Opinions Matter

c/elevator-mechanics

-1

karen_perry38•1mo ago

Picked a used MRL over a geared machine for a 6-stop job...

I had to choose between a used machine-room-less setup and a new geared machine for a 6-stop apartment building in Akron last month. The owner wanted to save money but the shaft was tight, so I went with the older MRL unit from a 2018 tear-out. It was a gamble since I had to rework the guide rails and install new sheave bearings myself. After about 12 hours of tweaking the controller parameters, it rides smooth and quiet. The customer saved about $4,000 compared to the new geared quote. I'm glad I took the risk on the used gearless drive, but I'm curious if anyone else has had luck swapping controller boards on those older Kone models?

3

haydenbutler•1mo ago

My apprentice called me out for skipping rail alignment checks

Honestly I've been doing elevators for 18 years and never thought twice about eyeballing the rail alignment. Last week my apprentice pulled out a laser level and showed me I was off by almost 3/16ths on the car guide rails. That kid made me feel like a hack in front of the building super. Has anyone else had a younger guy show them up with new school tools?

14

blair_dixon•1mo ago

Chasing a phantom slow door in an old Otis in downtown Cleveland

Had a car in a 1980s office tower that would take exactly 47 seconds between landing and opening the doors, and after swapping relays, checking the door operator, and even replacing the limit switches on a Tuesday, I finally found the issue was a worn out clutch spring on the motor that only showed up when the car was hot, took me about 9 hours across two days - has anyone else had a gremlin like that where you overthink the logic and it ends up being pure mechanical?

18

milestaylor•1mo ago

That Tuesday in March at the old Hilton in Cleveland - everything fell apart

Got a call for a stuck car on floor 12. Old Otis from the 80s. Got there, found the door locks were seized, brake shoes welded to the rail. Took me and my partner 6 hours to get it freed up. Then the hydro unit on the freight started leaking like crazy. Just one of those days where nothing goes right. Anyone else have a shift where every call is a nightmare?

19

rose_cooper•1mo ago

Old hydraulic elevators vs modern MRLs - night and day difference on this MOD I just finished

Honestly, I spent the last 3 days gutting a 1975 Otis hydraulic in a 6-story office building downtown. That old tank and jack setup took up a whole mechanical room the size of a small apartment. We ripped it out, put in a new MRL machine. Night and day. The building manager couldn't believe we freed up that much floor space for storage. Has anyone else noticed how much quieter the new stuff is too? That old pump used to sound like a truck idling.

24

ruby_patel27•1mo ago

Vent: Why do so many guys ignore the door interlocks on MOD jobs?

I was out at a site last Tuesday in midtown and found a helper had bypassed the hoistway door interlock on a 2017 Otis. The excuse was they were testing calls and didn't want to keep opening the doors. People don't get that bypassing that interlock means the car can move with the door open and someone can fall in. I have seen that exact shortcut cost a guy his job on a 30 floor hotel job last spring. Why mess with safety when it takes 10 extra seconds to do it right? Anyone else run into this on older elevators being modernized?

5

juliag10•1mo ago

Found a trick for silent door reopening sensors on Otis Gen2

We had this issue where the door sensors on an Otis Gen2 at the 3rd Street Mall kept failing the weekly test. I tried cleaning the lenses and checking voltage like the manual says. Then I noticed the reflector tape was misaligned by just a few millimeters. Peeled it off and reinstalled it straight with a fresh piece of 3M tape and it passed every test for 2 months now. Has anyone else had this problem with the alignment being that touchy?

33

linda500•1mo ago

Picked hydraulic over cable for a high-rise retrofit last month

The cable bid was $2,000 less but I went hydraulic because the building manager said noise was a big issue for the tenants. Worked out fine so far, but the extra maintenance log paperwork is a pain has anyone else run into that with hydros?

19

mark361•1mo ago

Can we talk about people who don't level the car before working on the rails?

I keep seeing guys at other shops just torque rail brackets down without checking if the car is perfectly level first. Rode a job yesterday where the doors were dragging because they just went by feel on the leveling. Over three years now I've seen that cause more callbacks than anything else. How do you deal with mechanics who rush that step?

4

troyreed•1mo ago

Vent: Stuck between a new hydraulic jack and rebuilding an old one

Had a 30 year old jack on a freight elevator in a warehouse near Cleveland start leaking last Tuesday. I figured $2,800 for a new kit versus $900 for rebuild parts and a weekend of swearing. I went cheap and rebuilt it, now its groaning like crazy after 3 days. Anybody else get burned trying to save a buck on old jacks?

18

paul251•1mo ago

Eight years in and I just realized I've been lubing guide rails with the wrong grease.

A senior guy from Otis pointed out my tub of lithium grease was actually for hinges, not rails, after he saw the buildup on a car I did in Raleigh last Thursday - has anyone else found out they were using the wrong lube for years?

6

ryanh56•1mo ago

Chat with an old Otis mechanic at a supply house changed my mind about digital controllers

This guy told me he's been fixing elevators since the 70s and said the new tech is great until a lightning storm fries a board, then he just walks away and waits for a part while the old relays could be patched up in 20 minutes with a screwdriver and a prayer, got me wondering how many of you still work on old relay systems?

