door bell mystery

[Alan]

Every once in a while my door bell does not work and doesn't seem to get power. Usually it is working again on its own a few hours later. The last time I noticed it was not working, I wiggled the wires on the transformer to see if they were loose and it started working again, so I tightened the screws on the transformer, but then it quit, so I wiggled the wires again and it has been working since. If it is a bad connection, why can it go for months or even years without a problem? The transformer is in a place where nothing ever makes contact with it.

[default]

It doesn't have to be a bad connection, it could be a cracked(broken) wire inside the insulation, or something inside the transformer.

[Tony Hwang]

I'd just replace the tranny with heavier duty one. Tony

[Art Todesco]

[William]

My first guess would be a broken wire somewhere close to the transformer. The insulation holds the ends of the wire together most of the time, but something - a temperature or humidy change, maybe - changes the tension on the wires and they pull apart. Alternately, the break is on the transformer side of the terminal screws. In that case, if you could open the transformer, you might be able to clip the wires, clean off the ends and resolder them.

I'd test the transformer with a light bulb the next time the bell fails; that will tell you if it's in the wiring or the transformer. A bulb of

12-24V will do, or five miniature Xmas light bulbs wired in series (most are 2.5-3.5V). -Wm

[Mark C. Hein]

Hey Alan, Just wandering through and opened your question..... very likely you can save a lot of nit-picking headaches by simply buying/installing a new transformer followed by a re-wire if that doesn't cure the problem. Admittedly, I haven't bought a bell transfo in probably 20 years, but I'm pretty sure the little buggers haven't gone up in price *THAT* much !