In this last article of the series, repairing your grandfather clock on your own, we're going to go over some more things you can do at home before taking your grandfather clock in for repair.

Another common problem with grandfather clocks is for the chimes to go out of sequence with the time that's displayed. This usually happens on the quarter hour chimes. If this happens there may not necessarily be anything wrong with the chimes mechanism. Most grandfather clocks that have been manufactured in the last 50 years have a chime correction device that should recycle the chimes back in sync with the minute hand when it reaches the hour. If your particular grandfather clock doesn't have an automatic chime correction device, the problem can be manually corrected by turning the minute hand back 15 minutes then forward past the quarter hour. Just keep doing this until the number of chimes match the quarter hour the hand is pointing to.

To give you an example, Westminster chimes play 4 notes on the first quarter hour, 8 notes on the half hour, 12 notes on the three quarter hour and 16 notes at the top of the hour. If the problem still continues it may mean that the minute hand has been installed on its arbor in the wrong direction. To fix this, remove the nut holding down the minute hand with a pair of pliers. Then, pull the minute hand off, rotate it to the quarter hour indicated by the number of chimes being played and then reinstall the nut. This should get the chimes back in sync with the timing mechanism.

One final problem is when the weights refuse to drop. Every quarter hour the time train causes the chimes to strike. That in turn causes the left strike weight to fall at the top of the hour. So if the time train center pendulum doesn't drop then the chime and the strike weights won't drop either. The first step in fixing this is to get the pendulum swinging again. We covered that in the first article.

If the right and left weights refuse to drop, meaning the pendulum is swinging and the clock hands are moving but the chime is not operating, then what will happen is the chime will not operate and in turn the strike will not operate either. What you do is check to see if the chime lever on the grandfather dial is properly centered over a chime and not in the off position. After doing that, you take the side panel off your grandfather clock and check to make sure that the steel chime retard bar has NOT been lowered onto the chime hammers causing the chimes not to operate.

If only the left weight will not drop that means only the hour strike is not operating. To fix this open the side panel and make sure that the steel retard bar has not been lowered onto the strike hammers causing them not to operate. Also make sure the hammers are operating freely. Finally, check and make sure that the trip lever from the chimes is releasing the strike train.

¶ 1:49 PM 0 comments

Do you think it is important for your familys hygiene to regularly clean blankets and sheets, towels, bed and couch covers? Of course!

Pillows also need to be cleaned regularly, at least every six months. Thats because a pillow that hasnt been cleaned recently contains high amounts of sloughed skin, mold and mildew, fungus, dust mites and dust feces. Nobody wants to sleep on that! Lets see how we can effectively clean our pillows, depending on their material, and what tricks we can use to keep them clean longer.

Cotton and down pillows can be cleaned in various ways. You can hand-wash, machine-wash, or dry-clean them. If you choose hand-wash use a mild detergent instead of soap, as soap may leave residues. Wash gently using warm water, in maximum 40c. Rinse well in cold water squeezing the pillow constantly to ensure that there is no residue left.

In machine-wash you should make sure that detergent is completely diluted in water before placing the pillows inside. You can do that by letting the machine run for a few minutes with after adding the detergent and before adding the pillows. Then stop it, squeeze the air out of the pillows and put them inside the washing machine. Set your washer on a gentle wash cycle. An extra rinse would be ideal but if your washing machine doesnt have that button, simply put the pillow through the final rinse cycle once or twice to fully rinse out any residue. Do not use softener in the rinse. Instead choose vinegar to help in the removal of the residue. Very little, two or three drops is enough. Add a tennis ball to keep the down from bunching-up into a corner during the spin cycle. Hit the spin dry feature twice to ensure that most water has been removed.

Synthetic Fiber pillows can also be hand or machine-washed the same way as before. Lower quality fiber pillows may bunch up after cleaning. If that happens, pull out the fibers and redistribute them after drying. In synthetic pillows use the spin dry feature only once, so that the fibers bunch up as little as possible.

Feather pillows can be washed by hand or dry-cleaned. Hand-Wash them exactly as you would with a down pillow but using less detergent. Also keep in mind that feather pillows are harder to get wet because feather tends to repel water. Dont forget to use a little vinegar during the rinsing. Foam pillows can only be hand-washed very gently with mild detergent. Mix water and detergent first, then gently squeeze the soapy water into the pillow by pressing smoothly on the pillow repeatedly. Dont wring or twist them, they are very delicate. Rinse well using vinegar during rinse. Wool pillows should be dry-cleaned because of their material, which makes it very difficult and unsafe for them to be cleaned in any other way.

It is important that before attempting to wash your pillows you should read the care instructions on the package.

Use some of these tricks to keep your pillows clean longer.

Use two pillowcases on your pillows to resist the accumulation of dust and bacteria, sweat, and other body fluids.

Use a pillow protector as an additional barrier against dirt.

Change your pillowcases often as dirt penetrates the fabric and will end up on your pillow.

Now that you know the steps, clean your pillows as often as they need to be, to prolong their life and ensure a healthy sleeping environment, free of skin irritations and allergies for you and your family.

¶ 1:19 PM 0 comments