Second door bell chime at Transformer

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May 26th, 2019 11:17 am

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May 25th, 2019 5:59 pm

CaptainCrash [OP]: Deal Addict; Apr 10, 2009; 2298 posts; 1891 upvotes; Ontario

May 25th, 2019 5:59 pm

Second door bell chime at Transformer

Hello
I've looked up all sorts of message boards and diagrams but can't seem to find what I'm looking for.

I have a doorbell with chime in my hallway.
Transformer at the electrical panel.
Main chime has two red wires maretted together and connections at TRANS and FRONT.
I had a 16/10 transformer and upgraded it.
I would like to add a second chime to my transformer but DO NOT have access to the first chime.

I can get the second bell to DING but hums and will not DONG.

Is this even possible?

9 replies

May 25th, 2019 10:01 pm

fusion2k2k: Deal Addict; Apr 6, 2008; 1807 posts; 1166 upvotes

May 25th, 2019 10:01 pm

What happens if you connect the doorbell to the rear connection? Usually they are wired so that the front makes one tone and the rear a different tone. What was the reason for the transformer upgrade? What was the old and what was the new?

May 26th, 2019 9:31 am

CaptainCrash [OP]: Deal Addict; Apr 10, 2009; 2298 posts; 1891 upvotes; Ontario

May 26th, 2019 9:31 am

fusion2k2k wrote: ↑ What happens if you connect the doorbell to the rear connection? Usually they are wired so that the front makes one tone and the rear a different tone. What was the reason for the transformer upgrade? What was the old and what was the new?

Connecting to rear does the same thing. When I connect the leads I get the DING and it hums.

I upgraded the transformer because most of what I read said that a 16/10 wouldn't handle two bells.

May 26th, 2019 9:50 am

fusion2k2k: Deal Addict; Apr 6, 2008; 1807 posts; 1166 upvotes

May 26th, 2019 9:50 am

CaptainCrash wrote: ↑ Connecting to rear does the same thing. When I connect the leads I get the DING and it hums.

I upgraded the transformer because most of what I read said that a 16/10 wouldn't handle two bells.

I would check the wiring on the chime, either something is wired wrong or there is an issue with the chime

May 26th, 2019 9:53 am

CaptainCrash [OP]: Deal Addict; Apr 10, 2009; 2298 posts; 1891 upvotes; Ontario

May 26th, 2019 9:53 am

fusion2k2k wrote: ↑ I would check the wiring on the chime, either something is wired wrong or there is an issue with the chime

On which chime?
Are you saying I should be able to do this at the transformer?

May 26th, 2019 10:00 am

fusion2k2k: Deal Addict; Apr 6, 2008; 1807 posts; 1166 upvotes

May 26th, 2019 10:00 am

CaptainCrash wrote: ↑ On which chime?
Are you saying I should be able to do this at the transformer?

Is there not a chime that has both notes? Or are they seperate units?

May 26th, 2019 10:02 am

CaptainCrash [OP]: Deal Addict; Apr 10, 2009; 2298 posts; 1891 upvotes; Ontario

May 26th, 2019 10:02 am

fusion2k2k wrote: ↑ Is there not a chime that has both notes? Or are they seperate units?

I dont care about the notes.

I have a finished basement and want to add a second chime (bell) in the basement. I only have access to the transformer. Not the original chime in the main hallway.

May 26th, 2019 10:14 am

Scote64: Deal Fanatic; Jan 21, 2018; 6859 posts; 7278 upvotes; Vancouver

May 26th, 2019 10:14 am

The old style of doorbell was set up to give you a ding when the button was pressed to complete the circuit and apply power to the solenoid to make the clapper hit the first chime, and then a dong when you released the button and the clapper hit the other chime at the end of its reverse travel. Later models would ding - dong with fixed timing by having the clapper automatically break the circuit on the ding, and then return to hit the dong chime after a short mechanical release delay.

So the main issue would be to figure out the wiring of your two doorbells. It sounds like the second one is latching the circuit on ding, and then not breaking the circuit to dong. If you hear a continuing hum, then the solenoid that activated the ding is still getting power and not releasing to cause the dong.

If one button is activating both, is it in parallel or in series, and does the first doorbell auto-break the circuit?

May 26th, 2019 11:06 am

CaptainCrash [OP]: Deal Addict; Apr 10, 2009; 2298 posts; 1891 upvotes; Ontario

May 26th, 2019 11:06 am

Scote64 wrote: ↑ The old style of doorbell was set up to give you a ding when the button was pressed to complete the circuit and apply power to the solenoid to make the clapper hit the first chime, and then a dong when you released the button and the clapper hit the other chime at the end of its reverse travel. Later models would ding - dong with fixed timing by having the clapper automatically break the circuit on the ding, and then return to hit the dong chime after a short mechanical release delay.

So the main issue would be to figure out the wiring of your two doorbells. It sounds like the second one is latching the circuit on ding, and then not breaking the circuit to dong. If you hear a continuing hum, then the solenoid that activated the ding is still getting power and not releasing to cause the dong.

If one button is activating both, is it in parallel or in series, and does the first doorbell auto-break the circuit?

One button is not activating both.
I get the ding when I connect the leads, but if I go press the button nothing happens downstairs.

May 26th, 2019 11:17 am

Rick007: Deal Addict; Oct 14, 2010; 1616 posts; 1076 upvotes; Barrie ON

May 26th, 2019 11:17 am

Like Scote64 says, when voltage is sent to chime by pushing the button (which completes the circuit) the plunger will be sucked in and create a DING. When the button is released, the voltage is removed from the chime, and the spring will pull the plunger in the opposite direction creating a DONG.

When you hooked up the chime to the transformer, you were applying voltage, which caused a DING, but you never removed the voltage and therefore no DONG was heard.

IF you can't run wires from the basement to the existing chime, then get a wireless remote chime. Just hook up the transmitter to the existing chime box, and the remote can be placed anywhere.

OR You could replace the existing door button with a battery operated transmitter, and purchase as many remote chimes as you want.

LINK

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