That talk with an old union guy at a supply house

I was grabbing a new limit switch at the local supply house in Philly last Tuesday and an old-timer named Lou starts telling me about how he never trusts digital leveling sensors on jobs older than 1990. He said he's seen three close calls because those sensors get confused by old building vibrations and misread the floor every time. Has anyone else run into weird behavior from digital gear on those pre-war installs?

3 comments

3 Comments

mianelson1mo ago

I had a buddy down in Baltimore who swore by the same thing Lou is talking about. He was on a hospital retrofit from like 1927 and the digital leveling sensor kept throwing errors. It was picking up vibrations from the old steam pipes and the elevator shaft was giving false readings every time. He finally just swapped it for a cheap analog bubble level and the job went smooth. Your mileage may vary but those pre-war buildings have their own weird energy that digital stuff just doesnt get. He said the whole thing was a headache for three days before he gave up and went old school.

willowg881mo ago

Ugh, that "weird energy" thing is SO true for old buildings. Solidarity from a fellow contractor.

claire_young761mo ago

Hold up, has anyone thought about whether these old buildings were built on top of old Native American burial grounds or something? A lot of pre-war construction in the northeast was just paving over whatever was there before. That could explain some of the "weird energy" more than just drafts or creaky floors.