How the heck does the dorbell work?

This should actually read "door bell" =). I really can spell..... I promise.

eli wrote: (clip) I only see one pair running from the switch to the bell... Is there a battery somewhere? ^^^^^^^^^^^^ If it is a VERY old house, there might be some batteries on the circuit. However, I am pretty sure that if you crawl up in the attic, or under the house, following the pair, you will come to a small transformer, hardwired into your 120v.

go here and I hope you find it useful

"eli" wrote in news:uK8Eb.29009$ snipped-for-privacy@nwrddc02.gnilink.net:

You have to find the transformer. Sometimes in a storage room, a garage, the attic. Its fairly small. You will see the wires coming off it and heading to the door bell itself then another pair heading to the button.

Marty

Here in Los Angeles, lot's of, but not all doorbell transformers are hard wired inside fuse/breaker boxes.

I've seen more than a few go south too...they're cheap and easy to R&R once found.

You need a voltmeter to figure out where the problem is, the switch, the bell itself, the transformer, wiring, etc. You should have about 24V AC at the switch if it is not depressed. I checked out one for a buddy, and it turned out the bell was bad. The transformer was next to the furnace, I think that they used the same 24V transformer to deliver low voltage for the thermostat.

Richard

eli wrote:

Same here in Ontario. The bell transformer is USUALLY mounted to the main breaker box on the service board. Most have a conduit nipple on them to connect directly to a "knock-out" on the service box.

Jeeze, I'd almost forgotten about those old "doorbell batteries"; 1.5 volt LeClanche cells about 2-1/2" diameter and 8" tall with two brass knurled nuts on the top.

I wonder if they're still made? I remember using a few of them in series (bound together with friction tape) to heat the glow plugs when starting my control line model airplanes circa 1950.

Thanks for another memory...

Jeff

Well, how the heck am I supposed to know how you have your door bell wired?

Abrasha

Jeff sez: " Jeeze, I'd almost forgotten about those old "doorbell batteries"; 1.5 volt LeClanche cells about 2-1/2" diameter and 8" tall with two brass knurled nuts on the top.

I wonder if they're still made? I remember using a few of them in series (bound together with friction tape) to heat the glow plugs when starting my control line model airplanes circa 1950."

I think they are called "#6 dry cells or #6 ignition cells" Either way, I'm sure about the "6". Early on they were used to power the internal igniters in IC engines. The original Wright Flyer engine had internal igniters. I recall reading the Wright plane was equipped with a magneto but it would be a safe bet to assume it was started with ignition cells of some sort, maybe #6s. Number 6 dry cells were very common in those days. They were the power of choice in local battery telephone sets. One reason the old wooden telephone sets were so tall is that the battery was contained inside. Number 6 dry cells are still available.

Bob Swinney

This gives me an idea (if it hasn't already been done). Why not have the doorbell button operate a piezoelectric device to activate the doorbell. No need for transformers, batteries, wiring other than from the button to the bell. Also it would work even if there was a power failure. Engineman1

The first doorbells were clockwork being spring driven, the spring being wound by turning the bell dome. The bell push having a rod that went through the door to release the clockwork mechanism. Some released all the energy in one go but most in several pushes.

Long ago I lived in a house with a pull knob for the doorbell. Kind of like the TV version of the Addams family front door bell pull except not haunted. It originally operated the bell mechanically with a steel wire running through the walls. Later was converted to operate a switch for an electric ringer.