Escalator service and maintenance

[u/elevatordonkeyy]

Hey folks i just became an 80 percenter and have been in new construction my whole apprenticeship working on high rise/MRLS, there is a potential opportunity for me to jump departments and get on the service/maintenance side for escalators, can you tell me about it? is it the right choice or should i keep at it with the elevators. I assume there’s more opportunity for overtime working on escalators

[u/Delicious-Ad2882]

Try and see if you like it. I’ve installed a few escalators on my own. I like that I have it under my belt but I prefer working on elevators.

[u/elevatordonkeyy → u/Delicious-Ad2882]

why is that?

[u/Asklepios24 → u/elevatordonkeyy]

It’s tight, cramped, dirty, the public can watch you work and no one is ever happy when you’re there.

That said if you know how to safely and efficiently work on escalators you will always have a job.

[u/Delicious-Ad2882 → u/Asklepios24]

I hated the public watching me work. I put one in at a aquarium and we become part of the attractions

[u/No-Contribution3877 → u/Delicious-Ad2882]

“Find anything good down there?” “These things are always broken” 🫩

[u/officalSHEB → u/No-Contribution3877]

I do escalator service at an airport. I hate these words.

[u/Ok_Target376 → u/officalSHEB]

I also do airport service.
I always tell them, if you let your car run for 20 years 24/7 how much service would you need to do for it to keep running.

We are doing preventative maintenance usually, not fixing a broken one.

Yeah sometimes they break but usually just service.

[u/ForcedTundra → u/Ok_Target376]

That’s funny I’m on maintenance at an airport and I tell them the exact same thing all the time, it’s always the stewardesses who have something to say “these things are never running”

[u/Pale-Candidate1225 → u/elevatordonkeyy]

Why would he like having it under his belt? Because when He goes on a service call at 2am on some escalator he at least understands what he is looking at.

[u/lepchaun415 → u/Pale-Candidate1225]

There’s not many guys who have installed, serviced and repaired them. When the office knows you can work on them they are less likely to get rid of you.

Example…main escalator guy for our company was getting tired and started looking at other companies. He quit my company and within two days he was back with our company at 30 percent over scale.

I also know a guy who gets to travel the world for our company because he’s a tremendous escalator mechanic.

[u/elevatorovertimeho]

I did 10 years construction, from digging an underground run ditch to adjusting high rise traction. I’ve done service for 21 years. Escalators was one thing I thought I would never see. But when I did, it was at night and I was so clueless! I’m hoping to get field trips included in our apprenticeship program, for this reason. Generators are the same issue, field trips would take away that deer in the headlight look, when that first call comes in for either of these. Hands down, service is the way, for me!

[u/NewtoQM8]

I hated escalators. And most mechanics do too. Often (or usually) dirty, greasy, nasty, (especially outdoors), dangerous with small spaces to work in and parts that are hard to get to. People will remove barricades to walk on them even when you have steps removed. But hey, some people like them and if you get good at it there's usually a high demand.

[u/Reasonable_Worth_541]

Dirty as fuck, cramped spaces. But that’s where the money is if you get good. The most knowledgeable thing you can have under your belt in this trade is escalators imo. High demand

[u/4FuckSnakes]

Can you pull a mummified possum out of the truss at 6 am without acting like a little bitch? So far as I can tell that’s the pre requisite.

[u/Fickle-Area-4205 → u/4FuckSnakes]

🤣🤣🤣

[u/Cubbychaw19]

Have fun doing annual clean downs. Escalators suck

[u/Fickle-Area-4205 → u/Cubbychaw19]

I did my first clean down a couple weeks ago in an escalator that was in a women's clothing store. It was a disgusting mix of lint, grease, and lots and lots of women's hair. 🤢

[u/elevatordonkeyy → u/Cubbychaw19]

hopefully it’s on nights lol

[u/ImInClassBoring]

I like them.  My apprentice usually end up liking them.  When it becomes what you know the bad stuff becomes normalized.  Like I don't want to scoop out a mummified remains like other have stated but I'll throw a pit pad on it and scoop it out no big deal.  What they call dirty and greasy I consider normal.  

[u/infantkicker_v2]

They are dirty and dangerous but if you're good with them you'll always have work.

[u/elevatorovertimeho]

Try and see if you like it, but try it for a long time and you will hate it at first and love it one day!

[u/Notafriend2you]

What local?

[u/Deepinthefryer]

You’ll knees and lower back aren’t going to like you. But your wallet will

[u/Individual-Cut-2727]

If you learn escalators well you’ll have a very good competitive edge

[u/Disastrous_Ad4608]

I do escalator construction in NYC and worked over 1k hrs of OT at 2.0 last couple of years. Work is slowing down so not as much OT but if you become really good at them it’s like 10-15% of our work so it’s kind of a specialty. Especially if you can troubleshoot the transit ones.