All About Elevator Installers and Repairers

Elevator Installer or Repairer Job Description Assemble, install, repair, or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators, or dumbwaiters.

Life as an Elevator Installer or Repairer: What Do They Do?

• Maintain log books that detail all repairs and checks performed.
• Locate malfunctions in brakes, motors, switches, and signal and control systems, using test equipment.
• Assemble elevator cars, installing each car’s platform, walls, and doors.
• Install outer doors and door frames at elevator entrances on each floor of a structure.
• 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.
• Bolt or weld steel rails to the walls of shafts to guide elevators, working from scaffolding or platforms.

What an Elevator Installer or Repairer Should Know

When polled, Elevator Installers and Repairers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Equipment Selection: Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

Other Elevator Installer or Repairer Job Titles

• Escalator Mechanic
• Elevator Worker
• Hydraulic Elevator Constructor
• Elevator Repairer Apprentice
• Elevator Mechanic

Job Opportunities for Elevator Installers and Repairers

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 22,100 jobs in the United States for Elevator Installers and Repairers.

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 12.1% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 2,700 new jobs for Elevator Installers and Repairers by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 3,000 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Elevator Installers and Repairers are New York, Florida, and Texas.

Watch out if you plan on working in Oregon, Nebraska, or Idaho. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Do Elevator Installers and Repairers Make A Lot Of Money?

Elevator Installers and Repairers Make between $40,850 and $121,200 a year. The median salary for this occupation is $79,780.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Nevada	$129,890
Washington	$107,350
Massachusetts	$103,570
Oregon	$97,310
Illinois	$93,190
Connecticut	$90,960
California	$87,820
Minnesota	$87,770
Hawaii	$86,620
Montana	$83,500
New York	$83,110
Pennsylvania	$83,050
Maryland	$82,990
Michigan	$82,860
Kansas	$82,460
District of Columbia	$80,690
Oklahoma	$80,410
Indiana	$78,740
Colorado	$78,140
Iowa	$77,570
Delaware	$76,470
Idaho	$75,640
Arizona	$74,700
Ohio	$73,930
New Mexico	$73,170
New Jersey	$72,980
Texas	$71,510
Tennessee	$71,290
Missouri	$70,400
Maine	$69,750
Utah	$69,720
West Virginia	$69,350
Alabama	$68,030
Rhode Island	$65,860
Virginia	$65,300
South Carolina	$65,030
North Carolina	$63,700
Wisconsin	$63,610
Florida	$60,230
Kentucky	$59,780
Arkansas	$57,040
Georgia	$56,840

Tools & Technologies Used by Elevator Installers and Repairers

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Elevator Installers and Repairers:

• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel

Becoming an Elevator Installer or Repairer

Are there Elevator Installer or Repairer education requirements?

What work experience do I need to become an Elevator Installer or Repairer?

Where Elevator Installers and Repairers Are Employed

Similar Careers

Those interested in being an Elevator Installer or Repairer may also be interested in:

• Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

Are you already one of the many Elevator Installers and Repairers in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:

• Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
• Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons