PVE pneumatic passenger lifts are made by Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators, LLC of Miami, Florida, USA. Since 2002 the company has been building lifts for private houses that are moved by air; they are also called vacuum lifts. The transparent cylinder stands directly on the floor, with no shaft, pit or machine room, and passes through the floor slabs or stands next to a first-floor balcony. PE SRBK Portal (the LIFTPORTAL trademark) is an authorized PVE dealer in Ukraine: we supply, install and maintain these lifts.
How a pneumatic lift works
The lift has three parts: a cylinder made of an aluminium frame and polycarbonate panels, a steel car with a seal at the top, and a head unit with turbines, valves and a controller.
- Going up. The turbines draw air out of the cylinder above the car. This creates low pressure there, that is, a vacuum, hence the other name: vacuum lift. Atmospheric pressure remains below the car, and this difference lifts the car.
- Stopping. At a floor the car settles onto mechanical stops. The landing door is held by an electromechanical lock, so it can be opened only when the car is at that floor.
- Going down. The turbines are off. A valve gradually lets air in above the car, and the car descends smoothly under its own weight. No electricity is used for the descent.
PVE pneumatic lift models
As of November 2026 the factory website lists four models: three round and one square. The factory builds each lift to the floor heights of the specific house.
| Parameter | PVE30 | PVE37 | PVE52 | The Cube |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Rated load, kg | 159 | 205 | 238 | 205 |
| Wheelchair | no | no | yes, after a dimension check | no |
| External size, mm | Ø 750 | Ø 933 | Ø 1338 | 914 x 914 |
| Stops | 2-5 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 2-3 |
| Maximum travel, m | 15 | 15 | 15 | 10 |
| Speed, m/s | 0,20 | 0,20 | 0,18 | 0,20 |
| Power supply | 220-240 V, single phase, 30 A circuit breaker | 220-240 V, single phase, 30 A circuit breaker | 220-240 V, single phase, 40 A circuit breaker | 220-240 V, single phase, 30 A circuit breaker |
| Floor opening, mm | Ø 813 | Ø 991 | Ø 1389 | 965 x 965 |
For car and door dimensions and the features of each model, see the page "PVE30, PVE37, PVE52 and The Cube models".
What a pneumatic lift requires of the house
- A level floor on the lowest floor. No pit, shaft or machine room is needed. The lift rests its full weight on the floor, so we check the base during the site survey.
- A floor opening 50 mm larger than the cylinder (813, 991 or 1389 mm; 965 x 965 mm for The Cube), or a balcony or gallery that the lift stands right up against.
- Height of the lower floors from 2.34 m, of the top floor from 2.72 m. If the head unit is moved to the attic or outdoors, 2.47 m is enough for the top floor.
- A dedicated 220-240 V single-phase line with a 30 A circuit breaker (40 A for the PVE52). The factory recommends a voltage stabiliser.
- A heated room: the lift is not used at temperatures below +18 °C.
Installation on a prepared site: the cylinder sections are stacked one on top of another, the head unit is connected and the stops are adjusted. We have collected all the dimensions, the head unit placement options and the sequence of work on the page "Installation and house requirements".
Safety of the pneumatic lift
- If the power fails, the car descends smoothly to the lowest floor by itself, the door lock releases and the passenger gets out. No battery is needed for this: gravity lowers the car.
- If the car loses vacuum, mechanical brakes engage within 5 cm of free fall.
- The car has an alarm button and a telephone, and the control circuits run on 24 V.
- The factory assembles and tests every lift before shipment. The factory declares compliance with ASME A17.7, the American standard for home lifts.
On request the lift is fitted with battery backup power, and then it runs without mains power as well.
Maintenance
The lift has no ropes, oil or grease. The factory recommends an inspection every 6 months, and the main car seal is replaced roughly every 5 years or after 15,000 trips. Manufacturer's warranty: 1 year. PVE lifts are installed and maintained by authorized dealers; we do this with our own team and supply factory spare parts.
Who a pneumatic lift suits and who it does not
The PVE pneumatic lift is designed for a private residential house with 2-5 levels. People choose it when the house is already lived in and there is nowhere to build a shaft, when someone in the family finds stairs difficult, or when the lift is meant to be part of the interior. The PVE52 model is intended for a wheelchair user; its car is compact, so we check the wheelchair dimensions before ordering.
This lift is not suitable for a public building with a flow of people (an office, shop, hotel or hospital): the factory intends it for homes and does not permit commercial use. It does not carry furniture or loads heavier than 159-238 kg, does not work in an unheated room or outdoors, and does not serve more than 5 stops or 15 m of travel. The turbines can be heard while the lift is going up, so next to a bedroom we advise moving the head unit to the attic or outdoors. For such buildings and tasks we select a conventional passenger lift or a platform lift.
Our experience with PVE
We installed a PVE37 lift in a private house and maintain it. Photos of the PVE37 installation by our team are in the "Our projects" section.
We handle the job for the client from start to finish: we come out for the site survey, select the model and the location, order the lift from the factory, prepare the openings and the power line or brief your builders, install and commission the lift and then inspect it on schedule. The PVE factory is in Miami, and the company also has subsidiaries in Europe and India; we state the country of assembly of each lift in the quotation and the contract.
"PVE - LIFTPORTAL" catalogue in Ukrainian (PDF, 12 pages)
For model selection and a quotation, leave a request or call: +38 (050) 585-39-28.
