Stuck in a Home Elevator or Power Outage? What to Do
What To Do, Step by Step
Stay calm. The elevator is built for this.
The fear behind this question is real: “What if I am stuck, alone, and nobody knows?” It is the number one worry we hear from older owners and from families who have a parent living upstairs. People on Reddit describe long threads about outages, calling 911 and waiting for the fire department. Here is the calm version.
Residential elevators are designed to stop safely when something goes wrong. A car that stops between floors is not falling. It is sitting on its safety devices, and the air inside is not going to run out, because a home elevator cab is not sealed. What you need is a clear plan, which we lay out below in the order you should do it.
Advantage Elevator offers 24/7 emergency service in San Diego and Orange County. Our number is (833) 865-7887. Put it in your phone and post it next to the landing door. We are a licensed California elevator contractor (CSLB C-11 #1027832) and service every major residential brand.
Controller with battery backup
Technician reset
Advantage Elevator crew and service fleet
If you are stuck: the quick version
The short answer
What we check
What to do next
Step by step: stuck between floors
If the elevator stops and the doors will not open, follow this order.
- Stay in the car. It is the safest place. Sit down if you feel unsteady.
- Press the alarm button. Hold it so people in the house hear it. If the alarm is connected to a phone line or monitoring, it will place a call.
- Use the emergency phone or your cell phone. Call someone in the house first if you can. If you are alone, call us at (833) 865-7887.
- Call 911 if there is a medical emergency, smoke, or a person who cannot wait. The fire department can free people from elevators and is the right call when anyone is ill, very frail, a child, or panicking.
- Do not pry the doors or climb out. Prying open car doors or hoistway doors can defeat the safety devices. A fall down the shaft is the real danger, not the wait.
- Do not jump or rock the car. It does not help and it can make a fault worse.
- Wait for a technician or firefighters. Tell them your location, the floors involved and whether anyone is hurt.
How long can you stay in a stuck elevator? For most people in a healthy state, a short wait is fine, and a home elevator cab is not airtight. If the temperature is hot, if you are on medication or if you have a medical condition, do not wait. Call 911.
Power outage: how battery lowering works
Most modern home elevators have a backup battery system, often called a UPS. When the power fails, the battery brings the car to a landing, opens the door and lights the cab. We have verified this feature for the Savaria Eclipse, Infinity and Zenith models, and it is common on most modern units. It is for getting out, not for continued use. After the car lowers, the elevator stops until power returns. Do not expect to ride it normally during a blackout.
Older elevators may have no battery, a weak battery, or a lowering system that nobody has tested in years. Batteries wear out. We test the system on every maintenance visit. A battery that fails on the day of the outage is a common cause of a stuck elevator.
If your elevator did not lower and you are stuck, press the alarm and follow the steps above. Some older units have a manual lowering valve or hand crank, but these are for technicians. Do not operate them yourself unless a professional has trained you.
Public Safety Power Shutoffs in Southern California
San Diego and Orange County utilities sometimes shut off power during high winds and fire danger. These Public Safety Power Shutoffs can last hours or days. If someone in your home depends on the elevator, plan before the next one. Check that the battery works, keep a flashlight and charged phone in the car, and decide who will help if a person needs to get upstairs or downstairs. Many families keep a spare room on the lower floor ready, so no one is stranded on the upper level. If a shutoff is announced, we suggest riding the elevator to the floor where you plan to stay and staying there until power returns.
When the power comes back, the elevator may need a reset. Many units restart on their own. If yours does not, check the breaker, then call us. Do not keep pressing buttons.
Emergency phone, door keys and the manual release
An emergency phone or alarm is the lifeline in a stuck elevator. Test it often. Call it from inside the car and make sure someone hears it. If the phone line was disconnected when you changed internet providers, it may no longer work. We see this regularly.
Landing doors usually have an emergency release key or access point that lets a trained person open the door from outside. Keep that key in a known place, not in a drawer no one remembers. Teach one adult to use it only to help someone out in an emergency, and only when the car is at the landing. Do not use it to enter the shaft.
Who to call, and what causes a stall
Call us for a stalled elevator where nobody is in danger. Call 911 first when anyone is trapped and ill, a child, or in distress. Common causes of stalls include a door or gate that did not latch, a tripped breaker, a power event, a worn interlock, or a controller fault. Our guide to elevator repair in Orange County explains common faults, and our San Diego elevator repair page covers the same on our home turf. A regular maintenance plan catches most of them early. After an earthquake, see home elevators and earthquakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you do if an elevator gets stuck?
Stay in the car, press the alarm, use the emergency phone or your cell phone to call for help, and wait. Do not force the doors or climb out. Call 911 for any medical need.
What should I do if my home elevator gets stuck?
Call someone in the house, then call a licensed elevator contractor such as Advantage Elevator at (833) 865-7887. We offer 24/7 emergency service. If anyone is unwell, call 911.
How long can you stay in a stuck elevator?
Most healthy adults can wait safely for some time, but do not wait if you feel unwell, if it is hot or if you are with a child or frail person. Call 911 in those cases.
What happens if power goes out while in an elevator?
Most modern home elevators use a battery to lower the car to a landing and open the door so you can step out. The elevator then stops until power returns.
Can home elevators run during a power outage?
Not normally. The battery backup is for getting out, not for continued riding. Older units may have no backup at all, so test yours.
How do I reset an elevator after a power outage?
Many units restart on their own. If yours does not, check that the breaker is on and the doors are fully closed, then call us. Do not keep pressing buttons or forcing doors.
Stuck right now? Call us.
24/7 emergency service across San Diego and Orange County. (833) 865-7887. Call 911 first if anyone is hurt.
