Small Elevators

When referring to small elevators, a few preconceived ideas come to mind. Most often we think of small elevators as being simple dumbwaiters or small construction hoists to facilitate moving materials up and down a building without the need to carry them up several flights of stairs. Actually, small elevators can also refer to such types as wheelchair lifts, small domestic elevators and even small commercial passenger elevators. The term 'small' is relative and usually refers to any type of elevator that is not large capacity or heavy duty. From dumbwaiters to passenger and cargo elevators, there is a wide assortment to choose from, many of which can be custom designed for your particular needs.

Dumbwaiters

Probably the smallest type of elevator is a dumbwaiter. These were extremely fashionable during the early part of the last century when any self-respecting upscale home had at least one dumbwaiter in the kitchen area. Today they are also being built into middle to upper class homes, but they are being built for convenience of the homeowner as opposed to use by house staff as in years gone by. Locations for dumbwaiters have changed a bit over time as well. They are more often located near laundry rooms in multilevel homes so that mom doesn't need to run up and down the stairs with buckets of laundry. However, dumbwaiters are still in use in some of the finest hotels around the world as well as in many medical facilities to transport food and supplies up and down levels quickly without taking an employee off their job.

Small Passenger Elevators

While small passenger elevators are primarily designed for domestic use in private dwellings, there are also a number of commercial buildings that have separate small passenger elevators installed to be used by staff and not the general public. Again, small is a relative term and although small passenger elevators aren't as tiny as dumbwaiters, they can handle nowhere near the capacity of large commercial elevators that can transport up to a couple thousand pounds with ease. Many small passenger elevators for the home are room-less, freestanding glass elevators that add a touch of class to any room while also serving a function to move people up and down levels in the building.

One of the benefits of small elevators is that they can usually be added to an existing structure quite easily because it isn't necessary to build a machine room under ground level. Small elevators such as wheelchair lifts can be attached to an existing staircase and can be made to go in a straight line or even around corners. When referring to a small passenger elevator, either for domestic or commercial use, you are usually looking at an elevator that has a 2 to 4 person capacity and a small weight limit as well. If you are considering adding a small elevator to your residence or commercial building, find a distributor or manufacturer in your area who can give you a quote on both the cost of the elevator itself along with any installation charges which might apply.