Custom Elevators FAQ

A landing door (also known as a hoistway door) is a hinged door that likely looks like many of the other doors inside your home. Many elevators are installed with these types of doors, often by the home contractor or builder. They are sometimes power operated but usually manually operated.

The elevator car that you ride in will also have a door or gate attached to it that is supplied by Custom Elevators or an elevator contractor. The elevator car door can be power operated or manually operated. These 2 types of doors are shown in the pictures below.

The gap we’re referring to is the critical measurement between the back of the inside of the landing door and the edge of the landing sill. The edge of the landing sill is where your floor stops and the elevator shaft begins. The edge of the landing sill is where the running clearance begins – the space between the landing and the elevator car.

These are identified below.

A space guard is a safety component that is installed on the inside of the landing door to reduce or eliminate the gap between the door and the elevator car. There are different types of space guards, but they will generally appear as shown below.

If the landing door was installed too far away from the landing sill, that extra space can present an entrapment hazard for children. Measuring this space and determining what additional safety equipment your elevator has (like light curtains or power door operators) will determine if your elevator needs a space guard installed on each landing.

Young children can become entrapped in the space between the landing door and the elevator door or gate if a hazardous gap is present. This can result in serious injury or death if the elevator is called to another floor.

Please watch our instructional video on how to perform and record the measurements required to assess your space gap. If you still have questions, please call or email us for further assistance over the phone or through a video call.

By submitting your online measurement form including the relevant measurements at each landing door, your elevator serial/job number and elevator model, we will have all of the required information to determine if you have a hazardous space gap. If you opt in to receive the space guard solution, the space guards will be sent free of charge directly to your home along with an installation kit.

The space guard is a safety device to prevent entrapments to small children. Since these types of entrapments have caused serious injuries and deaths to young children, you must ensure that children are not left unsupervised around the elevator and that they do not play with the elevator.

If you do not have small children at your home, and small children do not visit your home, you can choose to continue to use your elevator until the space guards are installed.

If you do have small children at your home, or your home is visited by small children, we advise you to disable the elevator or block young children’s access to the elevator until the space guards are installed.
Young children should never be left unsupervised around the elevator whether or not the space guards have been installed. Children should never be allowed to use the elevator unattended or play in or near the elevator without supervision.

We urge you to remedy any hazardous gaps without delay in order to keep your home elevator as safe as possible.

First watch our instructional video that provides a step by step set of instructions while also referring to the written step by step instructions. Two-way video assistance will be provided on request.

You should absolutely install space guards if a hazardous gap exists on your elevator to eliminate the potential for an accident with any children who may visit the home, or to new owners when your home is sold in the future.

This measurement is not necessary because Custom Elevators knows the specific gate installed on your elevator and where it is installed thanks to the serial/job number you will provide. Custom Elevators will also be able to validate measurements based on your specific elevator gate or door.

Yes. The inspections will not be looking for the hazardous gap that is the subject of this recall.

We strongly recommend that all identified hazardous gaps are addressed. The most common and straight forward solution is to install a space guard. If you do not wish to have a space guard installed (for aesthetic reasons, or for accessibility reasons), there may be other options for you to address the hazardous gap.
 
An alternative solution to a space guard is a safety light curtain which was supplied as standard equipment from October of 2013 onward by Custom Elevators. This device shines a beam across the front of the elevator car to detect if anything is present. If something blocks that beam, the elevator is rendered inoperable until whatever is blocking the beam is removed.
 
Please contact your manufacturer if you need assistance on determining which solution is right for you.

If your elevator has a functional light curtain installed on the front edge of the elevator car (consult our measurement video for instructions on determining this), and the critical measurement described above between the back of the landing door and the landing sill is 3 inches or less, then no action is required.

Light curtains were included as standard equipment from October 2013 onwards by Custom Elevators. If your elevator was produced prior to this date and you’re interested in adding this feature, please contact us for more information.

If your elevator has a scissor gate with a functional floating gate switch, and the critical measurement described above between the back of the landing door and the landing sill is 3 inches or less, then no action is required.

If your elevator has flush mounted landing doors with ¾” or less of clearance between the inside of the landing door and the landing sill, you will not require a space guard.

To check this measurement, please refer to our instructional video on measurements, and question 2 in this FAQ.

No. This recall only applies to landing doors that are a swing style similar to standard doors found in your home.

Many of our products will have our name on the operating panel in the elevator car, or on the call stations at each landing. Additionally, our name will be present on the hydraulic pump and the electrical control box which will be located in your machine room.
 
This recall only covers Custom Elevators produced units. If you are unsure of who manufactured your elevator, please contact your manufacturer and we will do our best to assist you in confirming who your manufacturer was and how to contact them.