Found a trick for fixing sticky caroma elevator buttons without replacing the whole panel

Was up at a 12 story building in Denver last week and the buttons on the 3rd floor car were sticking like crazy. Tried the usual canned air and contact cleaner but no luck. A buddy from the local union hall told me to try a tiny bit of silicone grease on the plunger stem, not the contact side. Figured what the hell... worked like a charm. 3 floors done in 45 minutes instead of pulling the whole panel. Has anyone else used lube on those caroma stems or is this a hack that'll bite me later?

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daniel_martinez921mo ago

Haha man that's a clever trick! A buddy of mine tried something similar on an old Otis in a condo building downtown. He used a little bit of dielectric grease on the plunger stems, same idea as you. Worked perfect for about 8 months, then the buttons started acting up again and he had to pull the whole panel anyway because the grease collected dust and got gritty. He said it was a total pain to clean out after that. I'd say it's a solid temp fix if you're in a pinch, but I wouldn't count on it lasting forever. Just keep an eye on it and be ready to swap the panel when it starts acting up again.