Door bell wired wrong

[Steve]

We have a door bell that is wired in such a way that it won't work unless the front entry way light is on??? The bell has a white and red thin guage wire going into the wall and I can't find where the wires go to? I have looked in the receptacle box for both the entry way light switch and light fixture but the bell wires are not found in either. I have also looked at the breaker box and surroundings but still can't find any such wires??? Aren't these a low voltage type of wires that go to a small transformer or something? I am only a novice at house wiring but too cheap to call an electrician. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! Steve

[Barney]

sonds like the transformer is hooked into the kight so that it only gets power when the switch is on. may have to move it to a different wire where it currently is or may have to move it to a different location where there is constant power source for the transformer

[DK]

They go up into the attic to a small 24 volt transformer that is connected to 110v wiring - somewhere near your entry light. Unfortunately, yours is NOT connected to the proper 110v source.

Find the transformer and move it to another hot source that is not switched.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Better yet: Disconnect it, take it down in the cellar and put it there, which is where it belongs, especially if you have an unfinished attic full of fiberglass insulation.

[HeyBub]

1. Put a CFL in the porch fixture and leave the sucker on all the time.
2. Tape over the doorbell button and encourage people to knock.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

My doorbell works. But, everyone knocks. If I put up a sign that said "Doorbell Broken", they'd probably stand there pressing the button for a half hour.

[Frank]

I agree. I never wanted to wire one but someone gave me a new one as a present last year with just transmitter/receiver, batteries in each. Don't think it cost much, works well, and no wiring.

Frank

[Al Bundy]

"HeyBub" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

3) Put up Bubonic Plague sign.

[RBM]

Your bell transformer is attached to the front hall fixture, but you're not going to see the R&W low voltage wires in the fixture junction box as they are on the "load" (16 volt) side of the transformer, which is probably mounted to the outside of that lighting outlet box. It is possible that there is a constant live feed in that outlet box and the bell transformer was inadvertently connected to the switched leg instead

[Steve B]

Why mess with it? Buy a wireless.

Steve

[Steve B]

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote

The only people who come to the main door at my house are the Mormon missionaries and process servers. The others know how to come through the garage or around to the back doors.

Steve

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Process servers plural??? How many wives have you had? :-)

[mm]

Yes, that's right. Maybe 3 inches by 3 by 3, or so. Often grey shaped ends with a black middle, a couple screws on one side with the thin wires, and heavy wires on the other side, that disappear into what ever the transformer is mounted to.

Sometimes they are mounted to the breaker box, but mine is on a joist in the ceiling of the basement attached to a light fixture box, but on the other side of the laundry room from the breaker box. OTOH, if it is in one of the regular places, it would be hard to imange how they managed to wire it into the front light.

Most houses are built along with other houses on the same block, even if they don't look alike. Maybe your neighbors have already dealt with this, and can tell you where to find things. I suppose there might have been more than one crew so some houses might be more standard than others.

If you ever find those two thin wires somewhere, you'll be well on your way to solving this.

[lp13-30]

A doorbell-- so that is what that is. Every time we go to look for where that music is coming from, somebody comes to the door! Seriously, can you find any wires going to the doorbell swich, and to the bell itself. If you can find either, trace it down and it should lead you to the tranformer. If the transformer is in a spot that is too hard to access, just go buy a new one-- only a few dollars- and hook it up to a constant source of 120 volts wherever is easiest. One low voltage wire from the transformer will go straight to the bell, and the other to the switch and then back to the bll. Good luck Larry

[<aemeijers]

For what it is worth, mine is in the attic, hung off the box feeding the bathroom and hall lights. Only six feet or so from the ringer. Sounds like they put it on the same switched circuit as the light, which means it is probably near the door, assuming a typical switch leg down from the box on the porch. Where is the inside chime? I&#39;d bet the transformer is either in attic like mine, or in a box in a closet, somewhere close by. It may be in a papered or painted over housing, or even in the same box as the ringer.

aem sends...

[Oren]

(paraphrase)

Uncle Jed, there goes that music agin, I bet somebody is at the door.

Jethro (Beverly Hillbillies)

-- Oren

"Well, it doesn&#39;t happen all the time, but when it happens, it happens constantly."

[lp13-30]

Yup, the Beverly Hillbillies is what I was referrring to. IMO, that is by far the funniest show that has ever been on TV, period. It is hard to believe it has been 44 years since it began, and it is just as funny today as it was then. Larry

[Steve B]

I&#39;d rather not comment, as there are things that were never proven in court ............

Steve

[Steve B]

I was channel surfing last night and ............

Green Acres .........

Steve

[Steve]

I can&#39;t believe I got so many replies on this very serious problem and question I had regarding my faulty wired front door bell!

I haven&#39;t had such a good laugh reading them in such a long time!

We have lived in this same house since June of 1981 with this same faulty wired door bell and for some strange reason I thought it might be time to finally see if I could rectify the problem. I guess because the bell is mounted on the wall in our front entry way hallway and I just took it down the other day to repaper the wall.

What I should have done was to just fill in the little hole in the wall where the wires come through and paper over the dang thing and be done with it. No one has ever come to the house in the past 26 years and complained that our door bell doesn&#39;t work.

I guess I could still take the stupid bell back off the wall and hang a picture over the little hole............

Thanks for the many ideas - it made my day!

I wonder where Ellie May is? Out by the ce-ment pond?

Steve ;-}