Just read that elevator ropes can have a design life of 20 years, but often last way longer

I was looking through some old manufacturer specs for a job and found a footnote about wire rope design life. It said the typical design life is around 20 years, but with proper maintenance and inspection, they can often go 30 years or more. I found this in a 2010 Otis manual for a specific traction system. It surprised me because we usually just check for wear and replace when needed, without thinking about a calendar. Has anyone else had a set of ropes last well past that 20-year mark in a building? What was your inspection routine like to keep them going that long?

3 comments

3 Comments

lindahunt1mo ago

That story from @uma295 about the frayed wires is exactly why the calendar date makes me nervous. I mean, 28 years is a long time, and you just can't see all the internal wear. Our office building ropes went 26 years and the main thing they did was a detailed magnetic test every year to check for broken wires inside the rope.

ray_martinez2mo ago

Our 1985 building's original ropes lasted 32 years.

uma2952mo ago

Remember my buddy's old apartment elevator? Thing finally got new ropes last year after 28 years. The super said they were so worn you could see frayed wires poking through the sheath in spots. Made this awful groaning sound for months before they fixed it. Kinda wild to think about what's holding you up sometimes.