multiple parallel
Upper section Up escalator
Spiral escalator
Tracks – built into the truss to guide the step chain,
which continuously pulls the steps from the bottom
platform and back to the top in an endless loop Travellators

Steps – solid, one piece, die cast aluminum or steel. Travellators – slow moving conveyor mechanism
Yellow demarcation lines may be added to clearly that transports people across horizontal or inclined
indicate their edges. plane over short to medium distance. Moving
walkways can be used by standing or walking on
them.
Moving walk
Handrail – provides a convenient handhold for Moving ramp
passengers while they are riding the escalator. In an Speed: 30m – 40m per minute
escalator, the handrail is pulled along its track by a Inclination: 10-12 degree
chain that is connected to the main drive gear by a
series of pulleys
Air Conditioning System
Escalator Exterior (Balustrade) – consist of the
handrail and the exterior supporting structure of the Air Conditioning System
escalator. It is the escalator exterior components  Temperature
extending above the steps and it supports the  Humidity
handrail. It is  Motion and purity of the air
either designed as
Air Conditioning Standards
 Cooling and de humidifying – comfortable
cooling
20-24 degree Celsius (76deg F – 80 degree
F)
50% relative humidity

 Air motion – air velocity

15ft – 25ft per min measured 36” above the
interior low deck
or interior high deck

Drive system – includes the following system:

Drive machine and gear reducer
The step drive system
The handrail drive system
The drive machine used to drive the pinion gear or
the main drive chain may directly or indirectly drive
the handrail drive system.

Auto Lubricating System – supplies oil to lubricate floor

the main drive chain, step chain and the handrail
drive chains. Oil flow rate is adjustable by setting the  Air supply – air per minute per person
automatic timer control off and on periods to supply 5 ft3 – 7.5 ft3: rooms where smoking is not
more or less lubrication. allowed
 25 ft3. – 40ft3: rooms where smoking is  Energy efficient, central or window air
allowed conditioners are prone to cool or hot air
leaking out of a room because of opened
Methods of cooling and de humidifying doors or drafts
 Passing the air through a spray of cold water Cons
 Passing air through coils containing cold water  More expensive than window type
 Passing air through coils containing the  Installation will normally need to be done by
refrigerant itself a professional
 Passing air through combination of sprays and  Location in terms of distance of the FCU
coils from the ACCU
 Noise coming from ACCU
Refrigeration – process whereby heat is removed
from a substance or a space Component of Split Type
Fan Coil Unit – Indoor Unit
Refrigerant – substance that picks up latent heat Air Cooled Condensing Unit – Outdoor Unit
when the substance evaporates from a liquid to
gas

Cooling Capacity

Tons of Refrigeration (TR) – unit of power used

to describe the heat extraction capacity of
refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. =
12,000 BTU/hr.

Formula for TR = (Area x 600 to 800) divided by

12,000
Compressor – it compresses the refrigerant, the
Horsepower (HP) – unit of power used to compressor receives low pressure gas from the
describe the heat extraction capacity of evaporator and converts it to high pressure gas
refrigeration and air conditioning equipment =
9,000 BTU/hr Condenser – has a heat exchanger section to cool
down and condense incoming refrigerant vapor
Formula for HP = (Area x 600 to 800) divided by into liquid
9,000
Window Type Expansion Valve – removes pressure from the
liquid refrigerant to allow expansion or change of
Types of Air-Conditioning System state from a liquid to a vapor in the evaporator.
The high pressure liquid refrigerant entering the
Pros expansion valve is quite warm.
 Generally inexpensive and easy to install
Cons Evaporator – absorbs heat into the system to allow
 Not all energy efficient for larger homes a compressed cooling chemical to evaporate from
 It can also be a security risk as they are easy liquid to gas while gaining a certain amount of
to rip out giving thieves an easy way get into heat in the process
your home
 It can’t be installed just anywhere Drier – filter drier in a refrigeration or air
conditioning system has two essential function:
one, to absorb system contaminants such as water
which can create acids and two, to provide
physical filtration. Evaluation of each factor is
necessary to ensure proper and economical drier
design.

