r/Elevators

TLDR: Elevator broke because "elevator control lever stuck in the moving rack/rail", is this common after using it with too much weight?

We live in a building whose administration is shared periodically across the owners of each apartment. The current administrator saw that we had a moving company that was setting up our kitchen and they used the elevators to load all the material upstairs to the 3rd floor. When they were doing this, the current administrator was perplexed by the way they were using the elevators, saying quote: "they were being brusque and putting too much weight on it". Nevertheless, the company continued loading, with the administrator claiming that they ignored him, and later after they moved everything upstairs the elevator stopped functioning in the 1st floor. Then they accused us and said that we have to pay for the repair. I called the elevator company to go there and fix it and they wrote on the report: "elevator control lever stuck in the moving rack/rail". Can this problem occur because there was too much weight on it? The elevator is very old (probably 40 years +) and it often has issues.

I don't know if this is the right subreddit for this.

Hi all

I’m hoping to get some guidance on how I can switch careers into the trade.

I currently work in apparel design and have been doing so professionally for about three years since graduating university with a fashion design degree. I’m hoping to make the career change into the elevator mechanic trade and get my Class A license.

From my youth too young adulthood I worked in some form of labour or construction, so I’m not entirely green. Although I’d obviously be lying if I said I was just as ready for the job as an electrician.

What I lack in elevator focused experience I make up for in work ethic, willingness to learn, and knowing when to stay quiet and make someone’s job easier, and when to speak up and add value. - BUT I understand that doesn’t count for much to an employer when they’re looking for hands on experience.

My questions are:

Am I out of touch thinking that a guy with a background in fashion design can break into the trade without any connections?

How can I gain experience in the field that gives me the opportunity to grow and eventually join the union, with limited experience. Specifically Vancouver BC.

Should I be seeking out open roles at the major companies only?
(Kone, TK, etc.)

What resources, and who, would you recommend for someone in my position to look into in order to better pursue these career goals.

Id truly appreciate any help and info anyone can offer!

Thanks lads and cheers!

Die Vorstellung, dass die Kiste mit ner normalen Steckdose funktioniert ist komisch, genauso wie die Rufknöpfe in der Tür. Hat je,and schon persönliche Erfahrung mit dem Modell gesammelt?

Sorry for the long post, but I hope some of you can relate to what Im saying:

I recently transferred from mod to service. After 10 years in the trade working on non proprietary GAL, MCE, Claddaugh, etc, and Otis GCS mods, I finally switched to service 2 years ago and for the first year I was an Otis lighthouse mechanic and had no real need to understand in depth troubleshooting, but I quit Otis and moved to Kone where Ive had to quickly learn how to troubleshoot.

Now Im not complaining. Im happy to be developing my skills in the trade, and I have been working hard to better understand the different systems and gather my list of documentation and testing guides.

Today I was thinking about a job I have with a TKE Tac 20 that is having some issues. This car has been shutdown on my call list for like 2 weeks now. Back when I first got the call, I called KONE THD (the tech help desk, basically the same thing as Otis Role) and the TKE expert told me Id need some kind of tool to troubleshoot. He told me to call another maintenance mechanic in my shop who has it. I called that guy and like every senior field mechanic he's busy as hell and he'll try to get to it when he can. He also told me Kone wont get me the tool and he had to get it by contacting some disreputable person online and buying it with his own cash.

Today, out of curiosity, I Googled "what is TKE elevator IMS" and I came across THIS reddit post https://www.reddit.com/r/Elevators/comments/1lykxk2/need_access_to_ims_software_by_thyssenkrupp/

and honestly the comments you'll see in that post are upsetting to me. If you look through my post history you'll see I asked a question about a Schindler 3300 and got the classic response "if you dont know how to clear a basic unintended motion fault then you shouldnt be working on elevators". I was also working on a Dover Solid State, and wanted to know why capacitors were used as the voltage suppressor between PC and +24D instead of varistors and diodes, tried to ask a question on r/electronics and got the classic "if you cant identify components then you aren't qualified for the job"

It's like people dont remember what its like to be new to something. They must all have wonderful bosses who constantly support them, or maybe have family members in the trade to turn to, or maybe they were born knowing everything there is to know about electronics... WELL I DONT HAVE ANY OF THAT. And honestly, Im pretty sure most tradesmen are getting screwed over the same way I am. Ive seen supervisors at Otis that didnt know dick about elevators. I know personally that searching for documents on Otis Service app, or Kone eLibrary sucks! better know the exact TIP number, and even then you might have to scroll for a while. And what am I supposed to do? Tell Kone elevator to stop taking on TKE contracts if they cant get us IMS software? Yeah Im sure they dont care. And Otis doesnt care, and Schindler doesnt care, and TKE doesnt care.

I see how Otis is making the new gen 3 controllers, and they're trying to get rid of the blue tool and move everything to an iphone app. They're doing that cause they want to make sure they keep those service contracts, and it doesnt matter if the field mechanics at TKE, Kone, or Schindler cant solve the problem. And god fucking help the little mom and pop shops lol.

As for that TKE tac 20. Well it's been shut down 2 weeks. The customer is getting screwed over, and Im still getting paid. Maybe I shouldnt give a fuck... but I do. and yeah I have options: i can go to a union meeting and make friends with a TKE guy. I can call up my coworker and beg him to make time for my car. But what I cant do, is fix the problem myself because the manufacturers are doing everything they can to make our job harder just to pad their bottom lines.

