MOST look that way, but I've seen some pretty strange ones over the years.
And I've even seen doorbells hooked to the FURNACE CONTROL transformer (the one that operates the thermostat).
I've also seen a few older wired systems running off a lantern battery (12 volt) - a carry-over from the old 1.5 or 3 volt battery operated door buzzers of years gone by. ( using those big "ignition cells" ( the EN6 - now discontinued by Ever-ready))
Actually, MOST work opposite to that. The solenoid pulls the plunger back against a spring, and when you release it, it comes back by spring action and hits the gong, with the spring pulling it back again from the gong. That's on single tone gongs. Dual tones hit one gong on the power stroke and the second on the rebound. The power stroke gives the short "ding" while the rebound, undamped, gives the long "dong"
Or mabee it's sticky - like I said.
Actually, it could be the button. Some have a resistor (or is it a diode?) that can get fried. Even if you have power, that can make it inoperative. Pull the button and check for one wired behind it.
OTOH, out the 30+ year in this house, the bell has only worked maybe 6 months. Anyone we know comes to the side door at the family room. Salesmen, JW's and politicians seeking election come to the front door. We don't need no steenkin bell.
Check what battery the system takes. I've seen wireless doorbells which take a small 12 volt cell for the transmitter, might be expensive and hard to find replacements.
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Wired but I'm thinking of a wireless system as I think it might be cheaper to fix????
You're right, I said bigger, and I don't know if I meant amperage or amperage and voltage. It might have been that when I looked for a higher current transformer, I only found one with a higher voltage.
MY first basement doorbell wasn't a chime but one with a vibrating clapper against a round bell. The smaller of the two common sizes, but still, maybe it takes more current than a chime.
I was lucky. When rectified it was very close to 9 volts, which is what the battery in the button was supposed to be.
The whole doorbell was 4 dollars 20 years ago, and it worked for my mother for 5 or 10 years and for me for 10, until the noisemaker part that plugs in "burned up". Fortunately, I had bought two sets.
Ed makes a good point. I should have seen it. :( The sparks show you have power, but why do you think the button is wroking? Because connecting the two wires doesn't make it ring? Could you hear it from there? If so, you're right.
The button is the most likely thing to break, because it's a moving part, and they break a lot, and becaus it's outside and gets rained on. And mine broke once, from age.
If you get a button with a light, and the light goes out when the button is pressed, that means the button is working, though I suppose it could be making a poor connection.
He doesn't know what he has. YOU don't know what he has. Telling him to put it in the dishwasher is irresponsible.
*If you got a spark, the transformer is working. I've had some customers who have had problems with their chimes. In two instances the problem was as a result of the cover not being seated properly and was interfering with the mechanism. In others it was just a bad chime. Buy a new chime and try it out.
It was pretty clear to me that the chime doesn't ring when he touches the wires together. If it did I don't think he's be just saying the wires spark when he touches them.
I agree with CL, all indications are that it's the chime. It's likely either stuck or shot. Listening for a hum or measuring for power at the chime with the wires connected ar the next step.
Micky, I took off the button and tried it on another home and it worked fine so I put it back on this home knowing it wasn't the problem.
Let me ask.... if I touched the two wires together and saw spark (did this like 3 times with same result) as well as the door bell button was lit too, does this mean that since the transfomer has power, that the transformer is good? I mean when you test the transformer is it to just see if it has power?
And as a temporary measure, try connecting the wires to the unused rear door solenoid. When you take the chime cover off, you should find where your 2 wires are connected. At that location you should see a 3rd terminal. Since you have no rear doorbell button, this terminal won't have a wire connected. Of the two terminals where the wires are currently connected, one should be marked "T" or "Trans", leave that one connected. Remove the other one and relocate it to the unused terminal. Test the button and see if you now get a "ding"
Thanks John. When I test the transformer, is it only to see if it has power? And the simple test is to just touch the two wires together to see spark (as I did and saw spark)?
Suppose I didn't touch the two wires together but the door bell button was lit, would this also tell me the transformer is fine? In this case, the button stayed lit tho no sound and I tested the button on another home and it worked.
Maybe the chime is stuck but to maybe speed things up, I may just go ahead and replace the box.
Thanks Mike... you're right except I didn't take the dishwasher serious tho for the first moment it made me stop to think about it. Tho I don't know where the transformer is in this home right now, I think if I saw it, I would now recognize it. And apparently reading other posts, tells me it's not the problem. I know the button isn't the problem from testing it on another house so the only answer left is that the problem is within the chime box. Appreciate your help.
If your lighted button is lit, or you touch the wires together and get a spark, you've got transformer. No need to pursue that direction. John is probably 99.9 % correct, that the problem is with the front door, (ding-dong) solenoid, which is why I suggest connecting the "rear" door solenoid, as a test.
When my button failed, putting the wires together would not ring the chime. It had to pass through the button with the resistor on it. Unless you know what type of button, we can't eliminate it for certain.
That's a very good indication that the transformer is fine. You need to start looking at the chime. As someone suggested, listen for a hum with the door button wires connected. But there are all kinds of chimes. That would work with an old solenoid one, but not with an electronic one, where there would be no hum. Or use a simple VOM meter that you can get at radio shack for $10 to see if you have power at the chime with the wires connected.
I like this idea.
How? I've done it numerous times and it works. If he has a transformer operated chime - unless it is an electronic chime - I KNOW what he has, because they are all basically the same. I know how they work - and what goes wrong with them.
If washing the chime in the dishwasher does not remove the crap that is making it stick, it won't do any harm either becuase the chime is shot anyway.
If there is a spark at the button there WILL be power at the chime. It's a simple series circuit. If there is CURRENT FLOW the circuit HAS to be complete. If there is a spark, there is current flow. Simple basic electrical theory. Measuring the AC voltage across the wires at the button will tell him what the voltage of the system is. If it is
12 volts or more, the chime should ring. If it is less, the transformer is highly suspect - I don't know of a doorbell transformer rated at less than 12 volts - 16 is the most common - 18 and 24 are also out there.Fix or replace the chime.
If you are scared to put it in the dishwasher, put it in the trash-can and buy a new one.
Basically yes. 99.9% chance your transformer is fine, and your chime is STUCK.
Clean it or replace it.
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