Lift Breakdown Prevention

Michael Robinson
August 6, 2026

Lift breakdown prevention means taking necessary steps to prevent a lift breakdown from happening. When a lift breaks down, it causes a whole host of problems. Knowing the warning signs and what you can do to prevent breakdowns goes a long way in your lift’s life.

Typically, lifts don’t just suddenly stop working; there are often warning signs. Often, small faults build up to become more serious, inevitably leading to the lift breaking down. Knowing these warning signs is vital to ensure smooth operation and safe use of your lifts.

Signs My Lift May Break Down?

It is best to call us right away if you notice something off. No matter the severity of the issue, it’s important to take action ASAP. The sooner you take action, the less likely it is for the problems to escalate.

Lift breakdown prevention is all about tackling these issues before they have a chance to escalate. Something as small as slower travel can contribute to a lift breakdown. When it comes to your lifts, its best to be proactive.

Please give us a call if one or more of the following applies to your lift.

Unusual noises, scraping sounds or vibration
Jerky or slow travel
Worse performance than usual
Poor floor levelling
Unevenly opening or closing doors
Slow response times

A great practice to keep track of these issues is to monitor the lift. This can involve recording strange noises via phone or keeping a log of anything unusual. Use any method necessary to report issues to us, as it makes it easier to identify the problem.

Common Causes Of Lift Breakdowns And How To Prevent Them?

Wear And Tear On Components

This is one of the most common causes of a lift breaking down. As the lift moves or ages, parts naturally deteriorate.

Door operators, rollers, locks, guide shoes, switches and contactors all experience strain when a lift is used. Naturally, these parts will wear down, and when they do, performance can become inconsistent.

Rough travel, unusual noises, delayed door movement, poor levelling or intermittent faults can be signs of worn-down parts.

How To Prevent

Regular servicing helps identify any worn components before complete failure. This allows you to adjust, repair or replace parts proactively.

Door Faults

Door faults are another leading cause of lift breakdowns. They are one of the hardest-working parts, so problems are inevitable eventually.

Door faults can be related to or affect car doors, landing doors, locks, runners, tracks, sensors or the operator mechanism.

It can start with hesitation, repeated reopening, uneven or incorrect closing or strange noises. These are all red flags that something is up with the lift doors.

How To Prevent

Ensure doors and door tracks are cleaned, adjusted, and inspected regularly. Dirt, debris or rubbish can cause a lift breakdown or damage the doors.

Inconsistent, Poor Or No Maintenance

Lifts can easily become unreliable if not serviced properly. Missed or inconsistent service visits, rushed work or poor work quality can increase the chance of your lift failing.

Not doing maintenance at all means you’re in breach of the law, as you legally need to have your lift maintained at least 2 times a year.

When lift maintenance visits are of poor quality or missed completely, it can mean small issues can worsen over time. What could be an easy, cheap fix can become a large, expensive and disruptive repair if it is not addressed.

How To Prevent

Stick to a structured maintenance plan to reduce avoidable faults. Also keep clear service records and ensure the lift company you use do a thorough job of service visits.

Control System Issues/Electrical Faults

Lifts depend on electrical systems and components to ensure safe operation.

With this being said, if there’s a fault in the controller, wiring, relays, safety circuits or power supply, it can mean unpredictable lift behaviour or complete stoppage of the lift.

How To Prevent

Monitor lift performance, as this makes faults easier to manage. Intermittent faults should be addressed, especially if they start appearing more often.

Lift Misuse Or Overloading

The cause of a breakdown isn’t always a fault, it can also be down to usage. The way the lift is used can play a big role in frequency of breakdowns.

Exceeding weight limits, slamming doors, incorrect load types, repeated heavy use or impact damage all place unecessary strain on the lift. This can easily lead to a lift breakdown.

How To Prevent

Monitor damage and check for patterns
Ensure load limits are clearly and properly visible
Encourage proper door use
Ensure the lift is suitable for your building

My Lift Is Constantly Going Wrong, What Do I Do?

If your lift iis being maintained regularly and properly and still constantly failing, the issue could be the age. Lifts typically have a lifespan of 15 years, when this is exceeded, it can mean it constantly goes wrong.

There is a solution to this however. A lift modernisation (commonly known as a lift refurbishment or upgrade) makes your lift function like its new. It does this by upgrading and replacing all components with brand-new parts.

The best part is? a lift refurbishment costs way less than a replacement lift. As well as this, they are eco-friendly and don’t need any additional building or electrical work.

How You Can Reduce The Chance Of A Lift Breakdown

Don’t block doors when entering a lift
Ensure the lift isn’t overloaded or incorrectly loaded
Regularly clean door tracks
Ensure motor rooms are ventilated and correct temperature.
Do not use for heavy goods

How We Can Reduce The Chance Of A Lift Breakdown

Fixing potential issues before they escalate.
We spend more time on maintenance to ensure all faults are spotted, no matter the size or severity.
Replacing old and worn parts with new, high quality parts.
We can upgrade your lift if it is old and faulty.
Emergency response in the event of a breakdown.