22

sarah531•1mo ago

Old timer called me out on my brake adjustment method

Ngl, I'd been doing brake adjustments the same way for 8 years until a retired mechanic saw me at a job in Seattle. He said my gap was too tight and showed me to leave 1/8 inch more clearance. Now I haven't had a callback on those jobs in over 6 months.

26

black.pat•1mo ago

Just realized how many guys are installing door locks wrong on modernizations

I was out on a service call yesterday at an office building in downtown Portland and found the door lock contacts were totally misaligned. The mechanic before me had the gap set at almost 1/4 inch too wide. You gotta check the manufacturer spec sheet, the gap needs to be 1/8 inch on most Otis models or the door won't seat right. How many of you actually pull out the manual or do you just wing it like the last guy?

4

the_jana•1mo ago

The day I had to choose between fixing a 30-year-old Otis or swapping in a new MRL

Last Tuesday I got a call about this old Otis in a downtown Phoenix building, you know, the kind with the oil-soaked ropes and a controller that looks like it belongs in a museum. I was staring at this thing for an hour (the brake was stuck open and the door interlocks were acting up) and had to decide: spend the rest of the week rebuilding it or pull it and drop in a newer machine room less model. I figured I'd be a hero and go with the rebuild, thinking I could save the property some cash. Two days later I had replaced three relay boards and still had the dead zone on the second floor. I finally gave up and they went with the swap, which honestly took less time than the rebuild mess. Has anyone else tried to revive those old Otis models and just ended up regretting it?

17

sandra_anderson2•1mo ago

Just hit my 1000th emergency callout in 8 years at work

I was doing the math last night and realized I've done over a thousand after-hours callouts since I started as an elevator mechanic in Denver. That's like one every 3 days or so if you factor in holidays and weekends. Anyone else keep count of how many times you've had to leave dinner to fix a stuck car?

29

black.pat•1mo ago

Heard a building engineer say 'stop chasing ghost faults' and it clicked for me

He meant spend your time on the one rail sensor that keeps failing instead of checking all the limit switches every call. Has anyone else found a specific part that causes most of your intermittent headaches?

20

caleb_thomas93•1mo ago

Had to pick between a 2:1 or 1:1 roping setup on a job in Dallas last month

Went with the 2:1 for a 6-stop lowrise because the machine room was tight and I needed the car speed to still be decent. Anyone else run into situations where the gear ratio choice came down to shaft dimensions more than anything else?

19

olivia_harris19•1mo ago

Old timer laughed at my makeshift pulley setup on a job in Uptown last Tuesday

I was working a service call on an old Otis in Uptown. Had a temporary pulley rigged with some rope and a carabiner. This guy, must have been 60, walked up and just shook his head. Told me my knot would slip under 200 pounds of load. He showed me a proper double figure eight in 30 seconds. Now I carry pre tied slings everywhere. Got 5 in my bag right now. Anyone else run into old school guys who call out unsafe work?

18

sandrat24•1mo ago

Tried swapping relays on an old MCE controller and burned my hand bad

Was working on a MCE 4000 controller in a building downtown last Tuesday. Heard chattering on a relay so I swapped it live cause I was in a hurry. Stupid move. Arc flash popped and burned my fingers. Now I always kill power first even if it takes 10 extra mins. Anyone else ever get bit by a live controller?

0

king.andrew•1mo ago

Chatted with a retiree at the supply house about those old Otis 211 controllers

He told me they'd just adjust the brake shoes by ear and walk away, and it made me wonder if we overdiagnose everything now with all these test tools.

14

lily_singh2•1mo ago

Can we talk about picking the right door seals for a high-rise

I had to choose between magnetic seals and brush seals for a bank of four elevators in a 30 story building here in Chicago. The manufacturer pushed the brush option for noise reduction, but I went with magnetic after talking to a superintendent who had constant complaints about air leaks. That was six months ago and only one return call so far for a loose seal. Has anyone else had better luck with one type over the other in windy conditions?

2

willow_morgan•1mo ago

Found a stat about elevator rope life that floored me

I've been reading through the ASME A17.1 code book for my upcoming recertification exam, and I stumbled on something that honestly surprised me. The standard says that under normal conditions, steel elevator hoist ropes can last up to 25 years if they're properly maintained and lubricated. I always figured we were looking at maybe 10 to 15 years max based on what I see out in the field. But then you factor in things like building traffic, alignment issues, and how often the car levels, and that number drops quick. A guy I know downtown in Chicago says they replace ropes every 3 years in that high rise office tower because of how many people ride it. It made me wonder how many of us are actually tracking rope age versus just going by feel. Any of you keep a log on rope service life for your routes?

27

kai_park•2mo ago

Switched from soldering all my signal wiring to using push-in connectors after a job in a Newark basement last January

That basement was so cramped and dark I kept burning my fingers on the piping above the controller. Has anyone else made the change and regretted it later or am I the only one who misses the old way?

15

barbara_baker57•2mo ago

Finally got a stuck brake switch loose with a little heat

Was working on an old Otis in a building on Elm Street, and that brake switch wouldn't budge for nothing. Hit it with a heat gun for about 2 minutes (careful not to toast the wiring) and it came free like butter. Has anyone else tried this on stuck components or do you stick to penetrant spray?