Lift for cleaning halls, rooflights and ceilings

Cleaning glazing, rooflights, lamps and structure under the roof of a hall is work in which the machine is chosen not just for the height but for what stands on the floor. In an empty hall a platform that travels vertically is enough. In a hall full of racking, machines and conveyors, what counts is the ability to get round an obstacle and bring the platform in above it.

A scissor lift under the spot, an articulating boom lift over the obstacle

If the machine can drive up under the surface to be cleaned, the first choice is an electric scissor lift: it has a large platform that holds the cleaning equipment, water and two people, and vertical travel is simple and fast. When a production machine, rack or conveyor stands under the rooflight, you need an electric articulating boom lift: the jointed arm lets you position the machine beside the obstacle and bring the platform in above it. The differences between these types are covered in more detail in the article scissor or articulating boom lift for a hall.

Only electric machines indoors

In a hall that stays in use you work with electric machines: no exhaust fumes, quiet, on non-marking tyres that leave no marks on the floor. It is also a formal matter: working with a diesel machine in an enclosed space means exhaust emissions in the breathing zone of the people there. When an electric machine is enough and when you need a diesel, we explain in the article electric or diesel lift.

Height measured to the ridge, not to the eaves

A hall roof has a slope, so a rooflight at the ridge is higher than a window in the wall. Working height is matched to the highest point to be cleaned, with a margin: the operator works with their hands roughly 2 m above the platform floor, hence the rule “working height ≈ platform height + 2 m”. The method of calculation with examples is in the article on choosing the working height.

Floor, wheel load and access route

Before the machine drives into the hall, the load capacity of the floor is checked: the load of a single wheel matters, not only the weight of the machine. Over ducts, manholes and slabs, load-spreading plates are laid down. It is also worth walking the route in advance: the width of gates and aisles, the height of passages and the place where the machine will be unloaded from the trailer. We have collected the figures and a checklist in the articles how much does a lift weigh and how to prepare the site for delivery.

Working in an operating plant

• Zone under the platform — fenced off and marked; water, chemicals and sometimes tools fall from above, so nobody walks under the platform.
• In sections, not the whole hall at once — the chosen section is cleaned, then the machine is moved; production stops only in the current zone.
• Water and chemicals in the platform — the weight of the equipment and tanks counts towards the platform capacity together with the people.
• Qualifications — operating the platform requires a UDT licence (UDT is Poland’s Office of Technical Inspection). The crew can be trained (training courses with an exam) or you can rent the machine with an operator.

Frequently asked questions

Which lift should I use to clean a hall and its rooflights?

To clean windows, rooflights, lamps and roof structure inside a hall, an electric scissor lift is chosen most often: it travels vertically up to the spot being cleaned and has a large platform for the cleaning equipment. When you need to reach over racking, production machinery or conveyors, or get in under a sloping roof, you need an electric articulating boom lift, because the jointed arm lets you go round the obstacle and bring the platform in above it.

Is an electric lift suitable for work inside a hall?

Yes. Electric machines are designed for work indoors: they produce no exhaust fumes, they are quiet and they have non-marking tyres that leave no marks on the floor. Diesel machines are not suitable for interiors, unless the hall is open and intensively ventilated.

How do I choose the lift height for cleaning rooflights?

Working height is calculated to the level of the surface being cleaned, remembering that the operator works with their hands about 2 m above the platform floor, hence the rule “working height ≈ platform height + 2 m”. For rooflights at the ridge you must check the height at the highest point of the roof, not at the wall, because a hall roof usually has a slope.

Will the hall floor take the weight of a lift?

It must be checked before the machine drives in. What counts is not only the weight of the machine but the load of a single wheel on the floor: the smallest scissor lifts weigh about 1.4–1.7 t, and larger rough terrain machines many times more. The wheel load is given in the machine manual; on floors with limited capacity, over ducts and over slabs, load-spreading plates are used.

Does cleaning a hall require production to stop?

Usually not entirely. The work is planned in sections: the zone under the machine is fenced off, the chosen section is cleaned and the machine moves on. Electric lifts can be repositioned with the platform raised only if the machine is approved for it; otherwise the platform is lowered before each move.