Expert: Martin Meyer - 12/1/2008

Question
I have an 18 yr old Howard Miller grandfather clock, always serviced and untill now works great. the center weight now drops 5 times faster than the 2 outer weights. still keeps good time though. solution? Thanks!

Answer
Hi Gary,

This symptom indicates that the clock is not chiming, or is not chiming all the time.

The center weight powers the time mechanism and pendulum. This weight will descend at a steady rate as long as the clock is running. The right weight (looking at the clock) powers the quarter-hour chime. The left weight powers the hour strike, and is activated by the chime mechanism, so if the clock is not chiming, then the hour strike will also not work.

If you have a "Night Silent" feature on your clock, the two side weights will descend slower than the center weight, over the course of a day, if you have it set to Night Silent.

If you turn the chime setting to silent some of the time, on most clocks the side weights will not come down during that time.

If you do not have the clock set to Night Silent or the chime turned off any of the time, then the chime mechanism is not operating properly. If you observe the clock when it is supposed to chime, you will find that either it fails to chime sometimes, or that it chimes fewer than the correct number of notes at some times.

One of the weights is noticeably heavier than the other two. This weight must be on the right side (as you look at the clock), or the clock will not chime consistently.

If the chime mechanism is not operating properly and the weight positions are correct, the clock could need lubricating (this is the most common cause), the movement could have worn bearings and need either replacement or an overhaul, or there could be some other (less common) malfunction in the chime mechanism. Some clock owners attempt to lubricate the movement themselves; this job can range from fairly simple to quite difficult, depending on the clock. If you have a professional clock repairer do a service call, he will be able to lubricate the movement, check for bearing wear, and look for any other possible problems.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com