A building manager in Chicago said he'd rather have a simple relay logic system than a modern controller.

We were talking about a call for a door fault on his new Otis Gen2. He said the old relay car in the freight shaft, which is from 1978, has maybe one issue a year, while the new one has a service call every other month. He asked me, 'Is all this computer stuff really progress, or just more stuff to break?' It made me stop and think. Do you guys find the newer gear is less reliable, or is it just a learning curve for us and the tech?

2 comments

2 Comments

linda_ward12d ago

Well, the old relay systems had fewer parts to fail, but they also did a lot less. A modern controller handles a hundred more safety checks and comfort features. The real issue is whether we need all those features if they keep breaking.

evan29512d agoMost Upvoted

Ugh, you're so right. I mean, my old car never had a single sensor go bad, but now it's like a warning light every other month. Maybe we traded simple and reliable for complicated and annoying.