Be Smart About Your Dumbwaiter

Dumbwaiters are not intended to transport people or any other living thing, except maybe a houseplant. Their small dimensions, raised entrance door, and location should easily reinforce this fact—but sometimes this is not the case.

On occasion, this concept can be challenged by those (usually children) who just might think it would be “interesting” to put the family pet inside the dumbwaiter and give it a ride to the next floor. Or more seriously, climb inside themselves and go for it, with their sibling or a friend pushing the buttons.

Inclinator Company of California (ICOC) has been in the vertical transportation business for a long time, and we have seen, heard, or read about just about every possible hazardous scenario in this industry. Safety is our top priority when it comes to conveyance, and we take everything into account when assessing an installation.

For the exterior door, our company recommends a keyed, swing type with interlocks, so even if this exterior door is unlocked, it cannot be opened unless the dumbwaiter is properly parked at the opening. We then insist that a bi-parting gate come with the unit as an extra line of defense, ensuring that whatever cargo is inside the lift, that it is safely contained as it travels.

Our project manager reviews your hoistway design before we order the unit to ensure that the running clearance between the lift and the walls pose no threat of too-wide gaps. A final measure of the finished hoistway is then conducted to confirm a proper and safe fit.

After the successful installation, a member of our team will provide a complementary tutorial on how to operate the unit. Within this service, there will be an emphasis on how to shut it off completely, just in case there is a situation, such as a party, where adult supervision is not adequate. ICOC provides this valuable service for all of its products.

On a secondary, yet just as important note, we suggest a 200 pound capacity model for the application. One significant overload can impact the performance of the dumbwaiter, so 200 pounds offers the most protection for this possibility. Also, smaller capacity models do not hold as much in terms of volume, so this will reduce the number of trips needed.

Please call us at 1-800-201-1212 for a free consultation, or visit our web site for more information.