An Eco-Friendly Elevator For Your House

A number of people love the feeling that a house built along Victorian lines elicits. There is something regal about the pillars and the aesthetics in general. Although a lot of mansions are built to look like something from the early nineteen hundreds (or even earlier), these days they also come with all the modern conveniences known to man. Apart from the usual televisions and climate controllers, a lot of houses have elevators in them. Elevators are a great way of going from one floor to another, especially if there are old people about in the house. It is not just houses, either. Yachts, condominiums and villas, can all have elevators as long as they are above two floors in height.

Elevators are a good idea, but then they need to be installed carefully. They can be rather messy if they are not planned. For example, if you did not provide for an elevator when you constructed your residence then you will have to make space separately for the elevator shaft and also for a foundation; a pit that will be dug for the bottom of the shaft. Also, the conventional elevator is quite heavy and will consume a lot of extra power.

There is a simple solution to avoid the all these issues. A new type of elevator has been manufactured, called the pneumatic vacuum elevator. It gets its name from the fact that it runs completely on the power of pressurized air and vacuum.

The construction of the vacuum elevator is simple. It has three components, basically. The first is a long cylindrical tube which is called the chute or the hoist way. It is made of polycarbonate curved sheets. Then there is the elevator car itself, which runs within the chute. The car is also made of transparent polycarbonate fiber, which means that you have a great view during ascent and descent. And finally, there is the suction assembly, which comprises all the valves, turbines and controls. This is placed on top of the chute.

The bottom of the hoist way is left open so that air at regular atmospheric pressure keeps flowing. the air above the elevator car, at the top of the chute is maintained at vacuum by using the turbine blades like a fan. So, the differential pressure between the space at the top and bottom of the elevator car leads to a push, which creates the ascent of the elevator. The process of descent is even easier; the car just slides downwards at zero pressure.

There are a number of advantages in using this type of elevator. For one, the power consumed is very low during ascent and none during descent. And there are mechanical safety locks provided at each floor to prevent the car from slipping. Also, in case there is a power failure the car just descends slowly to the lowest floor. The cylindrical hoist way is made of modular sections which fit easily into one another, so you can transport it easily in case you change houses. It is an environmentally friendly and hassle-free option.