BUILDING BRIEF
BELL MAINTENANCE: OUT OF SIGHT
SHOULDN’T MEAN OUT OF MIND
Since the establishment of religious freedom in
America, thousands of congregations have used bells
to call congregants to worship, to mark the passing
hours, or to call attention to celebrations. Even today
the ringing of church bells is a familiar sound in
many neighborhoods.
Most American bell foundries, where new bells are
cast, were established in the early 1900s, and very
few still exist as the demand for bells has greatly
declined. The need for bell maintenance and repair,
however, has significantly increased. Many bells are
reaching a point in their life where maintenance, or
in some cases major repairs, is essential for the bell
to remain functional.
Regular care will often keep a bell ringing for
up to 70 years before any repairs are needed.
Unfortunately, bells are located high in towers and
are generally difficult to access; maintenance is
often out of mind since the bell is out of sight. Many
congregations do not realize their bell is in need
of assistance until there is a crisis. Only when the
bell ceases to function does a congregation think
to check its condition and that of its components.
Often times it is not the bell itself but the hardware
associated with it that has deteriorated. A cracked
yoke, rusted clapper pin, or rusted bolts that hold
the bell to the yoke impair ringing and pose serious
safety hazards. Rusty bolts are usually the greatest
hazard because the untrained eye does not easily see
this condition. Should this problem go unnoticed
and unresolved the bell could swing off its yoke
while ringing, causing structural damage to the bell
tower and injury to anyone nearby.
A diagram identifying the key parts of a bell and its
stand. Courtesy of Verdin Bells.
Bells and bell towers in this unsafe state cost
more and take longer to fix than a minor problem
WHAT TO LOOK FOR DURING ROUTINE BELL MAINTENANCE
• Both the bell tower and bell hardware should be checked for water damage and wood rot.
• Openings in steeples should be screened to prevent bats and pigeons from living inside the structure. These animals and
their droppings are harmful to the bell, its hardware, and the health of the congregation.
• All nuts and bolts should be checked for tightness and rusting.
• The bell wheel and drive chain should be checked for smooth movement. Any ropes meant for ringing should be checked
for rot and fraying.
• Bell clappers and the strike point of the bell should be checked annually for the bell’s proper ring tone to stay constant.
• Bell