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Stuck register switch
- Thread starter bradyspud
- Start date
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- Tags
- repair technician
My standard approach:
1) Unscrew the register mechanism and remove it.
2) Check whether the removed mechanism works (whether you can press the switches and move the sliders)
3) If that works, check whether you can move the parts that connect to the inside. This is unlikely, but it tells you that the problem is on the inside, with the sliders under the reed blocks.
4) Open up the treble side, remove the reed blocks and feel which slider is stuck. If you don't see why a slider is stuck, remove the cover (typically an aluminium plate with leather glued on it) by removing all the tiny screws. The sliders should now be accessible. In most cases cleaning the sliders solves the problem. But ymmv...
1) Unscrew the register mechanism and remove it.
2) Check whether the removed mechanism works (whether you can press the switches and move the sliders)
3) If that works, check whether you can move the parts that connect to the inside. This is unlikely, but it tells you that the problem is on the inside, with the sliders under the reed blocks.
4) Open up the treble side, remove the reed blocks and feel which slider is stuck. If you don't see why a slider is stuck, remove the cover (typically an aluminium plate with leather glued on it) by removing all the tiny screws. The sliders should now be accessible. In most cases cleaning the sliders solves the problem. But ymmv...
thank you SO much for your reply! I’ll trouble you with one follow up, if you don’t mind.
The register switches are a little funky and not working perfectly but once o remove the switches I believe I should be able to move these metal pieces manually and have that function the same way but that isn’t working. Two of the switches seem to work manually and cause a ‘valve’ to open, but the bottom one doesn’t cause the 3rd valve to open at all )picture 2)
The register switches are a little funky and not working perfectly but once o remove the switches I believe I should be able to move these metal pieces manually and have that function the same way but that isn’t working. Two of the switches seem to work manually and cause a ‘valve’ to open, but the bottom one doesn’t cause the 3rd valve to open at all )picture 2)
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henry d
Active member
Exactly so (including the YMMV).
Removing the aluminum plate with the tiny screws is straightforward. Lifting up the slides to clean them is simple- they must go back exactly as removed re: orientation-
BUT-
-Beware, the slides are really easy to bend and a real pain to render sufficiently flat to work smoothly again once bent- be careful in handling.
-The screws that hold the plate down are not tiny- they're teeny, weeny, tiny and made out of brass (usually) to boot. If you drop them somehow they are really challenging to locate- and the tried and true "sweep the area with a powerful magnet" trick won't work because they are non-magnetic and replacements will not be found at your corner hardware store.
Removing the aluminum plate with the tiny screws is straightforward. Lifting up the slides to clean them is simple- they must go back exactly as removed re: orientation-
BUT-
-Beware, the slides are really easy to bend and a real pain to render sufficiently flat to work smoothly again once bent- be careful in handling.
-The screws that hold the plate down are not tiny- they're teeny, weeny, tiny and made out of brass (usually) to boot. If you drop them somehow they are really challenging to locate- and the tried and true "sweep the area with a powerful magnet" trick won't work because they are non-magnetic and replacements will not be found at your corner hardware store.
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Looking with a flashlight at a very shallow angle with your eyes just about floor level will usually do the trick. If your eyesight isn't good enough for that, don't make the mistake to ask a housemate to do this for you, or you'll be sweeping the floor for months to come. It's a good way to see a lot more than just screws.
Using a barrel vaccuum cleaner on low power with a piece of cloth across the intake of the hose has worked for me on several occasions where non-magnetic "teeny, weeny, tiny" things have tried to disappear for eternity.