Single Split – 1 ACCU; 1 FCU

Multi-Split – 1 ACCU; more than 2 unit up to 5
FCU

Variable Refrigerant Volume VRV/VRF – HVAC

Split Type system is a relatively new technology developed by
Pros Daikin, the world’s leading HVAC manufacturer.
 Versatile, you can install a split system New VRV system offer high levels of energy
almost anywhere efficiency as well as flexibility. They operate quietly
 More aesthetically pleasing than window and provide the user full control of the
type environmental temperatures.
 Quiet, compared to window type
Inverter – the latest evolution of technology Water Cooled – uses cool water to produce
concerning the electro motors of the compressors. chilled water
An inverter is used to control the speed of the Air Cooled – uses air to produce chilled water
compressor motor, so as to continuously regulate the
temperature
Distribution System
Split Type Mounting
Ceiling Mounted – 3 TR / 5 TR Constant Air
Wall Mounted – 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3.2, 3.6 HP Volume (CAV) –
Floor Mounted – 3 TR / 5 TR use a constant
Cassette Type – 3 TR / 5 TR supply air volume
Ceiling Concealed Ducted – 3 TR / 5.0 TR

Packaged Type Air Conditioner – 3.5 / 30 TR

Centralized
Pros
 Consistent temperature
 Better filtered air
 Possibility of heating and cooling
Cons
 Higher installation cost
 Higher electricity bills
 Need duct work
through the distribution system while heating or
 Need frequent duct maintenance
cooling the air to meet the spaces needs
 For CAV system, temperature cannot be
controlled
Variable Air Volume (VAV) – a type of heating,
ventilating, or air conditioning system. Unlike
Centralized Air conditioning System Basic
constant air volume system, which supply a constant
Parts
airflow at a variable temperature
Cooling Tower – specialized heat exchanger in
which air and water are brought into direct
contact with each other in order to reduce the
water’s temperature

Chiller – section of the system where an

exchange of heat occurred between the water
that goes to the building and the evaporator.
The water leaves the chilled water evaporator at
45 degree F or 7 degree C

Air Handling Unit (AHU) – w/ filters, pre

heater, spray cooling coils and re-heaters
Draw through Type, the fan pulls the air
through the mixing box, filters and cooling Air Distribution Equipment
coil before discharging it from the fan outlet
to the space to be conditioned or the ducting
Ducts – usually made of galvanized metal sheet or
network
aluminum sheets usually rectangular depending on
Blow through Type, the fan blows the air
the aspect ratio, not exceed 5:1
through the mixing box, filters and cooling
coil before discharging them to the space
Fans
being conditioned or the ducting system
Centrifugal – intended for
moving air at
Types according to condenser
comparatively high and are
commonly used in duct
system

Propeller / Axial –
commonly used for wall
exhaust
  Made from a sustainable fabric
Air Outlets – wall and ceiling diffuser  Traps more particulates in the air
Cons:
 The unit cost higher than fiberglass

Reusable Air Filters Electrostatic Filters –

typically cost more than most other types of air
filters but are usually in the same MERV rating
category as flat panel fiberglass filters

Pros:
 Reusable air filters keep more trash out of
landfills
 Washable
Cons:
 More expensive at least initially
 Reusable filters may not improve home air
quality
 Can potentially attract mold if you install
them before there fully dry
 May not do much for pet dander, smoke,
hairspray and other air contaminants
Control Equipment
HEPA Filter (High Efficiency Particulates Air
Sensing Device filter) – offer the highest level of protection against a
Humidistat – sensitive to the amount of humidity variety of airborne particles. They have the capacity
in the air to trap particles that are as small as .3 microns and
Thermostat – controller which responds to change catch 99.97% of airborne particles
in temperature
Pressure Regulator – sensitive to changes in Pros:
pressure  Can clean circulated air
 Able to remove 99.97% percent of any
Actuating or Opening Device particle bigger than .3 microns
Dampers – control the flow of air and are in form  Keep away any debris or dust away from
of louvers your lungs

Cons:
Types of Filter  Cannot trap other pollutants such as gases,
fumes, chemicals and odors
Fiberglass Filter – most common type of HVAC air  Can be costly when replacing filters
filter available. These filter are disposable,  Shape and compactness of the unit depends
inexpensive and effective, but they lack the air in what type of air purifier you have
purifying features of more high tech filters
Pros:
 Allow greater airflow, which puts less strain
on weaker HVAC units
 Cheaper than pleated filters
Cons:
 Allows large particles to pass into your
evaporator coils which will lead to costly
repairs
 Need to be replaced more often than other
types which brings up the total cost
 Not biodegradable which means these filters
aren’t eco friendly
 Allows greater number of particulates to pass

Pleated Media Filters – typically have higher

MERV (minimum efficiency reporting values)
ratings and usually meet the recommended ratings of
most HVAC manufacturers. Instead of a flat sheet, it
features pleated filters media which means better
filtration
Pros:
 Last longer so you replace them less