Vent: Found an Otis machine in a Denver basement with the safeties bypassed with a zip tie

I was doing a service call last Thursday in an old building downtown. Behind a panel someone had jumpered the overspeed governor switch with a literal zip tie. Took a pic to show the building manager. Dude said it was like that when he bought the place. Anyone else seen this kind of hack job on older units?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ryan25d ago

Otis machine with the safeties bypassed with a zip tie" - man, I feel that. I once accidentally left my tools on top of an elevator car and had to ride it down to get them back. Professional over here.

miles_sanchez25d ago

Man that zip tie thing is wild. I saw an almost identical setup on a 1970s Otis in a parking garage in Phoenix. Someone had used a nylon cable tie to hold the governor arm in the tripped position. The car would still move but the governor rope was basically dead. I asked the mechanic about it and he just shrugged and said "it's been like this for years." It's insane how often people mess with safety circuits instead of actually fixing the problem. Makes you wonder how many close calls get swept under the rug in these old buildings.