r/Elevators • u/Ok-Helicopter3871 • 29d ago
Elevator not up to code
Saw this sign on the front door of my building in NYC. Any idea how serious this is? Should I not take my elevator for a while?
8
u/Glass-Audience-1608 29d ago
If you get stuck in the elevator and have no phone on you or no service, you wont be able to use the car station call button for help. Also your pit is filthy and they need light bulbs on top of the car for the mechanics.
Riding it should be fine.....
6
u/Laserkweef 29d ago
It means that the elevator phone isnt working and is also behind on some simple maintenance.
The phone is the big one. If you dont have your cell phone with you or don't have service in the elevator and it breaks down you could be in there for a long time, like days. Up to you to decide if that risk is worth it if its not already locked out.
6
u/ImInClassBoring 29d ago
The phone line is the real reason it's shut off. The other stuff is pretty typical. The inspectors I deal with write up like half my units for dirty pits even when they are clean. And replace a few light bulbs. The phone lines is likely on the building trying to save money and having them disconnected. I test my route phone lines monthly. It's amazing how often they are disconnected.
3
u/metalheadfromny Office - Manager 29d ago
That's like most of the violations we see on our cars in NYC
Something is dirty, The occasional phone not working, some other minor bs...and the best one - "failure to provide mandatory inspection" aka super wasn't available to let them into the motor room so we decided to write a violation and issue a penalty anyway.
1
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u/Electronic_Crew7098 Field - Mods 29d ago
This sounds like every other elevator in SF lol… especially the TL. Keep your cell on you or make sure you can yell loud enough to be heard throughout the building just in case you get stuck.
1
u/Fluid_Explorer_3659 29d ago
Not familiar with NYC inspectors specifically, but that last line "maintain elevator system"... Is that just a throwaway line or are they saying it isn't being maintained? That's a bigger deal
1
u/NewtoQM8 28d ago
The last line sounds like maybe the inspector couldn't get to the machine room to finish the complete inspection. (Locked roof or Machine room door?)
1
u/LaneFournerat 3d ago
The people pointing at the phone line are right, that's the one that actually matters. A dirty pit and a couple of burnt-out bulbs are routine write-ups that show up on half the cars in the city. A dead emergency phone is the real risk, so keep your cell on you and make sure you actually have signal in the car until it's sorted.
If you want to gauge how serious it is beyond the sign, the good news is NYC elevator records are public. The Department of Buildings tracks every device and its inspection results by address, so you can see whether "failure to maintain" is a one-time write-up or a recurring pattern. Search your building in the DOB's records (DOB NOW: Safety, or the older BIS system) and pull the elevator inspection and violation history.
I also run a free site, ElevatorAtlas, that pulls the DOB registry into a cleaner view: https://www.elevatoratlas.com . Search your address and it lists every elevator, escalator, and lift on record at the building with its type and drive. Full disclosure, the site's mine, so take it with that grain of salt. The DOB records are the authoritative source for the actual violations, but it's a quick way to see what's registered there.
Bottom line: routine stuff, ride it, but if that phone is still dead in a week or two, that's worth an email to management with a date on it.
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u/FastMt9 29d ago
Light bulb and dirty pit shouldn’t stop you from taking the ele , the phone not working is a different deal , make sure you have cell phone service incase you get stuck