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Sin Man
 |  | Opening Elevator Doors from Without
< on 2/26/2004 9:12 PM >
|  | | | I've found a lot of references on this site to opening elevator doors while inside the car. I'm working on a novel, with a fairly specific set of circumstances, and I need to know how feasible it is.
Modern, luxury hotel, still in use, but the power has been cut to the elevator. What would be the prospects of someone with a crowbar and little to no knowledge prying himself access to the shaft itself, with the car on a seaparate floor? Is there a better way, keeping in mind the character wouldn't really know much?
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Mark
     
Very Noble Donor
location:
South Carolina
Gender: Male
What is a lion, king of the savannah, when hes at the south pole?
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 1 on 2/26/2004 10:07 PM >
|  | | | you know the little holes on the elevator doors. You stick in a rod with a flat piece of metal on the end. It pivots falling down then you twist till it clicks and pull the door open.
"If the threat level goes up its probably because of me." "I am looking for a girl who enjoys headbutting beltbuckles" |
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Sin Man
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 2 on 2/27/2004 3:18 PM >
| | | | Actually, off-hand, I'm not sure which holes you're referring to. Are they near the top or the bottom? One on each door? How big are they? (Would a crowbar fit the bill?) As I said before, it's for a written piece, so I need as much detail as possible... What pivots? The rod? (In what way?) And what falls down? Once all this is accomplished, the door is unlocked and will just slide open? What would be the results if you tried to pry it without going through this procedure?
THANKS!
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Mark
Very Noble Donor
location:
South Carolina
Gender: Male
What is a lion, king of the savannah, when hes at the south pole?
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 3 on 2/27/2004 6:03 PM >
| | | | I'll try to get a picture however its a small hole about the width of a big pen. It usually has is about face height or a little higher and only on one door on two door elevators.
The tool I will try to describe. Draw a big black thick marker line. Now draw one at a 45 degree angle from the right end down. Make this line about 1/3 the length. now on the other end there is a little rubber tip. now the line you drew first needs a buffer about 2.3 ways to the joint. The line down is a flat pice of metal about 2-4 mm thick. The other part is all cilindrical.
Hope that helps.
"If the threat level goes up its probably because of me." "I am looking for a girl who enjoys headbutting beltbuckles" |
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Sin Man
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 5 on 2/28/2004 3:21 PM >
| | | | Thanks to both of you. The info and the illustration certainly help. Clearly a crowbar ain't gonna fit in that little hole. Just a couple more questions then, so I can write with some authority:
1. Would a wire hanger serve as this unlocking device? If not, what other item, commonly found in a hotel, might be used?
2. What is it hooking into within the door? Some sort of ring? A latch? (And if possible can you provide a little more info about the motion applied to the device to turn the latch - simple rotation (clockwise/counter-clockwise), etc.)
3. After the device has been used and the latch released, how difficult is it to open the door? Can it be done with one's bare hands, or would the crowbar now have to come into play?
You've all been most helpful, thanks again.
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Mark
Very Noble Donor
location:
South Carolina
Gender: Male
What is a lion, king of the savannah, when hes at the south pole?
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 6 on 2/28/2004 5:30 PM >
| | | | My exsperince (I miss the damn lock my father took it the bastard) is that once the lock is disingaged then the door will open with bare hands. the locks I dealt with couldnt be opened with thihngs around you with out some hard work. However I am sure a hotel would have one of those in the maintance room or the elevator room. Mine was found at my work just above the door where no one looks.
"If the threat level goes up its probably because of me." "I am looking for a girl who enjoys headbutting beltbuckles" |
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Agent Boomer
location:
Poco BC
Gender: Male
Hey you! What are you doing in there? You're not one of those Wraith guys are you?
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 7 on 3/1/2004 8:43 AM >
|  | | | Hey there. I have EXTENSIVE elevator experience. You can easily open a door from the outside. As the above dudes said, you can make a tool out of a coat hanger. That will work well. It needs only one bend. From the top, bend it about 6 inches down on a straight 90 degree angle. Now slip this in the hole on the door (usually at the top right of door), and just twist it so the piece inside the door swings around. There is a small catch lasp type thing that you want to simply lift up. When it's lifted, a child could slide the door open. Of course I know another way to visit the elevator top or the shaft but it's a little trickier.
Boom
[last edit 3/1/2004 8:44 AM by Agent Boomer - edited 1 times]
Security - Elevator - Access - Specialist |
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Sin Man
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 8 on 3/1/2004 1:32 PM >
| | | | Thanks so much to all of you. I think, with the information you've provided, I have enough to get by this segment of the novel. My gratitude.
