A call in Cincinnati made me rethink how we handle old relay logic

I was working on a 1970s Otis unit in an office building downtown last fall. The call was for intermittent floor stops, the kind of ghost in the machine problem that eats up a day. I found a worn contact on a floor selector relay, the classic fix. But while I was there, the building manager asked about a full modernization quote. He said, 'This thing is older than I am, but it still runs. Is keeping it patched really worth it?' That got me thinking. On one side, these old relay systems are simple, tough, and we all know how to trace the logic. Parts can be hard to find, but you can often make them work. On the other, a new controller with solid state parts would be more reliable, use less power, and have better safety features. But it's a huge cost for the owner, and it changes the whole skill set needed for future work. Where do you guys stand on keeping the old relay logic running versus pushing for an upgrade when you get the chance?

2 comments

2 Comments

leebrown10d ago

Honestly, the parts hunt is what finally pushes most of my clients over the edge. I spent three months last year trying to find a working card for a mid-80s Westinghouse panel, calling every old timer with a parts stash. The building owner finally saw the light when the repair bill for one board hit five grand. It's not just about the tech being old, it's about it becoming a museum piece that needs a full time curator.

elizabeth_chen10d ago

That 1970s Otis unit is actually from the relay generation that started in the late 60s. The real simple, bulletproof ones were the 1920s-1950s systems with all individual relays. By the 70s they were already using those early solid state cards mixed in, which can be a nightmare to source.