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pve elevator installation crew aligns modules of the elevator to install it

Because the pneumatic vacuum elevator (PVE) is unlike any other type of traditional elevator, it is hard to imagine how this shaftless home elevator is assembled and installed. It is surprisingly simple with very little pre-construction required. Plus, it is a standalone unit that is custom built for your home, then assembled at the factory and tested, then disassembled into a few modules, crated, and shipped, ready to be stacked together in your home. Because this process is difficult to envision, we put together a short tutorial with pictures to help you see just how easy the installation of the PVE home elevator is.

Keep in mind that these pictures were taken from a new construction site, so it may look like a lot of construction is involved, but in most installations where the home is being retrofitted, the only work required is cutting and finishing the holes between floors and installing a 220-volt circuit to plug the elevator into. Our vacuum elevators are truly pitless home elevators requiring no modifications to level floors or foundations.

How a PVE Elevator Works?

To help you better understand how the vacuum elevator can be a stand-alone unit without shaft and literally standing independently inside your home, this video shows how a PVE works.

Its operation is very similar to the pneumatic tubes used by bank drive-throughs.

As the video explains, a highly efficient pump at the top of the unit sucks the air out of the chamber of the tube above the elevator car. this creates a vacuum or low pressure above the car which enables the normal atmospheric pressure below below the car to be higher than the pressure above so that the car rises.

To descend, no electricity is used as a valve releases the low-pressure vacuum slowly. As the pressures above and below the car equalize, the car moves to a lower landing.

When the elevator car arrives at its landing, brakes lock the car in place and the door opens for passengers to enter or exit.

Though the technology and appearance of a PVE is completely different from a traditional elevator, the shaftless vacuum elevators operate with push buttons like elevators you are accustomed to such as automated operation using push buttons, emergency alarm, phone in the car, and interior lights. And the PVE have all the safety features of other residential elevators. Don’t let elevator myths scare you away from considering an elevator in your home. We can answer all your questions about these safe devices with decades of safely operating.

Vacuum Elevator Installation Process

Click an image to enlarge and browse through the gallery.

The images below are in the order that the steps of the PVE installation process occurs. It is as simple as the pictures indicate. During pre-construction, holes are cut through floors as needed (installation in an open stairwell or mezzanine requires no hole-cutting). Then the licensed and bonded elevator installation crew uncrates the modules and stacks them, then seals the seams with silicone. Once the unit is plugged in, it is ready to go. This simple installation process is why we can usually install your home elevator in 2 days.

We look forward to an invitation to your home to provide you with a free, no-obligation quote as well as answer all your questions about how a home elevator will fit in your home and serve your mobility needs today and in the future. Learn what happens during an in-home elevator consultation. Questions about home elevators? Call (713) 360 7353.

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