Elevators — Disconnecting Means

The main disconnect for each elevator has to be lockable in the open position, so the mechanic on the car top knows the drive cannot energize. Separate circuits feed the car lighting and ventilation so those can stay on for safety.

Elevator work is a shared world between the electrician and the elevator mechanic, and this section is where our worlds meet. The lockout is the handshake that keeps the mechanic safe.

When it applies

Every elevator gets its own disconnecting means, located where the maintenance tech works and capable of being locked open. The whole design goal is that when someone is servicing the car or the machine room, the equipment cannot energize and move on its own. That lockout is the mechanic's life insurance.

Common mistakes

• Installing a disconnect that cannot accept a lock in the open position.
• Placing the disconnect where the servicing technician cannot readily reach it.
• Feeding car lighting or the pit sump from the same disconnect it should be separated from.

In the field

Before I ever work near the hoistway I confirm the disconnect locks out and I test that the car is dead. Modern drives can behave unexpectedly, so verification, not assumption, is the rule.