Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

[Almighty1]

Not sure where to post this but basically my house comes with the doorbell button missing and doorbell chime missing. So it appears there are two white wires at the doorbell button side and two white wires at the doorbell chime side. It seems like at the doorbell chime and at the doorbell button, one of the wires is supposed to go to the transformer, so my question is with a multi-meter, how do I figure out which of the two wires goes to the transformer as the other one is not connected. I tried one of those no contact voltage detectors and it seems to beep on both wires.

[ReeceyBurger123]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

It does not matter as its AC based so you can out the wires in either way.

[Almighty1]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

Interesting but the chime has screw terminals for transformer and front door.

[Almighty1]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

When you look at diagrams and from googling, it seems for the door bell button, it doesn't matter which of the two wires are connected as long as both are connected but for the doorbell chime, one needs to connect the transformer wire to the transformer terminal and the other wire to the front door terminal...

[budm]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

If thit is single chime/bell then it does not matter. When you have two chimes (2 actuators) then you then you have two actuator for the different tone so you can tell if the front button is pushed or the rear button is pushed, one wire of each actuator is tied together to form common connection called transformer, another wire of each actuator then go to the push switch.

[Almighty1]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

All the chimes I have seen at the hardware store in the kit actually has both the front and rear actuators so I want to make sure I know which one is the transformer wire. Is there a way to use a digital multi-meter on just one wire to see if there is any voltage. My thoughts are no. I noticed the wire jacket is different at the door bell button location as both are identical white/ivory nylon while at the location where the chime is supposed to be, it's a different type of solid core wire as one is red and the other is white. The transformer seems to be in the attached garage downstairs which is in the rear of the property as I never knew what it was for so hopefully that's for the doorbell and hopefully I can find the voltage off it and if there is a red wire there matching the one at the chime, then I would know it's for the transformer. I remember I have a Professional tool here that allows one to locate a cable simply by putting something on the wire and then use the other part of the tool to find it, assuming I can find that tool in the basement.

[Almighty1]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

A few pictures taken earlier today as I only visit the garage once in a blue moon since the garage door opener doesn't work so we never opened the garage door yet in the 7 years we've been here:

This is what the top of one of the windows in the garage looks like:



What is that thing all the way on the left? The transformer itself appears to be a General Electric, think it says 10volts but not sure what the current is unless you can see it on the picture.

This is where the chime is supposed to be but the house did not come with a chime:



and this is the outside where the doorbell is supposed to be except the doorbell is missing too so only the wires are there:



So atleast it would seem the red wire we know is hopefully connected to the transformer at where the chime is as it's the same type of jacket which is different than what's outside where the doorbell is.

[Almighty1]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

Had to look at the transformer closer today and it appears to be a 10V 5VA. The thing on the left seems like another transformer as basically it has terminals on the other side without wires attached, it was probably the previous transformer used. In any case, all the chimes sold at hardware stores I have seen requires 16V 10VA, will it still work at 10V 5VA except not be as loud?

[keeney123]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

Here get this one http://www.homedepot.com/p/IQ-Americ...610A/202278727

Its the 16 volt 10 Watt transformer at a hardware store

[budm]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

FIRST thing I would do is to get the Certified Professional Electrician to clean up that area before you get yourself killed.

[Almighty1]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

Now you know why I want to do it the other way as the existing house will be gone in one or two years since everything will be torn down as part of the rennovation that will expand the house both vertically and horizontally as there will be a floor added and the house will be longer in length. The other way is less risky and all I really need is the wire, transformer, a grounded plug for the 120VAC side to the wall and the resistor, the resistor is the one that I want to get something that is good and also small in size.

Just looked at your comments, and I agree with you 100%, that's one reason I had not even try to touch anything in that area and used another light that plugged into a AC outlet instead as it seems dangerous.

[Almighty1]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

Here get this one http://www.homedepot.com/p/IQ-Americ...610A/202278727

Its the 16 volt 10 Watt transformer at a hardware store

I can get this same exact make/model at a local hardware store for $5.00...

http://www.centralvacuumstores.com/s...me-transformer

[budm]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

Even if you are going to renovate the house in a couple of years I would not let that exposed hot wires and socket sitting like that, who knows what else was done wrong like no circuit breaker for that branch, or wrong hot and neutral wiring, etc. and you may end up with burnt down house.

[Almighty1]

Re: Doorbell Chime and Doorbell Button wiring

Good point, I'll deal with that one separately but for now, have to get the ring.com doorbell hardwired. And you are actually right, lots of things are wrong because the person that bought the house in 2004 got foreclosed while remodeling in 2006 and the person who bought the house at a auction got foreclosed in 2008 before I bought it on the open market. The external hose faucet has no water. The only hose faucet is inside the garage right next to the water main shutoff. All the AC does have reverse polarity. That's why I said it's not easy to fix without tearing all the walls apart because even the telephone demarcation point is inside the sealed walls that even telco won't touch as they just cut off the wire on the outside and mounted a new box instead. Contractors and electricians all said to not fix it and just let the renovation take place as everything including plumbing and electrical will need to be completely redone.