Found a stat about elevator rope life that floored me

I've been reading through the ASME A17.1 code book for my upcoming recertification exam, and I stumbled on something that honestly surprised me. The standard says that under normal conditions, steel elevator hoist ropes can last up to 25 years if they're properly maintained and lubricated. I always figured we were looking at maybe 10 to 15 years max based on what I see out in the field. But then you factor in things like building traffic, alignment issues, and how often the car levels, and that number drops quick. A guy I know downtown in Chicago says they replace ropes every 3 years in that high rise office tower because of how many people ride it. It made me wonder how many of us are actually tracking rope age versus just going by feel. Any of you keep a log on rope service life for your routes?

2 comments

2 Comments

joelwells14d ago

Yikes, I gotta disagree hard with that. 25 years in the code is just a best case lab number, it's not real life. I've been swapping ropes on a 12 story building every 4 years like clockwork because the traffic is heavy and the sheaves are worn. If you try to push it to even 8 or 10, you're asking for trouble with broken wires or sudden failure. The code is a guideline, not a guarantee, and you need to look at the actual wear, not the calendar. Rope life depends way more on how the car rides and how clean the grooves are than some ideal number from a book. I think you're giving too much credit to that 25 year stat when you should be trusting your own eyes and hands.

joel60313d ago

@joelwells so are you saying the code numbers are basically useless for real world decisions or what

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