Glass elevators are becoming increasingly popular, especially for in home applications. If you’re unfamiliar with glass elevators you might be wondering why they are so popular. Well, there are a lot of things about glass elevators that make them so desirable. Here are some of the more interesting tidbits you probably aren’t aware of.
Glass Walls – You may be surprised to learn this but vacuum elevators are not really made of glass, shocking, we know. Although you can find some models that use real glass, most are made of clear polycarbonate. Why isn’t regular glass used? Simply because clear polycarbonate is both cheaper and stronger than glass. In fact, polycarbonate is 252 times stronger than glass making it a more stable material for the shaft of an elevator. Clear polycarbonate is also easier and safer to work with. Since the walls of the shaft are not made of real glass you don’t have to worry about breaking part of your elevator or injuring yourself on broken edges.
Powered By Air – Unlike the traditional types of elevators, glass models don’t use cables, powerful motors, gears or lubricants. Instead, the elevator car is propelled by air. Here is how it works; when the elevator rider wants to ascend to the next level the pump will lower the air pressure above the car, once this happens the air underneath the elevator car will begin to push the car upwards. The pump allows pressure to equalize at the desired level. When the rider wants to descend the same happens just in reverse; the pressure is reduced below the elevator car and the car gently falls to a lower level. Pretty cool, right?
Wheelchair Accessible – You might be thinking that wheelchairs won’t fit in vacuum elevators because they’re too small. Well, this isn’t true. Vacuum elevators come in all sizes and the larger models are absolutely wheelchair accessible. In fact, glass elevators are safer for wheelchair users than traditional elevators since there is a smaller risk of a wheelchair user becoming trapped in a glass elevator during a power outage. Since vacuum elevators are air powered and require no cables to move the elevator car, in the case of a power outage, the car will simply descend to the lowest level where the rider can then safely exit.
So, have you learned something new about glass elevators? We hope so, perhaps this will help you better decide if a vacuum elevator is the right model for your home or business.
