I've got a house that the door chime stopped working (making a chime noise). I know it's not the outside button and the two wires outside that connect to the button (that go thru the outside brick wall) when touching each other showed some spark. One repair guy asked me if it's a 16v or 24v transformer and I don't know. He seemed to say it's not a part of the chime box inside. I thought everything was self contained inside the chime box that mounts on the wall. Is this a DIY job??? Any good URL to watch on this repair?
Sorry to keep tagging on to my own message but how good do the wireless door bells work? I mean the door bell would be about 3 feet from the front (wood) door and if I go with the same location as the wired chime box, it's about 15 feet inside door. I could probably mount the wireless chime box much closer but the original location is more central in the home.
Just guessing, 'cause it depends on what king of chime. If the switch sparks, you've got volts and current, which suggests it's a solenoid that forces a mass into a mechanical chime. It's possible that corrosion has increased a contact resistance so much that it can't move the mass. But First thing I'd check is to see if some spider hasn't gummed up the solenoid so the core can't move and bang the gong.
In my case, the transformer is inside a coat closet above the door about half way between the button and the chime box.
Never thought about it in that context, but a transformer-operated doorbell is yet another vampire device that wastes power continuously when it's used...well...approximately never.
One other critical piece of information is needed. Is there a door bell button for more than the front door? Does the same chime box also announce the back or other door button is pressed? If so, does that work?
I was wondering but I saw this round thing about maybe 6 to 12 inches to the side of the chime box and wondered if that was the transformer? Problem is I know nothing about that neither.
Personally, if you already have a wired system you would be much farther ahead replacing whatever is bad and using it. The wireless pushbutton has a battery in it that is prone to failure - andif your neighbor buys one his can ring yours and vise versa.
I find them a pain, but if you didn't have wires already in place, it IS easier than wiring from scratch.
A friend also uses one, with the chime unmounted, when he's out in the fenced back yard/pool area so he can hear if someone comes to the front door.
My transformer is mounted at the service panel - as is virtually every one in my entire neighbourhood, and at least half the city.
Cooking grease, cigaret smoke residue, and just plain gunge will eventually "stick up" the hammers in the average doorbell chime. I'd recommend you disconnect it, take it down, and throw it in the dishwasher - then see how it works. Replacement chimes are cheap too.
I mivght ask that question myself, so (I'm not criticiizing him, but it doesn't really matter. It used to work and now it doesn't, and the problem, whatever it is, is not related to the voltage.
(You didn't add another bell did you? If you add another bell, it might be necessary to go to a higher voltage.)
Except for the electricity that goes to it!
Yes.
Do you have even a cheap voltmeter? A friend to hep you?
Absolutely. I only used wireless once, when my mother's apartment had no doorbell at all, and cement walls, that the landlord wouldn't have wanted me drilling holes in.
Plus you need to replace batteries. Plus the button is fat and surface mounted and and looks terrible.
OP, this is unrelated to your problem. Don't try this at home:
I had a bell in my first floor hall, and put an added bell in my basement (which required a bigger transformer because they rang at the smae time) and when I got a computer, I spent a lot of time on the second flloor. Didn't want to bother running wires, so I bought wireless, soldered close the wireless push button, removed the battery, and replace it with a connection to the transformer, that had power when the front door button was pressed. Had to add a diode to get DC currrent to the wireless button. Plugged the bell into a 2nd floor hall outlet and now the doorbell rings on all 3 floors.
Mine is in the basement, in the ceiling on the floor joist, half-way between the sump pump and the furnace, and pretty far from the breaker box. Not sure why, but it's a townhouse and they probably had a reason.
That's true, but batteries sit there going dead, leaking, making one buy a whole new doorbell periodically because you can't buy the button by itself. (Do alkaine batteries leak?)
You may need to view this with fixed or proportional widthe font. The tranfromerus usually has a metal band ____ that looks like _| |_ 3/4's of a rectangle, with mounting legs, and coming out from each side is a rounded brown bulge. One side has a stiff brown piece with two metal connectors, with a wire attached to each one.
Have one of you hold the button down, while the other stands on a chair and puts hir ear next to the bell, to see if it hums at all.
Or better yet, take the plastic/wood-like cover off the bell and look at the horiztontal rod before and while someone pushes the button.
Use your finger to flick the little horiszontal rod (most of which goes through an electro magnet) back and forth sideways, to see if it bounces back at all. There is only 16 or 24 volts there and it's not enough to even feel it, let alone hurt you (unless you get startled and fall off the chair!, assuming you can feel it) , plus you don't have to touch the wires themselves, only the rest of the mechanism.
When the button is pushed, the magnet pushes th e horitizontal rod to the right (or left?) and it hits the flat chime plate, usually a rectangle about 4 or 5 inches high, 1/8'" thicik and an inch or inch and a half from front to back. Uusally dark goldish color. Hit it yourself with a pencil and and it should ring a little bit.
Look for insect leftovers, like Claiir said. maybe they are keeping the rod from moving, or the plate from vibrating.
Once the little thin spring broke, that goes around the rod and pushes the rod back where it was, and so it got pushed up to the chime plate, but never went back. So the rod couldn't get up enough velocity to ring the chime. It just made a little thump, or maybe it made no sound at all. Push the rod back where it was and push the button again. If it rings once but not again, maybe the spring is broken.
I added a second chime in the basement at my place, and no problems at all. It's not the voltage of the transformer that is critical when adding a second chime, but the current capacity ( the va rating)
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.