c/elevator-mechanics

Pro tip: check the guide rail brackets before you blame the car frame

I keep seeing guys spend a whole day trying to shim or adjust a car frame for a rough ride, when the real problem is loose guide rail brackets on the hoistway wall. Found this on a job last month in a 12 story office building downtown. The bracket bolts on the 7th floor were only finger tight, letting the rail move just enough to feel. Tightened those up and the ride smoothed right out. How many of you run into this same thing?

Honestly, I used to dread door operator adjustments on those old Otis Gen2 jobs. Took me a full hour of fiddling every time. After a training session in Cincinnati last fall, I got shown the laser alignment trick. Now it's a 15 minute job, tops. What's one small trick that saved you a ton of time?

Just logged my 1000th service call on a 20-year-old Otis Gen2 system

I was updating my work log last night and the number jumped out at me. That's a lot of trips to the same three buildings downtown. Some guys say sticking with one old system makes you an expert, but others think it limits your skills on newer tech. I'm starting to see their point. Has anyone else gotten stuck as the 'go-to' for one specific model in your area?

Lost a full day's pay on a bad part from a supplier in Spokane

I bought a replacement governor rope sheave for a job last week, and the thing was machined wrong. The groove was off by almost 2mm, so it wouldn't seat right. Cost me a whole day's labor, about $400, to pull it back out and wait for the right part. Anyone know a good supplier in the Northwest that doesn't mess up simple parts?

Hot take: The new guys keep cranking the governor rope tension way past spec thinking it's 'safer'.

Honestly, I've seen three callbacks this month in our shop alone because that extra 5 pounds of force wears the sheave grooves twice as fast and throws off the entire safety circuit calibration.

Am I the only one who thinks the 3-year service interval for hydraulic fluid is too long?

I changed the fluid on a 15-year-old unit in a Chicago apartment building last month, and it was full of sludge and water. The car was running rough, and I'm sure waiting that long caused extra wear. How often do you guys actually change it out?

Why does nobody talk about the 500th door adjustment?

I hit that number yesterday on a bank of Kone elevators and it made me think about how much of our time is just fixing the same small thing over and over.

Replaced the governor rope on a 1970s Dover with a modern synthetic, and the overspeed test failed twice. The old steel cable passed fine. What gives?

Update on that 1980s traction unit we rebuilt in March

The motor bearings were shot and we were getting 3 times the normal amp draw. After a full rewind and new bearings, the draw is back in spec and the car runs 20% quieter. Anyone think a full rewind was overkill versus just swapping the motor?

Had to choose between a full car replacement or a rebuild on a 15-year-old hydraulic unit

The call came in for a stuck elevator in a 1980s office building downtown. The main hydraulic cylinder was shot, and the building manager gave me two choices: replace the whole car system with a new one for about $85,000, or just rebuild the old cylinder and pump for maybe a third of that cost. I pushed for the rebuild, thinking I could save them a ton of money and keep a solid piece of gear running. It took me and my apprentice almost a full week to pull the cylinder, get the seals replaced, and clean out the valve block. The real headache was finding a new piston rod that would fit the old housing without custom machining. We got it done, but the building owner is already asking when the next big failure will be. Makes you wonder if going for the cheaper fix just sets you up for more calls down the road. What's your rule of thumb for when to stop patching and just push for a full replacement?

Vent: My whole Monday was shot by a 1970s Otis controller that kept faulting on a phantom door zone signal.

I spent six hours tracing wires in a hot machine room before I found a single chewed wire in a conduit run that the building cat probably got to, and now I always carry a spare rodent tape roll in my kit.

Chatting with a retired inspector at the supply house made me rethink how I check my door locks

He said 'I never trust a door lock until I've seen it fail three ways.' He meant you should check it with the car moving up, moving down, and with the car parked but the motor running. I've always just done a static check with power off. Tried his method on a Dover job yesterday and found a worn roller I would have missed. Anyone got other 'three test' routines for common parts?

I finally bought a proper torque wrench for the governor rope sheave bolts

Cost me about $350 for a good digital one, but it saved a job in a high rise downtown. The old spec sheet called for 65 foot pounds, and my old click type was off by almost 10. Has anyone else found their old tools just aren't cutting it for the newer, tighter tolerances?

Got a stuck door on a 90s Dover in a Phoenix office building. The usual fixes did nothing.

