The average elevator is equipped with several safety features. These include emergency brakes and overload sensors, emergency lighting, and elevator video monitoring, which work together to prevent injuries during emergencies.
Another is elevator door lock monitoring (DLM). What is DLM, and why is it so important for elevator safety?
Get answers below.
What Is Elevator Door Lock Monitoring?
Elevator door lock monitoring isn’t necessarily the first safety feature people imagine when they think of elevators, but it is one of the most essential.
DLM is an elevator safety feature designed to stop an elevator from moving if its doors don’t close completely or if it senses a faulty door circuit.
Here is a more detailed look at how elevator door lock monitoring works:
- This feature constantly tracks the positioning of elevator doors and performs circuit monitoring on its door contact circuits.
- It creates an electrical circuit when it senses an elevator’s doors are fully closed and sends it to an elevator’s controller to enable it to move.
- If it senses that an elevator’s doors aren’t fully closed, it interrupts the electrical circuit to prevent the elevator from moving until repairs are made.
Why Is Elevator Door Lock Monitoring Important?
After answering the question, “What is elevator door lock monitoring?” its importance is obvious. It can stop an elevator from moving when its doors remain open, keeping passengers safe.
It’s also necessary in certain states to remain in ASME A17.1-A17.3 code compliance. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has updated its safety code since 1921 to reduce elevator-related accidents and injuries.
Elevator door lock monitoring has become a leading modernization requirement for building owners. Ensure you understand this requirement’s installation date standards and retroactive code enforcement rules.
Who Can Benefit From Elevator Door Lock Monitoring?
Anyone who owns a building with passenger elevators can benefit from elevator door lock monitoring. Without it, you risk the safety of your elevator users. You could also face fines and penalties if your state requires monitoring of elevator door locks.
If you have an elevator in your building that was installed after 2000, it likely either already has DLM or can be connected to a device that can provide it with DLM. Elevators installed before then are unlikely to have DLM and will need to be updated accordingly to put this safety feature in place.
If you are unsure if your elevator has DLM, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Arrange to have it inspected by an elevator service to detect the presence of DLM. This will tell you if you need to update your elevator.
Contact Us To Discover More About Elevator Door Lock Monitoring
Now that you know the answer to the question, “What is elevator door lock monitoring?” check to see whether your building’s elevators are equipped with this feature, as it has become an apartment elevator requirement in many states.
ELEVATE Monitoring can help keep your building’s elevators safe. Call us at 877-990-9191 for additional information.
