Normally jacks, which are large pistons, given that they’re just a couple pieces of steel, last indefinitely. The seals need to be replaced periodically, but the metal parts live on and on for decades. The main reason you’d need to replace one is that it’s buried in the ground and if the exterior cylinder rusts out oil can leak. If this happens, the elevator could drop suddenly and you also could create an environmental mess.

If you drop a penny in the crack between the elevator car and landing where does it go? This question has plagued mankind since Archimedes built the first elevator in 236 BC. Where does everything that’s dropped down that crack end up? The answer is the pit, the area that is at the bottom of the hoistway underneath the car. So besides dropped pennies, you can find credit cards, rat poison, food and lots and lots of dirt.

When you’re riding in an elevator car and look up, either out of boredom or to avoid eye contact with your fellow passengers, all you typically see is a ceiling, some lights and maybe an exhaust fan. But, if you look closely, you might make out the outlines of an escape hatch, a small door in the ceiling of elevators. Have you ever let your mind wander and imagined what might be on the other side of that trap door? Click for the rest of the story.

The big elevator companies have been forcing customers to sign long-term contracts that are rarely fair, rarely fit and cost way too much for the services provided. It seems that elevator owners are stuck with no choice and little recourse but, you can go out and get a new, better contract. If you find your self in an unfair contract, here are some steps to consider…

You are waiting for the elevator’s familiar ding and the doors to open when you hear an unexpected clunk. On the other side of the stainless steel doors you hear muffled voices, “I think we’ve stopped.” “What do we do?” and you’re the guy in charge of the building that day. The next thing you hear is a loud alarm bell and you’re sure you’re going to be on the other end of the line coming from inside the elevator car. Instead of panicking or worrying, you can help. When you are in charge and someone gets stuck, there are some simple yet important steps to take to make sure the passengers stay safe and you get the elevator moving as quickly as possible.

Here are some basic questions to help building owners separate the quality, professional maintenance providers from the pretenders when shopping for a new alternative. Remember quality elevator maintenance companies will never object to these questions and will more than likely appreciate that fact that you are doing research…

If you’ve shopped for elevator maintenance, you know that contracts come in two flavors. Before we sample both of them, you should understand that regardless of the contract flavor, the work that is actually done on your elevator should be the same. The contract type only governs how the work is paid for. So what work should be done when you have a maintenance contract? In a nutshell…

Just like the routine digestive maintenance that our bodies require, an elevator needs to have a routine to keep things moving too. But, now that routine has changed thanks to our friends at Bigg Elevator. It seems that Bigg Elevator has found a new way to pad its bottom line, by misusing the word “regular” in their contracts.