Just found out most elevator cables are replaced every 3-5 years, not 10 like I assumed

I was reading through ASME A17.1 standards last night while waiting on a service call and saw the recommended replacement interval for hoist ropes. Turns out my old boss was running them way too long on his contracts. Has anyone else found a big difference between what the book says and what shops actually do?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer_west26d ago

Three years ago I had to replace a set of cables on a 10-stop hydraulic at 8 years because they were starting to show birdcaging on the outer strands. The book says 3-5 years but in practice a lot of old timers just run them until they see visible damage, which is playing with fire. What other maintenance intervals have you noticed shops ignoring on their contracts?

victor_butler5026d ago

Jennifer's dead right about the birdcaging thing. It's crazy how many shops pretend the 3-5 year rule doesn't exist just to save a few bucks and a service call. The hydraulic guys are the worst for pushing rope life too (you know, since they don't have the same wear patterns as traction elevators). I've seen perfectly good cables pulled early because the contract says 3 years, and then rotten ones left on for eight because nobody bothered to inspect.