If you have happened to drop your keys into the thin slot that separates the elevator from the landing, you can only congratulate yourself on the bad day, and evaluate the three options presented below.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Ask for Keeper or Maintenance Attendant
Step 1. Call the caretaker or maintenance person
Step 2. Ask if they have a tool to retrieve your keys
Sometimes the caretaker is already experienced and has the right tool for the purpose at his disposal. This depends on the type of lift and service provided by the caretaker.
Step 3. Retrieve the keys from the keeper
Method 2 of 3: Call an Elevator Technician
Step 1. Contact a technician
Each lift shows the name of the manufacturer and perhaps also of the maintenance person.
Step 2. The technician can retrieve the keys
To do this, he will block the lift and gain access to the compartment under the lift, reaching and retrieving the keys.
Step 3. At this point you will have to pay for the intervention, with a cost ranging from a few tens of Euros up to a few hundred
Step 4. Evaluate if you have the option to wait
If you are not in a hurry, you can wait until the next scheduled maintenance, which is done twice a year. In this case, the technician could recover the keys at no additional cost.
Method 3 of 3: Retrieve the Keys Personally
Step 1. Get a magnet that lifts 20 kg
Magnets are found in hardware stores, and in this case you need a strong one, which lifts 20 kg, even if the magnet itself does not weigh that much. The magnet is small in size and relatively inexpensive. Get a thin but strong rope as well. Finally, buy a telescopic magnet, that is an extendable rod the thickness of a pen, which can be extended up to 60 or 70 cm, to understand the same type of metal rod that makes up the antennas of the classic radios. You will also need a flashlight or two, a stick, and scissors.
Step 2. Stop the elevator on the lowest floor
The elevator should be equipped with a button to lock the car, or you will need to obtain the appropriate key from the administrator or caretaker of the building. If there are two elevators side by side sharing the same pit, you will need to block the second cabin on the lowest floor as well.
Step 3. Look for the keys you dropped
Turn on the flashlight and find the keys, with the body lying on the floor and the light stuck in the gap that separates the cabin and landing. The bottom of the pit and the keys should be a few tens of centimeters deep. If possible, try to identify the keys also with a second light pointed in the slot of the elevator next to yours, in case the distance between the two cabins is reduced.
Step 4. Drop the magnet
Securely bind the magnet with the strong rope. At this point you will have to lower the magnet into the slot and let it go down by sliding the rope. This part can present difficulties, as the magnet will tend to stick to any ferrous surface. Try wrapping the string on the magnet by making several turns, insert your arm into the slot (albeit scary), throwing the magnet towards the bottom. Of course, remember to keep the end of the rope steady. The result should allow the magnet to reach the bottom of the pit.
If you can't maneuver the magnet by swinging or throwing it, try a long stick, such as a broomstick. Make the magnet go down by pushing it with the stick, sliding it on the metal surface it has gripped
Step 5. Push the magnet until it has reached the keys you wish to recover
This should be simple enough, except in the case that the keys have ended up in a place that is difficult to access or where you cannot see them, in which case you can only get help from a second person who points you in which direction to move while holding on to. eye the location of the keys from the elevator next door. When the magnet has grabbed the keys, retrieve them methodically and slowly!
Step 6. Be careful that the keys can get stuck in the slot
Sometimes, even grabbing them, it becomes impossible to retrieve a deck that is too bulky, because it gets stuck and does not go through the slot you have available. At this point you can try to use the telescopic magnet.
Step 7. Tie the telescopic magnet with the rope, securing it as best as possible
Insert the telescopic magnet into the slot, and repeat the process from step 5 to retrieve your keys.