If we're trained, and licensed mechanics we shouldnt have to beg, borrow, and steal to do our jobs and service our customers. And instead of shit talking each other, we need to circle up the wagons and push to give each other the tools and resources we need.

Would love to connect and ask a few questions if anyone is willing to chat. TIA!

Are there any LA City licensed mechanics in here? I work for a private company in Utah and we service a unit in LA. I need to get licensed there but have questions regarding the exam.

Hey all, was wondering if anybody works for any company in Maryland , had some questions

our church has been using an acorn superglide 120 stairlift for older and disabled members to get to the hall on the 1st floor of our church building. recently it wouldnt work and no matter what we did it would continously display the letter F and lowercase letter b on the seven segment display. i have checked the manual to see what this error means but there is nothing in the manual about an error displaying the lowercase b letter. it would be really helpful if someone could share some any solutions to this problem

https://preview.redd.it/k49gklqzdp1h1.jpg?width=810&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dec9347578937f610fe5dbf7800ce4ad9143f5ee

https://preview.redd.it/w0lx2mqzdp1h1.jpg?width=810&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=61b37b90521d090f267fb79ff91aa571913c251d

Hi everyone,

I would really appreciate an assessment from people who work with elevators, elevator emergency systems, maintenance companies, or building operators.

On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at around 7:30 p.m., I got into a passenger elevator in Saarbrücken, Germany, inside a shopping/gallery building near the main train station.

Immediately after I entered the elevator, the lights went out, the elevator stopped working, and I was trapped inside. The cabin was dark, fairly small, and I did not know exactly where in the building I was. I also could not find any clearly visible elevator identification number or location information that would have allowed me to easily tell the fire department or police which exact elevator I was trapped in.

I pressed the emergency call button multiple times. The people on the intercom were very hard to understand; the audio was choppy and broken. I repeatedly told them that I could barely understand them. They told me, in substance, that someone would come or that they would take care of it.

But nobody came.

After a while, I said that I would make the situation public online because I was still trapped and no one seemed to be coming. After that, the call was ended from their side, at least from my perception. I pressed the emergency button several more times, and those calls were also ended or cut off.

I was trapped in the dark elevator for hours. My phone battery was almost dead. Toward the end, I had extreme heart racing, shaking, panic, and I was later told by the police that I appeared to be severely in shock.

With almost no battery left, I called the German emergency number 112 myself. Only after that did the police, fire department, and ambulance arrive. The fire department eventually got me out, but even that took a while, partly because the exact elevator/location apparently was not easy to identify.

The most concerning part:

According to what I understood from the police at the scene, the police contacted the elevator operator / elevator company / emergency service themselves. From what I was told or overheard, it seemed that no elevator rescue technician had actually been dispatched before I called 112.

Even more concerning: the police told me that the elevator company allegedly said that this elevator had already been “acting up” or “having issues” for several days.

If that is true, I have some serious questions:

- Can an elevator legally/technically remain in service if it has reportedly been having problems for several days?

- Should such an elevator have been shut down or at least monitored more closely?

- Shouldn’t the emergency call system automatically identify the exact elevator and location?

- Is it normal for an emergency call center to tell a trapped passenger that help is coming, but apparently not dispatch anyone?

- Are there required response times for elevator entrapments?

- Are emergency call recordings, dispatch logs, and maintenance fault logs normally documented?

- Who would typically be responsible in a situation like this: the building operator, property owner, shopping center management, elevator maintenance company, or emergency call center?

After I was freed, my last train home was gone. I had no money left, no accommodation, and had to spend the night outside in Saarbrücken. I also told the ambulance crew that I am substance-dependent, had been without benzodiazepines for over 24 hours, and was concerned about the risk of a seizure. From my perspective, this was not properly addressed.

I am now trying to request the police report, fire department report, ambulance report, emergency call logs, maintenance records, and operator documentation. I am also considering legal action for damages.

My main question for this subreddit is the technical/organizational side:

Does this sound like a normal elevator entrapment response, or does it sound like a serious failure of the emergency call and rescue system?

Thanks for any professional insight.

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice from anyone in the skilled trades or the elevator industry.
I recently graduated with a 2-year technical degree (AEC) in Computer Science here in Montreal. While I love technology, I realized I’m much more suited for a career that is hands-on and physically active. I’ve decided to pursue an apprenticeship as an Elevator Mechanic.
Where I’m at right now:
I already have my ASP Construction card in hand.

I am currently looking for an employer to sign my 150-hour guarantee so I can officially open my apprentice book with the CCQ.

I’ve been doing the "boots on the ground" approach—visiting the big offices (Otis, TKE, Schindler) and following up via email.

I have a strong background in troubleshooting and logic thanks to my CS degree, which I think will be a huge asset for modern elevator control systems.

The Struggle: It’s been tough getting past the front desk or getting a call back from HR. I’m currently working as a Lead at my current job (Starbucks), so I have leadership experience and a solid work ethic, but I’m ready to drop everything the moment I get a shot in the trade.
My questions for the community:
For those in the elevator trade (especially in Quebec/Montreal), is it better to focus on the "Big Three" or should I be targeting smaller independent shops?

Does anyone have tips on how to effectively "pitch" a tech background to a construction foreman?

Are there any specific local Montreal firms that are known for taking on 1st-year apprentices?

I appreciate any leads or advice you can share!