Dumbwaiter: 10 Things You Need to Know About Dumbwaiters

Dumbwaiters are simply a box that is enclosed that goes from floor to floor in either a residential home or a commercial dumbwaiter application. Dumbwaiters carry groceries, household items or business inventory.

The 10 things you need to know about dumbwaiters are:

1. A dumbwaiter is mounted on a reinforced wall.
2. Most dumbwaiter models require a space of at least 28″ wide by 28″ deep. This minimum size could increase due to door swings, cab size, pattern of entry and exit on each floor and type of locks selected.
3. The size of shaft to fit the dumbwaiter being considered is dependent on whether the door opening on each floor is consistent. If the door to open the shaft swings off a different side of the door frame on each floor then this means that the shaft will need to be wider to fit the locks required.
4. The door of the dumbwaiter will not open unless the cab is at the floor station. This is for safety. A manual dumbwaiter is not safe for this reason since you must have the door open to the shaft .
5. The motor to operate the dumbwaiter is located either on the top of the shaft, under the cab or in a remote location.
6. A dumbwaiter can be installed by a contractor. But, it must be a simplified model that is supported by the manufacturer in both initial installation and after dumbwaiter install service. There is only on dumbwaiter manufacturer that can meet this criteria.
7. Minimum overhead clearance inside the hoistway is 48″ above the upper level sill height. The typical sill height is 36″ above the floor level.
8. Hoistway sizes reflect running and access clearances only. Consult your local authority to assure compliance with state local codes.
9. Options include automatic return to a particular floor, stainless steel cab, keyed call/send controls and custom cab sizes.
10. Weight capacities range from 50 – 500 lbs.