Tried replacing an old Otis door operator belt by myself, wasted a full Saturday

I got cocky last weekend and tried swapping out a worn door operator belt on a Series 1 Otis without a second pair of hands. Figured I'd watched it done enough times, how hard could it be? Took me 3 hours to get the tension right and the limit switches back in sync. The car kept stopping 6 inches off level on the third floor. Called my partner in to help and we had it dialed in within 20 minutes. Learned that some jobs just need two people even if you think you can handle it solo. Anyone else try a solo repair that ended up taking way longer than it should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma_patel191mo ago

That line "wasted a full Saturday" really hit home for me. I did the exact same thing with a belt on a similar model and thought I'd save time by going solo. Instead I spent hours fighting the tension and getting the limit switches to cooperate, just like you said. The car kept stopping short on the second floor and I nearly threw my tools across the garage. Finally caved and called a buddy, and we got it sorted in less time than it took me to mess it up. It's humbling how much faster two sets of hands can be on these old Otis units.

the_lee1mo ago

Man, I saw this video from a guy who used to service these old Otis units for a living. He was saying how the limit switch timing is super picky on those models, like even a quarter turn off can throw the whole thing out of whack. That alone made me glad I watched it before trying anything with mine. Sounds like you handled it the smart way in the end though, calling for backup. I've heard those old units can get really finicky with the tension too.