I was about to call for a parts order when I remembered an old-timer telling me to check the door clutch adjustment with a feeler gauge set to 0.015 inches. I gave it a quarter-turn tighter, and the door closed like it was brand new. Saved me a full afternoon of tearing into the header. Has anyone else found that one specific adjustment solves a dozen different door problems on those older units?

Finally got the call to work on a 1920s Otis in a downtown Chicago hotel. Took three days, but the old girl runs smooth now.

Tracing a random door lock fault on a 20-year-old Otis unit took me three entire days

It ended up being a single corroded wire in a junction box I'd checked twice already. Anyone else ever get completely owned by something that simple?

Rant: Hit 500 elevator doors adjusted this week and it felt wrong

Been doing this job in Kansas City for 15 years, always thought I was careful. Adjusted a set of hospital doors on Tuesday, made the 500th mark on my log. Realized I've probably rushed half of them just to meet a schedule. When did speed beat doing it right the first time?

Got called out for my sloppy hoistway door gap checks

My lead, Frank, saw me eyeballing the gaps on a KONE job in the new Union Trust building last month and said 'You're gonna get a callback if you don't use a gauge, kid.' I bought a set of feeler gauges that same day and now I check every single one. What's your go-to method for checking door clearances on a rush job?

Hot take: old school feeler gauges beat digital calipers for setting door zone gaps every time

I was working on a 90s Otis unit in a downtown building last week, trying to get the landing zone just right. I brought out my fancy digital caliper, but the numbers kept jumping around with the vibration. Grabbed my old metal feeler gauge set and slid the 3/32 blade in, felt the perfect drag, and locked it down. The digital tool was too fussy for the real world shake of a running machine. Anyone else find that some simple tools just work better on the job?

Got called out for a weird grinding noise in a 20-story building downtown

It was a Tuesday morning, and the call said the car was shaking on the 15th floor. I get up there, run it, and it sounds like a bag of rocks in the hoistway. Took me three hours of checking rails and guides before I finally spotted a broken guide shoe bracket on the counterweight side. The bracket had sheared clean off, letting the counterweight sway. Ever had a noise that sounded way worse than it actually was?

Changed my mind about using a laser level for door sills

I was setting a door sill on a job in Phoenix last month and decided to try a laser level instead of my usual water level. I figured it would be faster, but the laser beam was so thin I couldn't see it clearly in the bright sun on the landing. Ended up being off by almost an eighth of an inch and had to redo it. Now I keep the water level in the truck for outside work. Anyone have a good trick for seeing a laser line in daylight?

Appreciation post: That old gear motor in the 12-story building on Elm finally gave up

It was a 15-year-old unit that started making a grinding noise last Tuesday. I had to pull the whole assembly, clean out the worn gear teeth, and replace the bearings. Took me about six hours total, but the car runs smooth as glass now. Honestly, it felt good to get it right without having to call for a whole new motor. Anyone else had to rebuild one of those older models recently and have a tip for the sealant?

Showerthought: I just logged my 1,000th elevator door adjustment

It hit me when I was filling out my service log last night. That's a lot of doors, from old swing panels to new center-opening models. The milestone made me think about how much I've learned about the little things, like getting the sill clearance just right on a 1980s Otis. It's not a glamorous part of the job, but getting it perfect makes a huge difference in callbacks. Has anyone else tracked a specific task like this and been surprised by the number?

Back in the day, we'd just use a pry bar to get a stuck door open

I'm talking like 15 years ago, working on old Otis traction units in downtown Chicago. If a car door was jammed, the first move was always to grab a big pry bar and muscle it. It worked, but man, you'd sometimes bend the guide shoes or mess up the track alignment, leading to a bigger fix later. About 5 years back, I saw a senior tech use a set of nylon door wedges and a small porta-power kit from a company called Power Team. He slowly worked the door open without any force. I bought my own kit the next week. It's slower, but you don't risk wrecking the parts. Now I always go for the controlled push first. Anyone else make that switch, or have a better trick for a stubborn door?

I finally got why the old guys always carried a specific feeler gauge set

A foreman in a 1970s high-rise in St. Louis once handed me his and said, 'This one's for listening to the doors, not just looking.' Has anyone else had a tool tip that completely shifted how you approach a routine check?