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PhreeX
location:
Between Orlando and Daytona, FL
Gender: Male
| |  | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 9 on 3/2/2004 10:07 AM >
| | | | I actually worked for a company that installed elevators doing welding, if you look you can find the keys for sale on eBay, in fact, a quick search of "elevator door key" turned up this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3900855303&category=39724
$15, but I figure that it will end, so, I ganked the picture of the key and tossed it up on my server ....
If that doesn't show, or if the image is to large (it's only 14k) it can be found on my server -
phreex.com/images/key.jpg
These will work in most any elevator, and having used them, I don't really see how a coat hanger would work as you DO need some force ... still, search eBay or other online auction sites (or just google it) and you should find one ...
[last edit 3/2/2004 10:09 AM by PhreeX - edited 1 times]
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MacGyver
location:
St Paul, Minnesota
Gender: Male
"Someone go find me a paperclip, a D-cell battery, and a cheese grater"
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 10 on 3/2/2004 1:13 PM >
| | | | A coat hanger can work, but it takes a certain amount of luck and fiddling to get it to go, and it likes to pop off of that internal bolt if you're not careful.
Like a fiend with his dope / a drunkard his wine / a man will have lust for the lure of the mine
"If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent." |
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Agent Boomer
location:
Poco BC
Gender: Male
Hey you! What are you doing in there? You're not one of those Wraith guys are you?
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 11 on 3/2/2004 9:00 PM >
| | | | Any elevator door with a coat hanger in under 1 minute! Just gotta get that feel. Great pic of the elevator key btw.
Security - Elevator - Access - Specialist |
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Piper
location:
Ontario
Gender: Male
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 12 on 3/2/2004 10:10 PM >
| | | | Depending on the make it maybe possible to use a coat hanger if bent corectly as mentioned. Some makes (Otis) have been known to have a plate installed to prevent this. What you are trying to do is raise the door beak enough to allow it to be slid out of the door interlock. Once you get that the door should be able to be pushed open.
Piper
It's not the kill, it's the thrill of the chase. |
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PhreeX
location:
Between Orlando and Daytona, FL
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 13 on 3/3/2004 12:08 AM >
| | | | Well then thats the problem - I only worked with the elevators in a Florida hotel - made by Otis (they basically dominste the market AFAIK) .. I had the chance to use the key (just like the one pictured) as there was no power going to the elevators - it actually took a good amount of forcde to lift the arm that allows the doors to open... now if the unit has power then it might be easier - I'm really not sure as my work was limited to welding, not actually maintaining the elevator ..
Again, I only post what I know as fact or what I have experience in, so admitidly my experience with elevator keys is limited to two Otis elevators that were without power ..
//p
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MacGyver
location:
St Paul, Minnesota
Gender: Male
"Someone go find me a paperclip, a D-cell battery, and a cheese grater"
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 14 on 3/3/2004 3:42 AM >
| | | | You have to twist pretty hard, from what I have seen. Since you only have maybe two inches of leverage, it requires about all the force that a coat hanger can provide without bending.
Like a fiend with his dope / a drunkard his wine / a man will have lust for the lure of the mine
"If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent." |
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orangeindiana
Noble Donor
location:
Texas
Gender: Male
Meh.
| | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 15 on 3/5/2004 10:24 AM >
| | | | In a pinch, I've been able to pull it off on a couple of elevator doors using a pen. Back in middle school kids would do it to this elevator we had all the time until a teacher busted some poor guy and the school went through the expense of buying doors with some sort of new locking system without the little hole. But, if you're ever alone in front of an elevator door and have a pen with you, might as well give it a shot, it may be one of the cruddy doors it works on.
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mrmetropolis
location:
Kansas City
Gender: Male
| |  | Re: Opening Elevator Doors from Without
<Reply # 16 on 3/22/2004 10:49 AM >
| | | | I work in a hotel, I have been stuck in the elevators before, I have also gotten others out of a stuck elevator. First, when inside, just push open the first set of doors thru the crack. The second set of doors is locked by a sliding metal rod that you can see comes near the hole at the top talked about eariler. Just push up on the metal piece and the door unlocks. Remember, SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY. They make elevators to with safety redundancys built into them. Getting someone out who doesn't know any better, you have to use the tool described earlier. One end flips back and forth a full 180 degrees. Put it in turn it down pull it back and turn. Then again, I remember from stories about 9/11 escapes. This guy was trapped in an elevator and used a squeege to get out. He opened the doors and scrapped the squeege thru the drywall or something. It was pretty interesting however I forgot the details. Just to let you know how easy it can be.
[last edit 3/22/2004 11:01 AM by mrmetropolis - edited 1 times]
If this world was my Sim City... All the buildings would be blighted. |
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