UPDATED January 8th

OTIS Reports Both Good News And Bad News

First, Elevator 5’s issues appear to be resolved and it has been running smoothly. It did turn out that the outages on Monday and Tuesday were separate matters – on Monday they found a door operator sensor had failed. On Tuesday a door operator chain was found to be broken on the 27th floor. We can theorize that both these types of failures can be caused by misuse and if so the outages were unnecessary. So we just want to remind everyone to use the door hold button on the inside. Don’t force the door to open with your hands, arms or feet.

Regarding Elevator 3, it was back up and running in test mode today. However, as they were performing their final punch list they found a separate part serving the motor and cables that appeared to be failing. Had it done so it could have caused another lengthy outage. So it remains out of service for one more night to address this part, which was removed and taken back to their shop for repair. HOWEVER, they expect to return with it tomorrow, conduct a final test run of the elevator and put it back in operation.

The bad news…Our regular technician has advised that proactive maintenance is required to cables serving Car #4. This could potentially be a safety issue obviously, as the cables help secure the cabs and move them up and down. Assuming Car #3 is back in service tomorrow, they are tentatively scheduling to perform the cable maintenance to Car #4 on Friday between 6AM and 3PM.

We will continue post and distribute updates and appreciate everyone’s understanding while all this is being coordinated.

UPDATED January 7th

OTIS Reports That Elevator #5 Had To Be Taken Back Out Of Service

We received a report that the door to the service area would not open for passengers from the 27th Floor. While investigating the problem, OTIS has had to take the car out of service. We presume this is related to the original problems yesterday and that additional work is either needed specifically from the 27th floor level, or at least related to the door operator function.

REGARDING ELEVATOR #3, as they began completing the repair work, testing showed that the hoist ropes require shortening. That work is underway, but unfortunately that means they now do not expect it to be put back in service until Wednesday sometime.

UPDATED January 7th

OTIS Reported That They Returned Elevator #5 To Service This Morning, As Expected

As we reported last night, it appeared to be a problem with the door operator, which is typically cause by misuse, such as the door being physically held open. We discourage holding any elevator doors. However, if you need to, do not physically hold them open. Use the door hold button on the inside panel.

Pictured below, a sample pic of the door hold button and close button.

UPDATED January 6th

Elevator #5 Temporarily Out Of Service

The team at OTIS reported they continued running into problems as they’ve put the Elevator #3 motor back in place. However, they have started testing its operation and as of now expect it to be put back in service by the end of the day on Tuesday January 7th. We’ve asked them for a detailed report of the problems they found so we can review them and evaluate whether we need to take a closer look for similar issues with the other machines. They are all a similar age, so we will look very closely at what the problems were and what specific repairs were made.

Sadly, Elevator #5 (serving all floors) was taken out of service this evening. It appears there is a problem with the door operator, which is typically cause by misuse, such as the door being physically held open. Our regular technician was unable to make the necessary repair alone, and additional techs have been scheduled for first thing in the morning to help. He reported that he believes they should be able to get it up and running quickly. He just “needs extra hands” to assist.

While we discourage holding any doors, if you need to do not physically hold them open. Use the door hold button on the inside panel.

We know this is particularly frustrating for our residents, especially those of our upper floors. We will continue posting updates and other news and information at www.ptcondo.com.

UPDATED January 6th

As OTIS Technicians have continued putting the elevator back together, they’ve run into additional problems.

We’ve asked if they could provide a detailed explanation of the most recent delays. In the meantime, they said they expect to finish and conduct testing, and have the elevator back up and running by the end of the day on Tuesday January 7th.

UPDATED December 24th

The Good News Is, OTIS Reports That The Motor For Elevator #3 Is Finally Being Put Back Together.

However, this was not a small task and has been complicated further due to the timing of the holidays. As the motor was taken apart, unforeseen conditions needed to be addressed.

To provide a comprehensive update…sadly as they took the motor for the elevator apart to make the repair that was originally planned and parts were ready for, it required much more work than anticpated. The work could not be completed on site, in the penthouse mechanical room. The entire machine had to be removed and taken to their shop for much more forensic work.

Fortunately for the Association, all the work needed is covered by our contract with OTIS, but it was more time consuming work than expected, made worse by the holiday season.

However, they have finally confirmed the repair work is completed. The machine for elevator #3 was returned to the building and work is underway getting it reconnected and they expect to begin testing the operators and controls early next week. Again, we have holidays to consider next week, but they’ve said it should be up and running mid-week.

We apologize for this unexpectedly long outage and we appreciate everyone’s amazing patience while this work has been completed.

UPDATED December 6th

OTIS Confirmed Their Team Got Underway With The Needed Repair Work This Week, For Elevator #3

However, they also reported that their specialist team, needed for this particular repair, was delayed a few days at a jobsite preceding our. Work is now expected to be finished sometime the middle of the week of December 16th.

We do expect to no more and perhaps a more certain ETA for completion, as this work continues.

We realize this ongoing outage is inconvenient, and we appreciate our resident’s patience and understanding while this important repair is completed.

UPDATED November 23rd

The Team At OTIS Reports Elevator #3 Will Be Down For About 3 Weeks

Our regular technicians uncovered a problem while performing routing maintenance, specifically with the main drive shaft and bearings. This has required ordering the necessary parts – which are already in route – and scheduling a special repair team as we reported previously.

As of now, they expect the necessary parts to arrive in the upcoming week and the needed repair to begin on Monday December 2nd. Once work gets started, it should take about 2 weeks to complete.

We will update this post if any more details become available or if there is any change to our expectations.

ORIGINAL POST November 21st

OTIS Elevator reported Elevator #3, serving the Lobby, 2nd Floor and the 23rd floor through 55, has been taken out of service.

While conducting routine maintenance, our regular service technician identified a problem requiring repair. We are awaiting an update on expectations and timing. When we receive more information, we will provide an update.

OTIS has advised that a special repair team will need to be scheduled to complete the necessary repairs. They are unable to provide and ETA yet, but we will post an update once it is available.

We realize having any elevators out of service is problematic, and we appreciate our resident’s patience and understanding while this is resolved.

We will keep everyone updated with any new information or details that become available.