What to do in the event of frequent lift breakdowns?

It has happened to all of us when we have a fault in our lift, we call the maintenance technician but he is unable to locate the cause of the problem. The same thing happens again a short time later, with identical results. And logically the residents wonder what is going on, why we have frequent lift breakdowns, why the technician comes again and again to fix the same fault and still can’t solve the problem.

In this article we will try to explain the reasons behind this type of intermittent lift breakdowns and how to solve them.

What is the cause of an intermittently faulty lift?

The fact is that these recurring and intermittent breakdowns do not always depend on the maintenance of the lift, but are due to causes that are completely unrelated to the lift itself. And they are generally caused by specific circumstances, at a specific time. For example:

1. A sudden rise or fall in voltage.
2. A power failure.
3. A power failure due to a blackout.
4. Extreme temperature changes (in summer or winter).
5.  A door that closes badly because it has jammed.
6. Overheating of the motor due to excessive use at peak times.

As you can see, it can be almost anything! Sometimes just a little more humidity or heat is enough to cause a breakdown. There are many factors and many possible causes of failure in the day-to-day operation of a lift. But they are not always detectable. When the maintenance technician comes to the call, he thoroughly checks the operation of the device, but does not get to everything. Even if he carries out the relevant check and analysis, he does not always find the cause, because the problem may be a one-off, not noticeable at the time the technician arrives, and sometimes it even resolves itself… Electronic circuits, for example, often have a temperature sensor which, when it reaches a limit point, stops to protect itself. Heat also affects the brake directly. This overheating can be due to the ambient heat or intensive use (rush hour) of the device, affecting the levelling of the cabin, leaving steps and causing breakdowns.

As we can see, there are many factors that can trigger an intermittent fault in a lift, as they have an infinite number of safety and functional electrical contacts. Detecting their origin is not easy. When the technicians arrive, they are faced with an arduous task that can take a long time as they test and check all the elements in search of clues that can lead them to the source of the fault. It is important to highlight the role that the control panel plays here because it is a key element that controls all the actions that a lift performs; from opening doors, movements, speeds, etc. Therefore, it is going to give us a lot of information in order to detect any breakdown because it has a register that stores the localised faults.  Hence the importance of renovating and modernising a lift and its control panel, which will help technicians to guide them better and resolve intermittent faults more easily.

Help from residents: essential for detecting the causes of lift breakdowns

To facilitate the work of the technicians, we recommend that the residents provide as much information as possible about the fault and its circumstances. On this point, experience tells us that there are notable differences between a single-family lift and that of a community of owners or an office building. In the first case, the owner is more involved, provides more clues, and informs the technician of the symptoms. In the second, it is usual that nobody is involved, that the neighbours do not get involved and do not provide specific data, as if to say ‘it is not my business’.

Lift users can help the most by providing essential information to the maintenance technician. They can tell their own experience, when they noticed the malfunction and under what circumstances, if it was stormy that day or if the malfunction coincided with a specific event (road works, moving house, heat wave). It is important to pay particular attention to temperatures, wind, humidity, which are the most common causes of intermittent breakdowns.

By putting all this data together, the technician will obtain a series of clues that can guide him or her along a more accurate path in his or her search for the problem and, therefore, the solution. The technician will have to test and narrow it down, guided by his experience and the clues that users may offer. A task that requires expertise, time and patience. And perhaps a bit of luck. In any case, the good work of the experts and the involvement of the neighbours are essential to detect what at first sight is undetectable.

No one better than a technician to activate a lift that has stopped due to a breakdown

We would like to remind you of the important role that technicians play. If you ever notice any anomaly in the operation of the lift, never try to solve it on your own. Notify the company of what is happening in your lift and leave it in the hands of professionals in the sector because they are the ones who must supervise, search for and locate any faults.

A fundamental piece of advice that we would like to pass on to our neighbours is to never reset the appliance. This will erase all the information, making it impossible for the technician to detect the cause of the fault. Nor is it advisable to tamper with the light switchboard because of its danger.  In any case, and even if the lift is used correctly, regular checks, good maintenance and good treatment of the appliance are essential for its optimum health.

If you have any questions, please contact us by filling out the form below!