From a retired lifelong lift engineer in London…this is all good sound advice for the Fire & Rescue point of view. Some of the terminology sounds unfamiliar but perhaps that’s just local. The “halfway cables” , the electrical connections hanging in a loop to the car, are travelling cables we sometimes refer to as flexes. The fixed end is generally at a point that’s halfway up the hoist way/lift shaft. The stop switch or button will cut a safety circuit to stop normal operation. That’s not shutting off the main power. If you get into any of the electrics there will be live power there. Looking for the machine room can be a nightmare for a hydraulic lift. Looking to see where the pipe goes is a good first clue. With hydraulics, anywhere the pipe and electrical connections can go is possible! I’ve even found a machine room in a cellar in a building next door. Be extra wary of getting under a hydraulic lift. There’s only that contained oil holding it up. Any damage to that pipe system and it WILL come down. Even if the main power is locked off. Most of the hydraulics that I’ve installed or worked on have had a valve for slow draining oil back into the tank to lower the car. Beware, that will override any electrical safety switch and getting the car up again is a whole new ball game. Think of it as a one way…until an engineer can get the lift running again.

Not a halfway cable it is a traveler cable.

6:25 and also that cable is important because it connects the elevator buttons to the controller

6:20 wow the halfway cable is so big and cool!

Safety plank is called a “bolster” on a hydro. Your “halfway” cable is called the Traveling cable, or traveler. You should always use the pit stop switch & pipe stands when entering a hydro pit. You should not be able to lower it at all w/ pit stop sw engaged. We should have some kind of mutual understanding if u guys are truly wanting to do it right. Contact your local IUEC office to see if this is a possibility. That aside, we realize u trying to help! But again, would u want me to try & do your job- even in an emergency? Or would u tell me to please stand down…?

Monty.

100th like!

Freight elevator. Motors on hoist way I think. Motor for each side?

That would be scary being in the elevator pit and the car came down trapping you under! They should have trap doors in the floor or lower wall so that if you do find yourself stuck or have to access the pit when the elevator is on the ground floor, you can still escape or get in.