Replace doorbell

[Roger Shoaf]

Jumper the switch and then flip breakers until the noise stops.

[aemeijers]

Most doorbells I have worked on, that won't work. Energize the circuit, and it rings once. The hammer in the doorbell doesn't retract until the current stops. It would work for a simple buzzer, though.

-- aem sends...

[Mark Lloyd]

If you have that kind, you could turn breakers off one at a time until you hear the "dong".

Or you could connect a buzzer for this purpose.

BTW, A neighbor had a problem in that she couldn't tell the difference between "ding dong" for the front door and "ding" for the back door (or the "ding ding" that happens with over-excited button pushers). I added a buzzer across the front door solenoid. The only buzzer I had at the time was a DC pulsating buzzer. After adding the rectifier and capacitor, she had a unique doorbell. It sounds the same for the back door, but for the front you hear "ding dong" along with a non-confusable "BEEP-BEEP-beep-beep-bip-bip". That house has been sold twice since then and that thing is still there.

[Tony]

The worst shock I got was while working on an old cigarette machine. It was getting an electronic upgrade, so I unplugged it and was using some special taps that you squeeze over another wire to tap into it. It was hard to reach what I was doing, my sweating forehead was up against some nice shiny chrome and my sweaty hands were on my pliers. Holy Shit! I did indeed see a bright white light! I believe it was the electric flowing through the general area of my eyes nerves, not to mention my brain. The path was from my hands to my forehead. Sweaty hands and skin greatly multiplies the amount of current that flows. I was dazed for a little while until I realized where I was again. Yep, the bartender had plugged in the cigarette machine for me. Thanks MFer. So next time I write something really stupid, that's my excuse.

[The Daring Dufas]

In the summertime I tend to sweat like a thunderstorm, there are usually a few puddles around where I'm working and it's not due to incontinence. Anyway, my clothes are always soaking wet and whenever I work on any kind of electrical equipment, my wet shirt will inevitably touch a hot or ground and light me up.

TDD

[Tony]

Sweaty wet hands may have done it, or if you have a little cut you have been ignoring, 12 volts will remind you. Normally I can put my hands across a car battery and not feel a thing. When sweating that adds salt to the moisture and makes a big difference. Plain water isn't really a great conductor, but the higher the voltage the more dangerous it becomes. You can actually spill water on a CPU board while it's on and although it may stop working, it will most likely work again after it's dry.

[kris.lamborne]

My electrician said you can change it without turning it off first. Such low voltage.

[Unquestionably Confused]

He's correct. Is there a question here?

To be absolutely safe, just make sure that you're not standing in a tub of water with the wires wrapped around your naughty parts!

[Avogadro]

Yes, 24 volts is less likely to electrocute you than 120 volts

and the secondary winding of the transformer is isolated with respect to ground

but would it really take that much effort to just shut the breaker off while you replace the doorbell components?

[ItsJoanNotJoann]

Did your electrician also tell you to look at the dates of posts you are replying to?? Such as this one that is nine (9) years old.

[micky]

And the OP would have been 39 years old now if he hadn't tried changing the door bell without turning off the power.

That's why we're having this memorial thread.

[Mark Lloyd]

and if you're just replacing the button the only thing a short can do is ring the bell.

and has a non-replacable fuse in it, so shorting it may mean you need a new transformer.

Especially if you've previously identified the breakers, so you know which to shut off.

[Sam E]

[snip]

There's a TV show called "Married With Children" where Bud works on a doorbell button that is not actually off ('o'-something), and it makes his hair stand up straight :-)

[micky]

LOL

Just for the record, for later readers, yes, you don't have to turn of the 12 or 18 volts used for a doorbell.

Just don't put the wires in your mouth!