Overheard a building manager say hydraulic elevators are safer than traction, made me wonder if he's just old school or if there's real truth to it

I was working on a 10-floor office tower in Minneapolis last Thursday and the guy running the building swore hydraulic systems are less likely to fail in a power outage, but I've seen traction systems with backup batteries handle blackouts fine so which side do you guys lean on for reliability in older buildings?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse9882d agoMost Upvoted

Man, you hit it right on the head. Old building superintendents always stick with what they know, but I've seen traction systems with battery backups run smooth as butter through blackouts too.

hugo_coleman282d ago

Hear me out, I'm the guy who once tripped over a power cord during a storm and somehow shorted out the entire backup system. I still think traction with proper battery backup is the way to go, but I've got the scars to prove I'm not the one to trust with installation. My building's old elevator still has a cable from the 70s that sways like a pendulum in high winds. At least the old super's fix of a bungee cord and a prayer kept it running through a blizzard last winter. But I'd trade that jury-rig for a modern system any day, even if I still get a bit jumpy around exposed wiring.