elevator on emergency power

[sparkyca]

I am currently designing the electrical for a 5 story hotel. There are 3 elevators, 1 freight and 2 passenger. Does one of the elevators have to be on emergency backup (generator). I read an article from a consultant stating that recently ADA requires one on emergency for a building with 4 or more floors. Is this true? Can you tell me where I can get the information to support this answer. I can't seem to find it. Thanks.

 

[BJC]

I am not trying to be mean but this forum won't work for a substute for owning and reading the appplicable codes.
The kind of work your doing is covered by more than the NEC. You need access to the governing Building code ( most likely the UBC. If your in doubt about something call the local building authorities and talk to them. A few questions and the right attitude will get you a loth of infomration.

The elevator is usually on stanby power, a system completely seperate from the emergency system. You may have some smoke exhaust fans on standby power. Emergency power is reserved for lighting and some fire alarm circuits. Find out who the fire marshall is for the location of the building. Fire marshalls are very helpfull but usually very busy.

 

[EEJaime]

I have not run into the ADA reference regarding emergency or standby power previously, but I know that we generally put at least one passenger elevator, (the one nearest the fire command center and one freight elevator), on standby power in high rise work. For a 5 story building this might be overkill-unless your local AHJ has redefined "high-rise" as some around here have, but if you are going to have a standby generator anyway, the size penalty might be an acceptable trade for the added safety.

I know that ADA requires the ability to get the disabled to an "area of safe refuge", which in many cases is an area within an exit pathway with sufficient size to allow multiple chair bound occupants to await evacuation, but I don't know if we are required to provide an elevator to allow them to reach in case of a power failure.

It is an interesting question, so maybe some of the other members have more famiiarity with this issue and will share. I'll have to track down our ADA documents here and see if there is anything in there.

Good luck and I hope you get more information than I've provided.

 

[peebee]

ADA is available for free on-line. Just go to Google (or better yet, GoodSearch!) and type in ADA, click the one that's not for the American Dental Association. Or just go here:

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/stdspdf.htm

As others have mentioned, though, the real answer probably lies in the IBC, BOCA, UBC, etc. Check your AHJ for the locally-adopted codes.

 

[peebee]

Ahhhh, maybe this helps:

Standby or emergency power is required to be provided (IBC 1007.4) where the elevator is considered an accessible means of egress (IBC 1007.2; an elevator is required to be an accessible means of egress in all buildings of four or more stories and may be required in lower buildings), high-rise buildings (IBC 403.10.2), underground buildings (IBC 405.9.1). See also ASME A17.1 2.26.10 & 2.27.2.