The Aquarius Hydraulic Lift Model  AQUAVATOR  is designed to serve private residences and comply with the elevator safety code A18.1-2005.  A hydraulic cylinder raises and lowers the car between two or three floors paragraph 5.7.1.

The cylinder is of a sufficient diameter to reduce the pressure requirement and is hydraulically powered and controlled by economical, high efficiency pumps and valves.

MAJOR COMPONENTS
Passenger Car
An enclosed platform with a floor space of 12-18 square feet transports people between two or three floors.

Car access at each floor
A gate mechanism at the entry point on each of the floors controls passenger entry and egress to the car to allow this only when the car is safely at that floor.

Cylinder/Plunger in the ground and under the car
The cylinder is fabricated from PVC pipe with a nominal diameter of 8 inches.  This pipe is rated 200 pounds per square inch and complies with ASTM standards.  The cylinder is constructed of 8 inch, schedule 40 white PVC 1120 pipe. 

The pipe is extruded with Type 1, Grade 1, 2000 pounds per square inch design stress compound meeting ASTM D-1784.  The pipe is designed to withstand, without failure, the quick burst test for each rated class, ASTM D-1599. 

This is generally 3.15 times the rated capacity of the pipe and is over 12.5 times the pressure for this application.  The pipe is designed to withstand, without failure, the sustained pressure tests for 1,000 hours of each rated class, ASTM-1598.

This is generally 2.1 times the rated capacity and is nearly 8.5 times the pressure for this application.  Embedded with the plunger are rods of steel.  These rods function under compression and are class 200 (SDR 21, class 160 (SDR 26), schedule 80 and schedule 40 with nominal diameters of 6 inches. 

The external surface of the pipe is the sealing surface.  The pipe itself serves as a waterproof sheath for the steel reinforced concrete column that actually does the work and carries the load. 

The rod and piston seals and the rod wipers are fabricated from a dry lubricant for built-in internal lubricity plus good compatibility with the lubing properties of the working fluids.  The seals and wipers are generally rated for 5,000 pounds per square inch (psi) working pressure that is approximately 200 times the normal maximum operating pressure for this application.

Reservoir of water
A 55 gallon reservoir holds the supply of water when it is not pumped into the cylinder surrounding the plunger.

Water pump to raise the elevator car
An electric water pump moves the water from the reservoir to the hydraulic cylinder to expel the plunger and raise the car.

Water valve to lower the elevator car
An electrically controlled valve allows water to flow from the hydraulic cylinder back to the reservoir to allow the plunger and car to lower.