My grandfather clock has stopped after we moved. Can I fix it?

Everything was fine until we moved the grandfather clock.  After we set it up in the new 
location, the grandfather clock has stopped.

While grandfather clocks are misunderstood to be very fragile and delicate, they are actually 
very durable.  When the grandfather clock is not working after a move, there are a few problems 
to look for that can be easily fixed.

1) Examine the dial on the grandfather clock and check to make sure the hands are not touching 
or hanging on any parts of the dial or second hand.

2) Check the leveling of the grandfather clock.  There are 4 adjustable levelers on the bottom 
corner of most grandfather clocks.  If your clock does not have adjustable feet, then you will 
have to use some type of shim to level the grandfather clock’s case.

3) Start the pendulum swinging with a mild push of the hand and make sure your pendulum is 
swinging freely and not touching the chime rods or weights.

4) Listen to the ticking of the grandfather clock to make sure you are hearing a very even “tick-
tock” even space between the tick and the tock.  If not, the clock is out of beat and needs to be 
corrected.

If you listen to the clock just after you give the pendulum a push and notice that the clock is not 
tick tocking evenly, this means the clock is out of beat. The clock must have an even tick–tock – 
tick–tock.

If the sound is uneven, like tick/tock  — tick/tock  —  tick/tock … read (how to set the beat on 
your grandfather clock ) to correct this.  This is very common after a grandfather clock has been 
moved from one location to another.

* FYI, the weights of the clock do have a specific order.  If you have a grandfather clock that has 
3 weights, typically the heaviest weight goes on the right chain or cable (your right facing the 
clock).  The other 2 will depend on the clocks movement.  If you get the clock running and the ¼ 
chiming sounds good, but the hour striking sounds a little slow or sluggish, swap the center and 
left weights to see if the hour strike sounds better.

If one of the above four steps do not seem to be the problem, it would be best to call in a clock 
repair specialist at this point.