Got called to a 15 story building downtown for a weird grinding noise

So I get there, and the super says it's been happening for a few days but only on the odd numbered floors. I ride it up and down, and sure enough, around floor 9 there's this low grind that just sounds wrong. I isolate the motor room and start checking the sheave bearings. Turns out, one of the guide shoe brackets on the counterweight side had worked itself just loose enough to let the rail scrape on every other pass. The weird part was how the building sway in the wind made it only hit at certain heights. Took me and my apprentice most of the afternoon to trace it because the sound wasn't where you'd think. Ever had a noise that traveled like that? Makes you check everything twice.

2 comments

2 Comments

gibson.sean1mo ago

Ever hear a noise through the pipes?

the_piper1mo ago

Oh man, yeah. I read this whole thing about water hammer, where the sound is from valves shutting off too fast. It's super common in older buildings. Honestly makes every little noise way creepier now.