Wilshire Lift Troubleshooting

[BendLikeaGirl]

I have a customer who has a Wilshire lift. Apparently when lowered the lift cable will not remain taut when raised. I personally do not work on these lift mechanisms and with Wilshire having been discontinued since 2002, I can't find any literature in the way of any sort of manual or troubleshooting guide. Does anyone happen to have access to this manual or have any idea of who could work on something like this in the Chicago area? I don't want to replace the chandelier until this is remedied in case it has something to do with disc brake failure or the winding mechanism.

 

[synchro]

I wonder if there could be an issue like the one described below in a manual for an Aladdin Light Lift:

 

[BendLikeaGirl]

I wish, I have reviewed the Aladdin Troubleshooting manual and there was nothing about the cable not rolling up properly and not staying taut... The way these lifts work the weight of the fixture keeps it taut so it rolls up properly. So I'll be honest I can't even fathom the problem that would cause the cable to not be taut... Unless the fixture is extremely undersized for the lift, or it was installed improperly initially. If it is a braking problem id rather not mess with it and then have the lift spontaneously fail. Most of the troubleshooting regarded just basic improper use and/or installation troubleshooting. The lift is 20 years old at this point so I'm guessing replacement is the only recommendation I can reasonably give without bringing a ton of liability down on me if the repair fails... Especially when I cannot get a schematic or parts numbers that are compatible.

I wonder if there could be an issue like the one described below in a manual for an Aladdin Light Lift:

View attachment 2558184

 

[synchro]

I agree that replacement would be the proper thing to do in this situation.

 

[GoldDigger]

Although the cable stays taut, motor driving the lift drum past full extension could still cause the cable to start winding in reverse.
But the additional symptom would be that the raise and lower functions of the control would be reversed, I think.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

 

[BendLikeaGirl]

Although the cable stays taut, motor driving the lift drum past full extension could still cause the cable to start winding in reverse.
But the additional symptom would be that the raise and lower functions of the control would be reversed, I think.

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Per the customer the cable will not stay taut when it winds and needs to be adjusted from a ladder to get it roll up correctly

 

[hbiss]

Have YOU actually looked at it or are you taking the word of the customer?

-Hal

 

[synchro]

... The way these lifts work the weight of the fixture keeps it taut so it rolls up properly. So I'll be honest I can't even fathom the problem that would cause the cable to not be taut...

Per the customer the cable will not stay taut when it winds and needs to be adjusted from a ladder to get it roll up correctly

Along the lines of Hal's question, if you haven't observed the problem yourself then perhaps the customer is not describing what's happening correctly. For example, perhaps there's an intermediate point between the winch and the fixture (for example, a pulley) where the cable is binding. Then when the winch is unwound to lower the fixture, there's not enough tension on the cable from just the fixture's weight to keep the cable taut between the winch and pulley during this process. And that causes the cable to get misaligned and prevents it from rolling back up properly unless manual intervention from a ladder is performed.
This is just a guess without having any further information.

 

[BendLikeaGirl]

Along the lines of Hal's question, if you haven't observed the problem yourself then perhaps the customer is not describing what's happening correctly. For example, perhaps there's an intermediate point between the winch and the fixture (for example, a pulley) where the cable is binding. Then when the winch is unwound to lower the fixture, there's not enough tension on the cable from just the fixture's weight to keep the cable taut between the winch and pulley during this process. And that causes the cable to get misaligned and prevents it from rolling back up properly unless manual intervention from a ladder is performed.
This is just a guess without having any further information.

That makes sense because what she was describing didn't make sense with how the lift actually works. I told the customer I needed to see exactly what it was doing but she didn't want to risk it wouldn't go back up. Basically told her I would try and see if I could get a hold of a schematic and part numbers so I could troubleshoot the lift directly, but since wilshire went out of business in 2002 there is literally zero literature and I doubt I can even get the necessary parts without bringing some major liability on my self. The lift is 20 years old anyway, so Im recommending replacement unless she can get someone else willing to mess with it. I appreciate that insight I didn't even consider a secondary pulley, its a flat ceiling so there I initially doubted someone wouldn't have mounted it directly on top of the fixture.

 

[Another C10]

I would try this . .

 

[BendLikeaGirl]

I would try this . .

This is not the issue.

 

[Another C10]

This is not the issue.

well .. it is an issue, perhaps just not yours.
Thank you for your update.