Hooking Up Doorbell Via Homerun Closet Need Help

[michael.roback]

I have a bit of an unusual situation. I wired up my house when I did a remodel to install a key system and an intercom at the front door. As such all I did was run a four pair Cat5e from the doorbell to the homerun closet. I have decided not to install a key system but instead, just a doorbell. Unfortunately i did not run a doorbell wire from the location where the doorbell would be to the front door to the chime location and back to the transformer! What I did do is run a four pair Cat5e from the front doorbell to the homerun closet as well as a four pair Cat5e from the area where the chime would be mounted to the homerun closet. Couldn't I just connect the the same color e.g. (brown white/white brown) pair to the front doorbell as well as the same at the chime and do all of the cross connects in the homerun closet to complete the circuit and energize the doorbell. That is, connect the doorbell to the chime with the same half of the pair and the other two conductors (one from the doorbell and one from the chime go to the transformer, that will be mounted in the homerun closet. There is not another way for me to install a hard wired doorbell. Help if you can. If this does not make sense, please let me know. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

[Mike rock]

Yeah you can do that. I would suggest doubling up on the pairs to increase the wire gauge since CAT 5 is typically 24 guage wire. Ex use the white/blue and blue white tied together as 1 conductor, and the white/orange and orange white tied together for the other conductor.

[JIMMIE]

e quoted text -

Ageed I use CAT5 cable for all kinds of low voltagae wiring especially since lately I have had access to a lot of scrapped cable.

Jimmie

[clare]

You can use any pair of the cat5 as a standard bell wire, connected in the home-run closet. However, the cat5 is lighter wire than standard bell wire so if the length is substantial I would parallel 2 pairs (use 2 pairs, with solid color conductors of 2 pairs connected together, and the stripe conductors of the same 2 pairs also connected together)

[michael.roback]

Actually the run from either the Doorbell to the home run closet is less than 50 feet, as is the chime to the home run closet. Is it still necessary to double up on the conductors?

[RBM]

That kind of depends on the chime you use. Try it with single conductors, then double them if you need to.