Lift Refurbishment & Modernisation

What is Lift Refurbishment? And Why Should I Refurbish My Lift?

In general, when you install a new lift in your building, whether it’s an industrial, commercial or residential lift, you can expect it to last around 20 to 25 years with proper regular maintenance and care. However, it’s recommended you replace or carry out lift refurbishment on an old lift well before the end of its lifetime, to prevent additional costly breakdowns and improve the safety of your lift. If you’re in a position where you notice your current lift beginning to decline in performance, but don’t want to spend money on a brand new lift just yet, lift refurbishment is a fantastic option. Lift refurbishment involves fully servicing and updating your lift components to create a more modern appearance, improve performance and safety, and reduce the number of breakdowns you experience.

Lift refurbishment is a cost-saving measure in the long run as you’ll require fewer repairs and less regular maintenance, won’t have to worry about spending more to keep your lift in line with changing safety standards, and will have considerably fewer emergency callouts required. In general, a lift refurbishment can extend the lifespan of your lift by 10-15 years, and lift upgrades can increase your lift’s lifespan by even longer!

A lift refurbishment or lift modernisation project can cover any or all of the key aspects of your lift:

Electronics – This may mean replacing or updating the lift car control panels from a user perspective, as well as the lighting in your lift, any voiceover technology or LED/display panels. The electronics of your lift also refer to the landing operating panels and the lift drive control unit.
Mechanics – These are the physical, mechanical elements of your lift, such as drivers, cables, motors and breaks. Regularly maintaining and updating the mechanical elements of your lift ensure a smooth, quiet and efficient experience for your users, and also improves safety and energy efficiency.
Interiors – The interior elements of your lift can make a significant difference to your overall user experience. The interiors of your lift, including wall panels, mirrors, flooring and handrails, can all be improved and updated as part of a lift refurbishment.
Lift Doors – Often your lift doors will be subject to regular wear and tear. Resurfacing lift doors is all that’s required to have them looking as good as new, rather than replacing them entirely which would mean greater downtime for your lift and more expense for the project managers/building owners.

Lift Refurbishment vs. Lift Upgrades – What’s the Difference, and Which Should you Choose?

During a lift refurbishment, you will usually have the option to refurbish lift parts or to upgrade them. Lift refurbishment generally consists of replacing old parts with identical replacements, leaving you with a lift that is factory-ready to be used again. However, as lift technology advances, you may also wish to replace certain parts of your lift with newer versions of those parts, such as a better motor, safer electronics or more hard-wearing floors. As experts in lift refurbishment projects, the team of lift engineers and lift technicians at Sheridan will always be able to recommend the right course of action for your lift project, based on your budget, the state and model of your existing lift, and many other technical factors. We’ll discuss all of this with you after an initial inspection, so that you’re involved all the way through the lift refurbishment process.

In older lifts, we will highly recommend upgrading the majority of your parts, as there are now longer-lasting and significantly safer options available on the market, without significantly increasing the cost of your refurbishment. Older lifts are also prime candidates for adding newer, more modern features to help improve accessibility and ensure you’re complying with the latest legal requirements and industry standards.

For example, you could consider adding:

An emergency communication system that allows passengers to communicate and be notified in case of an entrapment
Audio announcements to inform passengers of their travel direction and the level of the next floor
In-car and landing digital position indicators showing the direction and current location of the lift car
Push buttons with large, tactile and/or braille buttons
Door detectors that use infrared technology

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How to Know When Your Lift Needs Refurbishment

There are a few common indicators that you might see when it’s time to renew, refurbish or replace your lift. Knowing these signs can help you understand your lift’s lifecycle and book a refurbishment with Sheridan Lifts at the perfect time!

In the event that your lift is no longer moving as quickly as it once did, you should contact Sheridan Lifts to speak to a technician. It will be possible for them to examine and diagnose the lift and determine whether it can be repaired, or if a refurbishment or replacement is recommended.

You should also contact us if your lift begins stopping just a little above or below the floor – you’ll be able to see a small step up or down when the lift doors open if this is the case. The issue is called mid-levelling – a sign that the brakes are wearing out. Mid-levelling can also be a sign of a more serious problem, and it can pose a trip hazard unless it is repaired. In cases where your lifts are no longer working well and have frequent breakdowns, you need to consider replacement or reconditioning. Regular wear and tear is inevitable for lifts, so keeping on top of your refurbishment or replacement needs will make it easy to ensure your lifts are always performing as well as possible.

Lift Modernisation

You don’t always need to replace a lift when it is coming to the end of its lifecycle. In some instances, our engineers can replace certain components of a lift with an updated version before replacing the lift completely!

In the same way, you might upgrade the parts of a computer when it is starting to slow down or break more often, you can do the same with lifts. Thanks to the advancements in technology, we are also able to fit your lift with features that were not around at the time your lift was installed in a quick and cost-effective way.

In modernising your lift, you are guaranteed:

Satisfied customers – Modernising your lift gives it a new lease of life. Thanks to the wear and tear of lifts you might find lifts become noisy or start running slower towards the end of their life cycle. By modernising your lift you will prevent customers from being dissatisfied with the quality of the lift.
Reduced maintenance costs – In replacing old components you are not only providing a more reliable service, you are also saving money! Installing new components prevents breakdowns as well as being up to date with the latest safety standards which means you do not have to spend money on repairing the lift or lose money if the lift were to be out of action.
An appealing lift – As well as the technical modernisations of a lift, you can also update the interiors and design of the lift, for example, improving the lighting or the mirrors in the lift. You can give the lift a new feel without having to install an entirely new lift.
A lift up to date with the latest safety regulations – Legislations and regulations are constantly evolving to make sure lifts are accessible for all. As leaders in the industry Sheridan Lifts will be able to ensure our lift modernisations meet these standards.

Give your lift a refresh when it is towards the end of its life cycle by contacting Sheridan Lifts today.

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SMAS Worksafe Accreditation

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ISO 14001 2015 Certification

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ISO 9001 2015 Certification

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ConstructionLine Gold Membership

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Why Choose Sheridan Lifts?

We are naturally a fully affiliated member with LEIA (Lift & Escalator Industry Association) and we carry all required certification to undertake approved lift installation works.

Customers are assured of peace of mind that all lift installations are undertaken with due diligence and project management whilst products used boast of being completely open protocol ensuring the ease of future maintenance and fault finding.

We can also offer extended warranties of up to 5 years.

What Else?

We are contactable 24 hrs a day via a dedicated UK based phone number

We have engineers and lift technicians situated throughout the UK

We are a family run and managed business offering a more personable service focused on the needs of our customers

Longevity and loyalty – some of our longest serving clients have been on our books for 30 years. If that isn’t testament to our services, then nothing is!

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3 ways lift modernisation can be the way forward

Here at Sheridan Lifts, we specialise in helping companies in need of lift modernisation and lift refurbishment. So, you might be sat there with an old lift

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Lift Refurbishment

What is Lift Refurbishment? And Why Should I Refurbish My Lift?

Lift Refurbishment vs. Lift Upgrades – What’s the Difference, and Which Should you Choose?

Get In Touch To Find Out More About Lift Refurbishments

How to Know When Your Lift Needs Refurbishment

Lift Modernisation

Lift types you may be looking for

Our Lift Industry Membership & Accreditations

Why Choose Sheridan Lifts?

What Else?

Case Studies

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