When my father-in-law comes over, usually to watch a ballgame, he always has the TV sound down low. He says it bothers his hearing. Since FIL is always the first one here, and other company come, they ring the door bell. He's asked us numerous times to turn down the volume on the doorbell.
We've tried to explain it would be better if he adjusted his hearing aids, but he insists the doorbell is too loud.
There may not be much he can do, unfortunately. There's a phenomenon (learned about this w/ my mother and her hearing loss and the good and bad about hearing aids) that the dynamic range that is audible shrinks to a very small fraction of normal. So, even though they can't hear low sound levels, the difference between what is low and what is perceived as painfully load is very small.
If that is the (or a contributing factor to the) problem , it is a physical problem and hearing aids can't help cure it. You might suggest another visit to the audiologist, though to see.
Possibly moving the doorbell's location further away from where he sits, or move him further away from the doorbell. Mechanical bells, chimes and such do not have volume controls and are made to be loud enough to be heard throughout the house. Newer electronic equipment often have volume controls, and very artificial sound.
Bending the clapper probably would work, but it is a trial-and-error process.
Probably easier is to stuff something like paper towel between the bell and wall. Foam packaging material would mute it more. The more material and the harder the material the softer the bell will be.
You can stilll buy them at hardware stores. If a mechanical bell, jus tape some duct tape or masking tape to the actual bell, it will cut down the higher frequncies shich are normally the ones most boiosted by hearing aids. If it is mechanical, a plunger hittring some rods, do the same thing to the rods. If it is electronic with a "sounder", just tape over the slots or spots where the sound comes out and you can almost completely kill the volume. If you get you FIL involved in testing the new volumes, and he gets it set so that he is happy, then he can't complain in the future. Again, this isn't rocket sciemce, just human factors.
It definitely depends on the kind of doorbell. Which is it, electronic, metal bell with clapper, door chime (two xylophone bars with a striker inside)?
I actually had this problem. When I got the house, it had one chime in the front hall. I spend all my time in the workshop in the baement and couldnt' hear the chime. So next to the doorbell transformer, I connect a bell with a clapper that I'd had for 20 years. Worked fine.
Then I saw a nicer door chime for sale 66% off. Bought that and put it in the front hall, moved the old one to the basement, put the clapper one back in the storage box.
Now neither chime worked well. I had to get a bigger doorbell transformer. Everything was fine I thought, until years later.
3 or 4 years later, a neighbor said that every time the mailman or UPS man rang my doorbell when I was out, the burglar alarm went off!!! It reset before I got home, and I wasn't subscribed to any alarm service so no one had told me before (Most of my neighbors are also at work when the mailman comes)
The glass and wood breakage detectors would set off the alarm. I have two of them, one facing the front door and front sliding glass door, and one facing the back sliding glass door.
I was unwilling to make them less sensitive so I had to make the door chime quieter. (This would probably work for a bell too, although for a bell, just put tape over the bell. ).
You don't need one, but I have a resistor substitution box, that simulates any resistor from 0.01 ohms to 100 million ohms, maybe less and more. I connected it between the transformer and the upstairs chime and found a value that didnt' set off the alarm. Then I lowered it to almost the minimum value (maxiimum sound) that didn't set off the alarm. Then I used a fixed resistor of the same value in place of the resistor box.
But you don't need a box. Cut some resistors out of a scrap radio or tv or something and try each one (use wires with alligator clips at each end, 10 for $4.50 at radio shack. Thousands of uses, If you string 3 in a row, you won't need to stand on anything after you hook one end of each string to the doorbell..) and use the one that sounds about right. Maybe your fil will help you choose. You don't have to solder. Just leave it attached by alligator wires until he goes home. Then you can screw the wire back to the door bell or chime or you can just let the two loose alligator clips bite each other. (I had an open primary ignition wire in a car once and used a 2-foot wire with alligator clips under the hood for 3 years and 30,000 miles, until the car failed for other reasons. Right now my bedroom TV speaker is connected for the last 5 months with alligator clips.
If mechanical, about all you can do is cut down the volume by building a box over it or reducing the resonance by attaching something to the bell part. Or both.
Ours has a ply box over it so it could be wall papered; it turned an in your face DING DONG into a wimpy ding dong.
After writing below, I reread this. His hearing aids are adjusted for most of the day. He doesn't know when the dooorbell will ring. If he sets his aids down low just in case, he won't be able to hear you all or the tv.
Like the other guy said, a sign that says to knock. A different frequency that might not bother him. Or he'll hear the knocking and can answer the door himself.
Not a good tactical move. "All I asked is that he tone down the damn doorbell and now he wants me to spend time and money to see an audiologist. Medicare doesn't pay for a second visit in a year for no new reason." (I don't know what Medicare pays for, but it still throws the burden back on the FIL.)
THAT'S what I want for my office in the back of the house where I can't hea r the doorbell, esp. if my office door is closed, which it often has to be.
Can these be installed in/with an old-fashioned doorbell that rings over th e kitchen door?
Can FIL watch the ball game with headphones? That way he can control his volume and won't be disturbed by the doorbell. It might take away from sociability a little, but maybe that's the price you have to pay.
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