Vent: A full day lost to a single sheave bearing in a 20-story office building

Got called for a rough ride complaint on a traction elevator downtown. The noise pointed to the machine room, but every test came back fine. Spent 4 hours checking motor amps and guide rails before I finally put a stethoscope on the drive sheave. The bearing was shot but only made noise under full load with the cab at certain floors. Had to get a crane crew in just to drop the sheave assembly, which blew the whole job's timeline. Anyone else had a bearing fail in such a sneaky way?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade88520d ago

Been there. Those ghost bearings are the worst. I keep a cheap laser thermometer in my bag now. Spot check the sheave housing after a few full load runs up and down. Even a few degrees difference on one side can give it away before you start pulling everything apart. Saves you chasing your tail on the rails.

park.iris20d ago

Man that sounds brutal. @jade885's tip about the laser thermometer is smart, gonna add that to my routine. How do you even start to explain that kind of time sink to the building manager? Like, do you just say the bearing was a ghost until the planets aligned with the right load and floor position, or do you give them the simple version to avoid the blank stare?

lilychen8d ago

Honestly, is a bearing that only acts up under perfect conditions even that big of a deal? It passed all the normal checks, so maybe the real problem is expecting old equipment to run silent forever. How many tenants actually noticed the rough ride, or was it just one picky person on a quiet day? Sometimes chasing a tiny noise just makes the bill huge for no real gain.