CODE UPDATE
Update #3 - Pit Drains & Sump Pumps (2.2.2)
The 1996 code contains the following on pit drains and sump pumps:
"Pits...shall be so designed as to prevent entry of ground water into the pit." (100.2b)
"Drains connected directly to sewers shall not be installed in elevator pits. Sumps may be installed. Where drains are not provided to prevent the accumulation of water, sump pumps shall be provided." (106.1b(3))
"Sumps in pits, where provided, shall be covered. The cover shall be level with the pit floor." (106.1b(4))
The 2004 code contains the following on pit drains and sump pumps: (2.2.2.3 - 2.2.2.7)
1 - "Permanent provisions shall be made to prevent accumulation of ground water in the pit (see 2.1.2.2)."
As you can see not all elevators require a drain or sump pump. Elevators installed in areas of a building which could never be affected by ground water would be exempt from this requirement. However, if the elevator is provided with Firefighters' Emergency Operation a drain or sump pump is required no matter where the elevator is located in the building. (See 3)
2 - "Drains and sump pumps, where provided, shall comply with the applicable plumbing code, and they shall be provided with a positive means to prevent water, gases, and odors from entering the hoistway."
Odors, sewer gases, and sewer water need to be kept out of the elevator hoistway for obvious reasons. The local plumbing code must be adhered to when accomplishing this task. Some sump pumps are provided with a shutoff valve and/or check valve because that is what the plumbing code requires. If the pump needs to be repaired or replaced a shutoff valve is convenient if not absolutely necessary.
3 - "In elevators provided with Firefighters' Emergency Operation a drain or sump pump shall be provided."
Not all elevators require Firefighters' Emergency Operation. (See 2.27.3) For example...an elevator built without a fire‑resistive hoistway enclosure, that has a travel under 2 000 mm (80 in.) and that does not penetrate a floor would not require Firefighters' Emergency Operation. This elevator also would not require a drain or sump pump if it was installed in a location that was not affected by ground water. [You may be wondering, "Where would an elevator with this type of design be installed?" Perhaps adjacent to a set of stairs in the lobby of a very ornately designed building in place of a platform lift (wheelchair lift).]
4 - "Sumps and sump pumps in pits, where provided, shall be covered. The cover shall be secured and level with the pit floor."
If the cover is a grate and it is installed in a recess around the sump then I would consider it secured. I would not have a problem with a flat piece of metal no more than a ¼ inch in thickness if it was secured to the floor with fasteners. It would not be "level with the pit floor" but I do not consider this a tripping hazard.
5 - "In jurisdictions enforcing the NBCC (National Building Code of Canada) sump pumps and their control equipment shall not be installed in any elevator pit."
A document explaining the sump pump procedure in Canada.
E-mail Bob Desnoyers with your pit drain & sump pump comments
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