Cold Weather Effects On Clock Movements

[Scottie-TX]

The pendulums turn blue and the cuckoo goes, "Org - Ugh, Org - Ugh".

[Smudgy]

If you keep your clocks indoors there won't really be much of any effect due to the temperature. The humidity (or lack thereof) will be more of a problem. During the winter it gets really dry. If you have a woodburner keeping a full kettle of water sitting on it will help a great deal, and is convenient for hot drinks. Some people run humidifiers during the winter. If you keep the clocks outside you will have to deal with thickened oil, ice formation, glacial silt, and pendulum shortening due to the cold. Breakage may also become a problem during the several weeks of below -20 degree weather we get every winter. On the plus side, when it's that cold it usually doesn't snow (no shovelling).

How long have you been in Alaska? I live out in Meadow Lakes (in The Valley).

[T.J. Kloss]

I think the Cuckoo bird turns into a Keykey bird.

:rolleyes:

[doug sinclair]

John,

I live in a climate not unlike yours, and I look after a tower clock which is exposed to the greatest extremes of weather I can imagine a clock could be exposed to. It is not exposed to snow, dust, etc., but it is exposed occasionally to - 35 degree (Celsius) temperatures. The 9 foot pendulum shaft is mahogany, so about the only effect I see in these extreme conditions is slight variations in rate of maybe 2 minutes or so per week. I lubricate it with 5-30 synthetic motor oil.