5 ms·

Why is it that the door close button never works? Any elevator engineers out here?

sdmike1 6y ago
Largely it's up to building choice. It's a tradeoff of throughput (more people in a single car) and rider privacy. If it frustrates you, grab a UTA key [0] and that will let you put many elevators into independant service mode where the buttons should do exactly what they say. [0] https://www.ultimatesecuritydevices.com/Original-OTIS-UTA-key-for-OTIS-elevator-light-fan-independent-service-inspection-enable-and-more_p_91.html https://www.ultimatesecuritydevices.com/Original-OTIS-UTA-ke...
NathanielLovin 6y ago
The ADA requires elevator doors to be open for >3 seconds, it's easier to just disable the door close button in general than time it
jjoonathan 6y ago
I've heard it justified as forcing you to politely wait for people rather than letting you close the door on them, but that has always seemed implausible because usually there is either nobody nearby or there is someone close enough to trigger the photo-eye. Shrug.
reaperducer 6y ago
Why is it that the door close button never works? The Door Close button is not for you. It's for when the elevator is in an override mode, like when there's a fire, or when someone is moving something large in the elevator. If you have the right key, you can turn the switch to a mode like "Fire" or "Independent," during which the doors do not automatically open and close. This is so the elevator can be moved to a particular floor, ignoring all of the other elevator requests, and the door only opened and closed when the keyholder wants it. There are some building owners who configure the Door Close button to respond to pushes. But they're not common. /I briefly worked for a large apartment complex, and had to assist people moving in and out of the buildings.
- thedrbrian 6y ago
  Here’s a fascinating look into hacking of elevators and how the different modes work https://youtu.be/ZUvGfuLlZus https://youtu.be/ZUvGfuLlZus
Sambdala 6y ago
Funny enough, in the UK/islands I've found it to be much more common for the 'door close' button to work. As the other replies have said, the button isn't for you, but it does have the psychological side effect of giving you a feeling of control over your experience, which can help quell anxiety. This is also the reason mirrors are common in elevators; the space feels much bigger and less claustrophobic, and you can waste a few seconds while you check yourself out in the mirror which makes the trip feel faster. However, the button will usually work in a hospital, as they want the door to be open for a long enough period that people who are less mobile can enter before the door closes, but at the same time there are often urgent situations where seconds count, so you need to be able to get the door closing faster in an emergency.
huhtenberg 6y ago
It works in Europe :)
danmg 6y ago
It doesn't do anything in the USA in normal automatic mode since the ADA became law.
delecti 6y ago
It's an ADA [1] thing. The door will always remain open a certain length of time, after which the door close button starts to work. If you keep it open past the normal automatic closing time (whether with the Door Open button or by manually obstructing the door/sensor), you can usually use the "door close" button to close it immediately after. [1] Americans with Disabilities Act

Largely it's up to building choice. It's a tradeoff of throughput (more people in a single car) and rider privacy. If it frustrates you, grab a UTA key [0] and that will let you put many elevators into independant service mode where the buttons should do exactly what they say. [0] https://www.ultimatesecuritydevices.com/Original-OTIS-UTA-key-for-OTIS-elevator-light-fan-independent-service-inspection-enable-and-more_p_91.html https://www.ultimatesecuritydevices.com/Original-OTIS-UTA-ke...

NathanielLovin 6y ago

The ADA requires elevator doors to be open for >3 seconds, it's easier to just disable the door close button in general than time it

jjoonathan 6y ago

I've heard it justified as forcing you to politely wait for people rather than letting you close the door on them, but that has always seemed implausible because usually there is either nobody nearby or there is someone close enough to trigger the photo-eye. Shrug.

reaperducer 6y ago

Why is it that the door close button never works? The Door Close button is not for you. It's for when the elevator is in an override mode, like when there's a fire, or when someone is moving something large in the elevator. If you have the right key, you can turn the switch to a mode like "Fire" or "Independent," during which the doors do not automatically open and close. This is so the elevator can be moved to a particular floor, ignoring all of the other elevator requests, and the door only opened and closed when the keyholder wants it. There are some building owners who configure the Door Close button to respond to pushes. But they're not common. /I briefly worked for a large apartment complex, and had to assist people moving in and out of the buildings.

thedrbrian 6y ago
Here’s a fascinating look into hacking of elevators and how the different modes work https://youtu.be/ZUvGfuLlZus https://youtu.be/ZUvGfuLlZus

Sambdala 6y ago

Funny enough, in the UK/islands I've found it to be much more common for the 'door close' button to work. As the other replies have said, the button isn't for you, but it does have the psychological side effect of giving you a feeling of control over your experience, which can help quell anxiety. This is also the reason mirrors are common in elevators; the space feels much bigger and less claustrophobic, and you can waste a few seconds while you check yourself out in the mirror which makes the trip feel faster. However, the button will usually work in a hospital, as they want the door to be open for a long enough period that people who are less mobile can enter before the door closes, but at the same time there are often urgent situations where seconds count, so you need to be able to get the door closing faster in an emergency.

huhtenberg 6y ago

It works in Europe :)

danmg 6y ago

It doesn't do anything in the USA in normal automatic mode since the ADA became law.

delecti 6y ago

It's an ADA [1] thing. The door will always remain open a certain length of time, after which the door close button starts to work. If you keep it open past the normal automatic closing time (whether with the Door Open button or by manually obstructing the door/sensor), you can usually use the "door close" button to close it immediately after. [1] Americans with Disabilities Act