Question: "Optimal" time to silence HM Emporia mantel clock?

[PatrickT]

Hello! I'm the proud owner of a new Howard Miller Emporia mantel clock. The spinning drum is silly but I love the clock itself. (It was a gift)

It's running great and keeping time well after a few tweaks. My question now is: Is there an "optimal" time to silence the clock each night? No matter what I do it seems to be "confused" after I turn the chimes back on until the top of the next hour . I'm following the instructions for silencing within the proper windows for the quarter hours, but no matter when I do it (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th quarter) I get incomplete/ wrong chimes until it resets at the top of the hour.

Any suggestions?

-Patrick

 

[shutterbug]

If you can set it to silence after the 3/4 hour, it will start again at the top of the hour without all that re-syncing going on

Does that bottom part spin, or back and forth like a 400 day? What powers it? Interesting design.

 

[PatrickT]

If you can set it to silence after the 3/4 hour, it will start again at the top of the hour without all that re-syncing going on

Does that bottom part spin, or back and forth like a 400 day? What powers it? Interesting design.

So I silenced at 9:48 last night and this morning when I turned the chimes on at 7:52 it immediately chimed 8:00, then nothing until it reset at 9:00. That's the worst case scenario. If I turn it off at other times, say 9:20, and start it at 7:50 the next morning I get the 1/2 hour chime and then it resets at 8.

Not a major deal. Just seems weird to me that there are "safe times" to silence it, but that it means the chimes will be off until the next hour.

Two AA's power the thing at the bottom and it just spins back and forth. Not connected to the movement at all. Still, it's the first mechanical clock I've had and I'm really enjoying it.

 

[tracerjack]

Try silencing it after the 3/4 mark, then turn it back on after the hour. All chime sync systems I have worked with all require an hour to play correctly if turned off and on at random times. That’s how they are designed to work.

 

[shutterbug]

How are you silencing it? That might be a factor too. I was assuming an automatic shutoff devise on the movement. If you are doing it manually, then tracer's suggestion should work for you.

 

[PatrickT]

Hi, tracerjack and shutterbug : Sorry for the delayed reply. Been nuts lately

So I turn it off with a little lever on the side of the clock face. Assuming this is the automatic shutoff shutterbug is referring to. If I turn it off after the 3/4 hour like Tracer suggested I get the worst case scenario. (see above) When I turn it on it rings the past hour and then nothing for an hour. I've learned the optimal time (for me) on this model is after the 1/4 hour. If I turn it off and on in this period it rings the half-hour then picks up the 3/4 hour and hour correctly.

Clocks are weird, but I'm really loving this one. Classes up the joint

 

[MARK A. BUTTERWORTH]

Most of hose clocks have a manual shut off, not automatic. It can take up to an hour after turning back on to resynchronize.

 

[tracerjack]

Glad you found a solution that works for you. But, something seems to be off on your chime correction or else your movement is constructed differently. All the chimers I have worked on if turned off after the first quarter, then turned on after the quarter, would chime the 1/2 hour tune. Then at the half hour chime the 3/4 tune. It would lock up and play no tune on the 3/4 hour. Last release on the hour and play the full tune followed by the strike. I’m still scratching my head over yours striking the previous hour when turned back on after the hour.

 

[shutterbug]

Yes, it's very odd. A video of it working after you turn it back on would help us