ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion Hefty old wiring from Austria

Wow. thats not something you don't see everyday. Smack the owners for even thinking about replacing that. Make sure its up to code and keep it there for as long as possible. It adds a lot of character to the place, and is a neat conversation peice. Its too bad about the mismanagement. This has the potential to really be something neat.

I imagine they want to replace the elevator because it is a death trap, with few if any safety devices.

The wiring was done by Frank N. Stien Electric Inc.

In pic 14, (Weather head) it appaers to be a weather-head with intergral switch, maybe for the lamp holder next to it? Maybe complete porcilin construction. I think I remember seeing one in Spain.

Yup, exactly! It's probably as old as the house it's in.

The elevator isn't that much a death trap. The mechanics were completely rebuilt in 1958 and it's one of the few items in the house that's been updated regularly (well, they were forced to, elevators have to be checked by an independent authority yearly and if they don't comply they are disconnected). It's got new automatic door locks inside and outside, a new (1 year) emergency intercom system and some other stuff. I guess it's safer than some newer elevators around (small elevators from the 50s through 80s only had one set of doors, the cab didn't have a door and occasionally people decapitate themselves by lugging stuff like trash cans in them and getting squeezed to death between the can and the wall of the cab. I think those have to be retrofitted until next year or something like that.).

The two reasons why the owners want to get rid of it are: while reasonably safe for such an old thing it's never PERFECTLY up to code, so there is a small but existant liability issue. On the other hand they want to finish the attic and add a whole floor, so they planned to extend the elevator. That would be easier putting in a new one. However, I heard the giy who's in charge (the owners are a HUGE company that owns several hundred if not thousand houses in Austria and Germany) talk to the architect if it wouldn't be cheaper to leave the old one in place.

The tenants aren't really happy with the perspective of being without an elevator for half a year.

The feeling of going up in that elevator is indescribeable. Gently riding up in almost full silence, only interrupted by very low creaks of the wooden cab... you just don't get that any more!

Some other elevators of that age had another nice feature... tenants had a key to it, but visitors had to throw in a coin!
Used to be 1 Schilling over decades, when it was introduced that was like $1 today, in the end it was more like 10 cents. Don't know what happened to them after the introduction of the Euro. I wouldn't be surprised if most of them still took Schilling coins because the owners thought "well, let's just have the tenants use it, they have a key anyway."
Oh yeah, a friend of mine said to me in her house there's a sign: "Only use new Schilling coins!" (which were issued some time in the 1950s... the old ones wouldn't have fit anyway because they were much bigger).

Really great pics, thanks for sharing them!! I hope they don't get rid of that old elevator too..but lose that tacky metal "cage" around it!!

In pic #11, it looks like something caught fire next to those fuses and above the door..any idea as to what?

I have to admit I like that metal cage too... it's an original part of the whole assembly. Every elevator of that age has it.

I think that's from someone putting a candle on top of the door frame, maybe while working on the fuses or wiring since it's not directly above any wires that might have burnt.

Some updates... that scary "spider web" wiring is no longer live, just old wires dangling around.

And two days ago the elevator stopped working for some reason. Went up to the 4th floor and refused to come down again. I assume the problem lies next to the door, there are sensors that tell the controls whether the doors are closed or not and probably they quit working.
While checking into it I found three out of the five fuses that beast is running on are jumpered with strands of copper wire though...
There are 2 6 Amp fuses for the lights (hot and neutral, both jumpered) and 3 20 Amp fuses for the 3ph motor (once 380V, now 400), one of which has been "repaired".

Update: they already fixed the elevator! *fireworks*

Is there any way to put the pictures on ECN's server? Photobucket is blocked at my work's computer terminals.


I thought your parents owned the house you lived in?

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 12-01-2006).]

Yup, Sven, you're correct. But that's where they have their office, 5 minutes from home.

The wiring has gotten even more scary... they removed some partition walls and simply tied the wiring loosely to the water pipes!

T-R, I do hope you save some of that stuff.

I'd give anything for one of those fuse holders or those switches. Well...anything within reason.

You believe there's actually a radio parts vendor here in the USA that sells Diazed and Neozed fuses?