Mysterious Lift Noise After Renovation: What It Usually Means (and How to Investigate It Properly)

A newly renovated lift should not suddenly produce “abnormal” noises. When it does, residents often describe it as mysterious because the sound can be intermittent, hard to localise, and more noticeable at certain times of day. A recent Jurong East case highlights the typical pattern: repeated resident reports, operational disruption, and an active investigation while stakeholders determine whether the root cause is vandalism, a fault, or a workmanship issue.

Source: https://theindependent.sg/residents-alarmed-by-mysterious-noises-from-newly-renovated-jurong-east-lift/

From an acoustic engineering perspective, this kind of case is rarely mysterious. It is usually one of two mechanisms:

1. A mechanical fault or installation issue creating impulsive knocks, scraping, rubbing, or tonal noise during travel.
2. A structure-borne vibration issue where the lift excites the building structure, and the “noise” is heard as rattles/hums in corridors or units, sometimes far from the lift core.

In both cases, the fastest route to resolution is not debate. It is evidence.

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Why lifts can get noisier after renovation (the common drivers)

After refurbishment or component replacement, the noise profile can change due to:

• Loose or misaligned parts (brackets, guide shoes/rollers, fasteners) causing knocks, taps, or scraping
• Guide rail / roller interaction problems producing repetitive rattles, squeals, or vibration
• Door system issues (rollers, hangers, locks) creating clacks at door open/close or landing transitions
• Motor, gearbox, or bearing issues producing hum or tonal components
• Poor lubrication or contamination increasing friction noise
• New rigid connections introduced during renovation that transmit vibration into walls/slabs
• Physical damage or interference, including vandalism-related effects

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The diagnostic mistake that delays resolution

Most “mysterious lift noise” investigations stall because they rely on phone videos and subjective descriptions, without separating the two pathways:

• Airborne noise (sound radiating from the lift shaft, doors, machinery)
• Structure-borne vibration (vibration transmitted into the building structure, turning panels/voids into radiating surfaces)

If you do not separate these, you risk applying the wrong fix—often at significant cost—and the issue returns.

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A practical investigation workflow (fast, structured, defensible)

Step 1: Define the noise signature

Ask residents and building staff to log:

• Exact time and duration
• Floor and location
• Lift direction (up/down) and whether doors were opening/closing
• Description (knock, scrape, hum, rattle, squeal)
• Whether it happens every trip or intermittently

This creates the correlation backbone.

Step 2: Synchronize with lift operation

The most valuable data point is not a decibel number—it is time alignment:

• Start/stop events
• Door open/close events
• Travel speed changes
• Maintenance mode or fault states

Once you have synchronization, the root cause short-list becomes much smaller.

Step 3: Targeted measurements (short campaign, high value)

A minimal, effective package typically includes:

• Measurements at the complaint location(s) and at a reference location on the same floor away from the lift core
• A focus on spectral content (tonal vs broadband) and event capture (impulses)
• Vibration checks on likely transmission points when structure-borne behavior is suspected

Outcome: you stop guessing and start attributing.

Step 4: Determine the pathway and select the fix

If airborne dominates, typical corrective actions focus on:

• Alignment and wear components
• Door hardware
• Bearings/rotating components
• Local sealing and finishing details around doors/frames (where relevant)

If structure-borne dominates, typical corrective actions focus on:

• Isolation and decoupling strategies
• Removing unintended rigid “bridges”
• Fixing secondary rattles (panels, handrails, risers, ceiling elements)
• Addressing resonance issues that amplify low-frequency excitation

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A decision tree for building managers and stakeholders

A) Immediate operational decision

• If the noise is clearly abnormal and recurring, treat it as a reliability and confidence issue—not only a comfort issue.

B) Evidence capture

• Implement the incident log and time-synchronization within 24–48 hours.

C) Escalation trigger

• If reports persist across multiple days or locations, move to a short independent diagnostic measurement.

D) Fix selection

• Apply pathway-correct fixes, then re-test to confirm closure.

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Why this matters beyond “nuisance”

Abnormal lift noise quickly becomes a trust and safety perception issue. Even if the underlying cause is not dangerous, uncertainty drives escalation. A structured engineering workflow reduces:

• repeated call-outs,
• downtime,
• “trial-and-error” fixes,
• and stakeholder conflict.

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How Geonoise Asia can support

Geonoise Asia supports independent diagnostics for building noise and vibration problems, including lift-related airborne and structure-borne mechanisms. The objective is decision-grade evidence: identify the dominant pathway, correlate noise with operational events, and define corrective actions that close the issue efficiently.