Expert: Martin Meyer - 1/24/2008

Question
Mr. Meyer
I purchased a Regulator pendulum wall clock for my parents in 1990. I recently moved my mother into my home and we have placed her clock on the kitchen wall. She hadn't wound it in many years.
When I moved the hands to the correct time it chimed correctly, but it won't stay running for more than a few minutes.I checked to see if it was level and that wasnt the problem. There seems to be a way to adjust the pendulum up and down, not sure if that changed anything to much still won't stay running. Any thoughts?
Thank you
susan

Answer
Hi Susan,
    The regulating nut on the bottom of the pendulum is to make the clock run slightly faster or slower. It does not affect the leveling adjustment of the clock.
    First, make sure that both keys are fully wound as far as they will go.
    When a clock runs only a few minutes and stops, the cause is most often that the pendulum is out of beat. With the clock hanging on the wall, start the pendulum with just enough swing to keep ticking. Now listen to the tick: if your clock is in beat, the tick sound should be "tick-tick-tick", steady like a metronome. If it is out of beat, the sound will be uneven, "tick-TOCK-tick-TOCK".    If your clock is out of beat, move it side-to-side on the wall in VERY small amounts, trying one way and then the other, until the beat evens out. The amount you move it will probably be less than you can notice when you're looking at the clock. If you have to move it so much that it looks crooked on the wall, then you'll need to have a clock repairer set the beat for you.