Expert: Martin Meyer - 12/13/2009

Question
Dear Mr. Meyer:

I have a Circa 1972 Emperor 300M grandfather clock with 300M movement which has triple chimes, three weights and a pendulum.  I've recently inherited the clock from my father.  There were no instructions with the clock.  My question is, is there a way to shut off the chimes at night when sleeping without stopping the entire clock from keeping time?  Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Al Engel
Los Angeles, CA

Answer
Hi Al,

Unfortunately, the Emperor model numbers don't tell me what movement is in the clock, so I can't tell you anything definitely. If you are referring to a "Night Silent" feature, that automatically shuts off the chime at night and turns it back on in the morning, it is unlikely that you would have one an Emperor clock this old.

If you referring to a manual shut-off, not all clocks have one. If you do have one, it may be a lever in the dial near the "3", "9" or "12". On a triple chime, it is most likely on the chime selector lever.

Some clocks have two strings hanging down inside the case from inside the movement. You pull down on these strings and hook them onto a hook mounted on each inside side of the clock to stop the chime and strike.

A few clocks have shut off levers which you must access from the movement through the side doors. Some clocks have fairly large L-shaped levers which can be raised to lift the chime hammers away from the chime rods.

If your clock has none of these features, it probably does not have a chime shut off.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com