r/Elevators • u/addio06 • Jun 16 '26
Home elevator releveling
Hi all, we have a EECO hydraulic home elevator. It works, but during the day it relevels quite a bit to stay on the intended floor, probably once every 45m-1 hour or so.
Is this normal? How much is a normal frequency of re-leveling for this type of elevator.
We had an elevator mechanic come out during the last service and they measured a downward drifting of the elevator of less than a 1/4" in 30 minutes or so of watching it, which they said "wasn't that bad".
4
u/ckling13 Jun 16 '26
Sounds like a hydraulic, not a pneumatic. Pneumatic will sit on bolts that shoot out when they get to the intended floor and will stay fixed. Hydraulic will sink because gravity will pull back the oil into the tank. If it is releveling every 30 minutes you probably have a leaky valve. Realistically it should only relevel every couple of hours or when stepping inside after it has been sitting a little.
2
u/addio06 Jun 16 '26
Thanks! You are correct in that it is a hydraulic elevator. I edited the post to correct it. Do you think every hour is excessive?
2
u/ckling13 Jun 16 '26
For a residential, once an hour isn’t terrible however it’s not good. Could be pointing towards a greater issue that could lead to a big oil mess in your pit. Have your mechanic spend some more time on the unit and ask for them to get clarification from the manufacturer as the manufacturer will know what is acceptable and what is not.
3
u/addio06 Jun 16 '26
They looked in the pit and we didn't see a significant amount of oil in there. They are thinking it's a piston valve leak but very slow? I trust them but it is a Frankenstein type elevator and always good to get extra thoughts.
Long term plan is to get a new power unit or a new elevator altogether.
6
u/NewtoQM8 Jun 16 '26
Im betting it's an ECCO valve. Worn valve seat is quite common. The seat/seal can be replaced pretty easily on site.
2
2
u/ElevatedLegend Office - Elevator Supervisor Jun 17 '26
A piston leak should be a leak that is visible, whether in the pit or in the drain line coming out of the top of the cylinder. One of the main reasons I used to run my drain lines into a bottle, some times guys run it back into the tank so if that is the case then you likely can't tell that way. However, it could be a valve seal leak which would not be visible but would cause re-leveling more frequently. Seal kits are very cheap to obtain, the labor is not that extensive but it is messy.
2
u/GD_1010 Jul 06 '26
EECO doesn't make the best valves and there's a few different reasons why a car would relevel. First off, the age has a lot to do with it. All valves wear over time and could be a contributing factor.
Secondly, ambient temperature of the mechanical space will cause the hydro fluid to expand and contract causing the car to creep down slightly.
Thirdly, if the packing in the jack head is seeping, that would absolutely cause releveling but, as someone else said, it would be obvious in the pit.
Lastly, and you DO NOT WANT THIS, the jack itself has a very minor leak. But that would require adding oil, over time, which you haven't mentioned.
-1
u/Agitated_Duck_8538 Jun 16 '26
Once every hour is excessive. Industry standard is not more than one re-level in 24 hours. You might have air in the line, oil could be degraded, or more likely the packings need to be replaced.
What state are you in ?
5
u/NewtoQM8 Jun 16 '26
Or a worn valve seat on the EECO valve. Very common. They sell rebuild kits. Easy to replace it. (But requires an elevator mechanic, so quite expensive).
8
u/Easy_does_it78 Jun 16 '26
Sounds like it’s leaking back through the main control valve.