Doorbells, or door chimes, make it easy for visitors to get the home owner's attention. They're simple devices; just a button, transformer, and a buzzer or bell unit.
There's no magic involved here, but troubleshooting is not intuitive. All it takes to make it like new is following a few simple steps and having a few basic hand tools.
Not only is the button on the business end of the system, it's also the most likely to be the component at fault. Sometimes that's because of being exposed to the elements, and sometimes it's just the victim of too many aggressive door to door salesmen.
First, open the button assembly up; it may just be secured behind a cover. Disconnect the wires. Touch the ends of the wires together. If the chimes ring, clean the button contacts with sandpaper, reattach the wires, depress the button, and see if the doorbell chimes sound. If not, the button is faulty. Replace it with a new one.
If the chimes did ring, the button is not the culprit and can be ruled out.
Move on to the Doorbell Transformer
Once again, check for loose wires. If they're secure, it will be necessary to troubleshoot the transformer. Set the multimeter on the AC V scale in the 50-volt range. Now touch the multimeter's probes to the transformer's low voltage terminals. If no voltage signal is present, the transformer is a goner and needs to be replaced.
Once that's been done, try the button again. If it's still a no-go situation, it's time to move on to the buzzer or bell unit. In fact, even if a doorbell chime is audible at this time, it's still good preventative maintenance to clean it up.
Bell Unit Cleaning and Maintenance
The Bell unit usually has a plunger/clapper and tone bar configuration. These need to be clean, and dust and dirt free to operate properly. Do not lubricate them. This is a common mistake Instead, carefully clean them using cotton Q-Tips and rubbing alcohol.
In addition, the tone bar has rubber grommets attached to it. These are essential for the doorbell to make the particular sound it was designed for. The problem is, rubber dries out and become brittle. When this happens, the sound becomes muted.
Pick up the correct size grommets at an electrical supply store and change them out as long as everything is opened up.
Not Satisfied With the Chime Volume?
There are times when homeowners simply aren't satisfied with the volume when visitors buzz. Either the building contractor installed one that wasn't properly sized to the residence, the occupants have a hearing impairment, or the sound just won't make it through closed doors.
In any event, there is an inexpensive solution. It's called Extend-a-Chime. It consists of a transmitter that attaches to the low voltage terminals and the unit, which simply plugs into any receptacle.
The copyright of the article How To Repair a Doorbell in Home Electrical is owned by Kelly Smith. Permission to republish How To Repair a Doorbell in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Nov 25, 2008
