Doorbell Question

[Kate]

I cannot figure out why mine would be in the closet. It seems it would be very hard to hear it at the other end of the house.

[clare]

Very often the transformer is right at the electrical service panel, and the chime wire is often centered above the frond vestibule closet door - quite possibly papered over with the wire tucked back.

[clare]

I THINK the OP is saying he has a "wireless" battery operated bell - with a battery in the push-button and in the chime.

[The Daring Dufas]

Glad it helped you. I look for links that can help explain and show how things work. I've been an electrical terrorist since childhood when I would build Frankenstein machines and let one of my little brothers plug it in while I ducked behind something. I learned at an early age how to release the magic smoke that allows all electrical devices to function.

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

When I was a kid my mother told me something that I have applied to almost every problem I encounter. "If it smells bad, don't eat it."

TDD

[Phisherman]

A little detective work is in order to locate the transformer location. Having both front and back already wired is a good thing--dump the batteries!

[EileanDonan]

LOL I've seen that smoke. It usually goes from wires to my finger tips.

Eilean

[EileanDonan]

My older sister once advised me, "If it smells like cologne, leave it alone."

::blink blink::

[The Daring Dufas]

Probably more like "Hai Karate".

TDD

[mg]

Hi Kate,

I'm an electronic engineer and I've also had lots of experience with house wiring. I've also had nothing but trouble with my door bell for about 30 years. After I retired, I finally got around to fixing it and adding an extension door bell in a room I added on years ago. The job turned out to be even dirtier and more difficult than I thought it would be.

In my case, the problem was that the door bell wire they used in my house was extremely brittle. Every time I would fix it, it would break again, close to the bend or the loop where it screws on to the door- bell button, after a few years of going through the summer heat and winter cold and being used over and over again. Another problem I had was that the transformer was located in the basement ceiling which was sheet rocked over before I bought the house. I don't know how much of that brittle, single-strand wire there is floating around, but that could be one reason someone might have converted your house to a wireless system.

The first thing I would do to fix your doorbell is go up in your attic directly above where the doorbell is, inside your house, and find the wires that are connected to it. There are 3 components to a door bell system: the bell or chime, the outside doorbell button, and the transformer. Once you find the wires above your door bell, in your attic, you will need to follow the wires until you find the transformer and you find the wires going to the doorbell button.

Once you find the transformer, check to make sure the wire connections are good and check the transformer output with a volt meter. It should measure roughly 16-18 Volts AC. If there is no voltage on the outputs then you need to check the AC connections. To do this you will need to turn off the appropriate circuit breaker in your house first. If the AC connections are good and there is still no output you will need to replace the transformer. You can buy new ones at Home Depot, for instance.

If you try to follow the wires, but cannot find the transformer because the wires disappear in the wall, for instance, then you need to tap into the wires and make sure there is 16-18 Volts AC present. If there isn't, I would just cut the wires and install a new transformer and put it close to the manhole in your attic so that's easy to find next time.

You will also need to locate the wires going to your front door bell button. After you have done this, connect them together at the door bell end, and put an ohm meter on the other end to make sure you have continuity. After you have done all this and replaced some of the wire, if necessary, just reconnect everything and you will have a working door bell system.

If you don't want to do all this, you'll understand why I put the job off for 30 years.

[Kate]

of his new homes. I will print this info. out.

I can't wait to get a voltmeter hooked up to all of these wires and see where we go from there.

I will post an update.

Many thanks for taking the time to write this.

[hallerb]

ask neighbors where their doorbell parts are, can save tons of time and effort let alone unnecessary holes in walls.

[Kate]

Thanks. I found the two wires inside my entry way closet. There is nothing else there. My feeling is that part of it was drywalled over. I will ask neighbors though. Excellent idea.