Update: A stuck elevator in the old courthouse taught me to always check the pit sump pump first.

Got a call for a total shutdown at the historic building downtown, and I spent two hours checking everything from the controller to the door locks. Turns out the pit was flooded from a broken pipe, and the float switch was just jammed with a plastic bag. Anyone else run into weird stuff clogging those switches?

4 comments

4 Comments

angela_patel752mo ago

Honestly, a plastic bag is almost normal. Did you see the one where a rat's nest of chewed up candy wrappers and insulation was the culprit? Took forever to pick all that gunk out.

singh.harper2mo ago

Plastic bags are the easy ones, they just slide right out. The real nightmare is when you get a mix of leaves, hair, and those little seed pods all jammed together. Had a friend whose dryer stopped because a kid's sock got wrapped around the sensor. A good flashlight and a long pair of needle nose pliers are your best friends for that nasty stuff.

barbara_jenkins662mo ago

Ever try a shop vac for that mess, like @singh.harper's pliers idea?

charles_baker286d agoMost Upvoted

My old truck's a/c condenser got totally blocked up by those helicopter seed pods from maple trees. Had to pull the whole grille off just to get in there and clean it with a bent coat hanger.