Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

Assemble, install, repair, or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators, or dumbwaiters.

What you'd actually do

• Inspect wiring connections, control panel hookups, door installations, and alignments and clearances of cars and hoistways to ensure that equipment will operate properly.
• Assemble, install, repair, and maintain elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks, and dumbwaiters, using hand and power tools, and testing devices such as test lamps, ammeters, and voltmeters.
• Disassemble defective units, and repair or replace parts such as locks, gears, cables, and electric wiring.
• Check that safety regulations and building codes are met, and complete service reports verifying conformance to standards.
• Locate malfunctions in brakes, motors, switches, and signal and control systems, using test equipment.
• Adjust safety controls, counterweights, door mechanisms, and components such as valves, ratchets, seals, and brake linings.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the work happens outdoors; time pressure is a real part of the job; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 0% of elevator and escalator installers and repairers are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.

Related careers

• First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
• Construction and Building Inspectors
• Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
• Electricians
• Structural Iron and Steel Workers
• Roof Bolters, Mining

Quick questions

How much does a elevator and escalator installers and repairer make?

The median pay is $52.84 per hour — roughly $110,000 a year, with the real range running from about $28.49/hr (10th percentile) to $76.39/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a elevator and escalator installers and repairer?

The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

What does a elevator and escalator installers and repairer actually do all day?

Inspect wiring connections, control panel hookups, door installations, and alignments and clearances of cars and hoistways to ensure that equipment will operate properly. Assemble, install, repair, and maintain elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks, and dumbwaiters, using hand and power tools, and testing devices such as test lamps, ammeters, and voltmeters. Disassemble defective units, and repair or replace parts such as locks, gears, cables, and electric wiring.