About Elevators Explained

Most of us step into an elevator without a second thought and watch an escalator without once asking what keeps its steps in line. That ease is the point of the machinery, and it is also why the machinery is so rarely explained. This guide explains it, in plain language, with the sources shown.

What this site is

Elevators Explained is a set of guides on vertical transportation. They begin with how elevators and lifts work, move through safety systems and inspection, maintenance and regulation, and then branch into specific machines and questions: escalators, platform lifts, dumbwaiters and hoists, history and tall buildings.

Independent, and not a service

This is an independent educational publication. It is not a business, it is not affiliated with any inspection firm, manufacturer, installer, maintenance company or regulator, and it offers no services. It does not inspect, install, repair, certify or advise on any elevator, lift or escalator, and it cannot arrange or recommend anyone who does. If a page ever seems to promote a particular company, that is a mistake and we want to hear about it.

Who writes it

The guides are written and maintained by the Elevators Explained editors, a small independent team. We do not claim to be inspectors, engineers, consultants or authorities, and we do not claim personal trade experience for any page. Where a guide states a fact, a figure or a rule, it comes from a public source named at the foot of that page, so you can check it yourself.

What it is not

It is general information, not legal, engineering, safety or code-compliance advice. Elevator rules differ between countries, states and cities, and enforcement is carried out by the local authority. For a particular machine, that authority and a qualified professional have the final word. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.

For how sources are chosen and checked, read the editorial standards.

The short version

An independent, sourced explainer for one of the most ordinary machines in the built world. It tells you how things work and what public bodies say, and it leaves the doing, and the deciding, to the people with the training and the authority.