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Hot take: I thought a binding governor was a quick fix until I spent 8 hours on a 1998 Dover in the old First National building.
The main spring tension was fine, but the real issue was a tiny piece of worn bushing material stuck in the linkage that you could only see if you took the whole assembly apart... anyone else ever find a problem hiding in plain sight like that?
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karencampbell2mo agoMost Upvoted
Ugh, that's the worst! I actually see it the opposite way from @faith_hart20 sometimes. I've fixed a ton of those "building problem" calls where the real fault was just a single worn pawl spring or a bent rod in the lock. The environment gets blamed when the part was just tired and finally quit.
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robertcarr2mo ago
Yeah but that dust buildup is still the building's fault. The part didn't wear out, the environment killed it.
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faith_hart202mo ago
Remember how older buildings have that settled dust everywhere. Found a seized damper last year because decades of plaster dust and mouse nest debris had packed into the pivot like cement. It looked clean from the front, but the whole side action was solid. Sometimes the building itself is the problem.
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And that's exactly the kind of thing where I'd spend three hours staring at it, convince myself it's haunted, then find the problem by accidentally bumping the whole thing with my knee while reaching for coffee. I once fixed a 2001 Von Duprin that had been "acting up for years" and it turned out a paperclip had fallen into the latch mechanism during a remodel. The owner was so embarrassed he tried to pay me extra to not tell anyone, but I still bring it up at christmas parties as my crowning achievement. So yeah, hiding in plain sight is basically my specialty.
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