Hello, my name is Darren Harp with Chutes International. Today, we’re going to demonstrate our electric interlock intake doors for trash, recycling, or linen chutes.
If your chute has a standard electric interlock system, the doors will look like this, with a wave sensor and a push-to-open button. If the button on the right is illuminated, that means the chute is currently in use. There’s no need to pull the handle, because the door will not open. Only one door can be used at a time in an electric interlock system.
As you can see, when there is no light illuminated, the door is ready to be used. To open the door, you have two options. The first option is to wave your hand in front of the sensor. You’ll hear the door unlock, it will open, you can throw your trash in, and then let go. The door will self-close and positively latch. You also have the option to press and hold the button until you hear the door unlock. That method works as well.
When the light is on, you know the chute is in use. Once the door closes and the light turns off, no one else in the building is using the chute, and the door is ready to be used again.
If your chute has electric interlock doors, you’ll have control panels located in the discharge room, in close proximity to the chute and compactor. This particular building has two chutes, and both chutes have electric interlock doors, so there are two control panels.
First, the control panels must be plugged in. Second, the key must be in the on position. When the key is in the on position, you’ll see a green light on the control panel. If you receive a complaint that a door isn’t working, such as someone saying they can’t open a door on the fifth floor, the first thing to remember is that only one door can be used at a time. If another door is already in use, the chute will be temporarily locked.
If there is a lengthy delay and 10 to 15 minutes pass without being able to use the chute, there may be another issue. In many cases, one of the doors has been propped open and become clogged. When that happens, the rest of the chute system will not be usable.
If you walk into the discharge room and see that the red light is on, you’ll know there is an issue with the doors. When the key is in the on position and the green light is illuminated, the system is operating properly. In this building right now, the chute is ready to be used and all doors are working.
If the chute is not working and a door won’t open, the first thing to do is come down to the discharge room and make sure the control panels are plugged in. They may have been knocked out of the socket. Next, make sure the key is in the on position and that the green light is on. If everything is plugged in, the key is on, and the panel still shows a red light, the next step is to take the elevator to the top floor and walk floor by floor to find a potential clog.
Chutes International products are proudly manufactured in the USA. We are your partner in design, build, installation, service, and replacement, and we do all of this with one goal in mind: your success.
