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How to Wind and Troubleshoot Problems with Howard Miller Floor Clocks
We bought the Howard Miller Urban Floor Clock at a furniture store's going-out-of-business sale, paying just under $1,000 for our beautiful cherry-finished floor clock. We enjoy hearing our clock's traditional Westminster chime every 15 minutes. These tips from my experience will help you troubleshoot problems with your clock and keep it ticking smoothly. Please, read your manual first ~ you need to be sure to follow all the instructions specific to your model. Then, follow my tips!
Howard Miller Urban Floor Clock
We have an older model, the Urban I, which has been replaced by the Urban II. The Urban floor clock is absolutely gorgeous ~ it's sturdy, sleek and smooth with a contemporary edge that distinguishes it from your father's grandfather clock.
Tips for winding your floor clock:
- The most important step is making sure your floor clock is installed correctly on a level surface. Read the installation instructions carefully before winding it or adjusting the time. Find a home for your floor clock which is unlikely to be disturbed by pets or young children at play.
- Tie a pretty ribbon to the key that opens the door. Hang the key on the side of the clock so it will always be handy. Store the winding key on the floor of the clock for easy access.
- Always make sure the hands are in a safe position before winding. A safe position is while the minute hand is near the 2, 5, 7 and 10 positions. Furthermore, you shouldn't wind the clock when the minute hand is close to the quarter hour or hour. Also, you cannot wind the clock at times when either the minute or hour hand is obstructing the keyhole.
- Pick the same day to wind the clock each week. I always wind mine on a Monday morning. If you forget to wind it and the clock stops, you may need to reset the time after winding.
- Before moving the minute hand, I set the chime to "off". That way, the clock won't chime until I reach the correct time. Then, I reset the clock to chime during daylight hours.
Howard Miller Urban III
![Urban Floor Clock III [660-125-FS-HMC]](http://di102.shoppingshadow.com/images/di/76/4c/59/4f4f624744645a354d51596e4c374345637941-175x175-0-0.jpg "Urban Floor Clock III [660-125-FS-HMC]")
Tips for Setting the Time:
- When setting the time, gently move the minute hand around in a clockwise direction. Never move the hour hand!
- Turn Chimes to OFF position. You may need to determine if the clock stopped in the AM or PM first.
- During the process, if chimes ring as the minute hand crosses the 12, 3, 6 or 9 position, STOP and wait until all the chimes finish ringing before continuing with resetting the time.
- My Howard Miller clock starts chiming at 7:15 a.m. and stops at 10:00 p.m. when night chime is set to off. You might need to figure out if your clock stopped during the day or night, and make sure to reset it accordingly.
TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEMS
Now that you've learned some tips for winding your clock, you may experience a few problems that concern you. I have had several occasions where I worried about my Howard Miller Floor Clock's performance, so I'll provide some tips for troubleshooting any issues that arise. My #1 Tip is: DO NOT PANIC!! It's likely that whatever the problem is, it will resolve itself in a matter of hours. My # 2 Tip is: Be Patient. Here are some typical problems and solutions:
Problem: The pendulum stops before the weights have dropped. My suggestions: First, make sure your clock is completely level when it's installed. Second, make sure that you push the pendulum firmly when setting it in motion. If it stops after a few minutes, give it another start as soon as possible. It's not good for the clock to sit with the weights up unless the pendulum is in motion.
Problem: The chimes are mismatched to the hour (you hear the wrong number) or the chimes are mismatched to the quarter hour (for example, you hear the half hour chime on the quarter hour). This happened numerous times to me, and the first few occurrences were very disconcerting. I thought my clock was broken! I even called the repair service. The simple rule for this problem is to be patient, as the hour and quarter hour chimes will eventually reset themselves. However, it may take up to several hours for the chimes to reset themselves, and there's nothing you can do to speed up the process. Just be patient and try to focus on something else, and don't worry... my clock has always reset its chimes correctly after a few hours.
The Howard Miller website has additional troubleshooting information, as well as online manuals. Just search for "howard miller product manuals" and you'll find an abundance of support for your specific model. Good luck and enjoy your beautiful clock!
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Now that you've learned some tips for winding your clock, you may experience a few problems that concern you. I have had several occasions where I worried about my Howard Miller Floor Clock's performance, so I'll provide some tips for troubleshooting any issues that arise. My #1 Tip is: DO NOT PANIC!! It's likely that whatever the problem is, it will resolve itself in a matter of hours. My # 2 Tip is: Be Patient. Here are some typical problems and solutions:
Problem: The pendulum stops before the weights have dropped. My suggestions: First, make sure your clock is completely level when it's installed. Second, make sure that you push the pendulum firmly when setting it in motion. If it stops after a few minutes, give it another start as soon as possible. It's not good for the clock to sit with the weights up unless the pendulum is in motion.
Problem: The chimes are mismatched to the hour (you hear the wrong number) or the chimes are mismatched to the quarter hour (for example, you hear the half hour chime on the quarter hour). This happened numerous times to me, and the first few occurrences were very disconcerting. I thought my clock was broken! I even called the repair service. The simple rule for this problem is to be patient, as the hour and quarter hour chimes will eventually reset themselves. However, it may take up to several hours for the chimes to reset themselves, and there's nothing you can do to speed up the process. Just be patient and try to focus on something else, and don't worry... my clock has always reset its chimes correctly after a few hours.
The Howard Miller website has additional troubleshooting information, as well as online manuals. Just search for "howard miller product manuals" and you'll find an abundance of support for your specific model. Good luck and enjoy your beautiful clock!
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Attractive Howard Miller Floor Clocks I Love
More Howard Miller Clocks
![Majestic Grandfather Clock [610-940-FS-HMC]](http://di111.shoppingshadow.com/images/di/6e/56/61/6370782d676c685939526b5a4b6f4f64695051-130x130-0-0.jpg "Majestic Grandfather Clock [610-940-FS-HMC]")
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jenniferkateab
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Joined:Oct 22, 2007
A Modern-Day Renaissance Woman.I'm a Cartographer and Geography professor who loves anything worldly. My motto is: Be sincere.
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