Doorbell problem - know a cheap electrician? (Phoenix, Scottsdale: houses, water heater)

[Voebe]

My doorbell broke last year, and it was impossible to figure out where the wiring went - the handyman couldn't find the transformer - so I was advised to get an inexpensive kit that just screws in, and in some way I don't understand, rings wirelessly.

Now I just had a worrisome experience where twice, my doorbell was rung late at night, once around 11pm and one night at 1am. The second time I freaked out, imagining someone was about to break in. A friend told me, though, that wireless doorbells can be set off by something else, and although I was very skeptical, it turns out that this was correct.

So maybe I should instead be asking if anyone knows a cheap electrician who covers the Scottsdale area? I was wondering if maybe my handyman just wasn't competent to find the transformer, but the few electricians I called were outrageously expensive.

[jdahunt]

Originally Posted by Voebe

My doorbell broke last year, and it was impossible to figure out where the wiring went - the handyman couldn't find the transformer - so I was advised to get an inexpensive kit that just screws in, and in some way I don't understand, rings wirelessly.

Now I just had a worrisome experience where twice, my doorbell was rung late at night, once around 11pm and one night at 1am. The second time I freaked out, imagining someone was about to break in. A friend told me, though, that wireless doorbells can be set off by something else, and although I was very skeptical, it turns out that this was correct.

So maybe I should instead be asking if anyone knows a cheap electrician who covers the Scottsdale area? I was wondering if maybe my handyman just wasn't competent to find the transformer, but the few electricians I called were outrageously expensive.

A lot of door bell transformers are located within the main electrical panel....if yours has a cover that you can remove you can take a peek behind it.....since you aren't a electrician you should shut off your main before you do.

There are some really good videos on youtube as well.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by jdahunt

A lot of door bell transformers are located within the main electrical panel....if yours has a cover that you can remove you can take a peek behind it.....since you aren't a electrician you should shut off your main before you do.

There are some really good videos on youtube as well.

if you take the cover off the main panel, there is still live electricity there, even if the "main" breaker is off. If the o.p. isn't comfortable diagnosing a doorbell, peeking into a main breaker box is orders of magnitude more risky. A trained electrician might cost $150 for the first hour, but they're more likely to *find* and properly fix it in that hour, rather than chasing their tails for multiple hours at a lower rate, or just busting up your walls & installing a whole new (wired) setup.

For some reason I don't pretend to understand, my doorbell transformer is right next to my water heater & I've seen a couple others like that in Phoenix - though if you don't know what your looking for (or at), it might as well be on the moon.

One thing you might try as well is just asking a few neighbors if they've had a doorbell problem. Just like cars, houses here are mass produced & built with parts that often fail at about the same rate. Many of my neighbors have clogged dryer vents, due to how they were routed. The main water supply pipes in my brother's neighborhood all started leaking a couple years ago & I've watched plumbers work their way down the street replacing them (everybody there is going to have a failure if they haven't already) - same materials, buried at the same depth by the same crews & exposed to the same pressure.

[mjd2k]

Zippyman has a good idea about asking a Neighbor if they know where their transformer is. I like that.

And it's prob a good idea to have an electrician. Your transformer may be working and the problem could be in the chime or the doorbell.

And it may be easier to just wire a new system depending on how complex your requirements are and how hard the wiring would be.

My neighbour's doorbell quit and for some reason he took out the chime where all the wires for two doorbells and three other chimes and the transformer terminated. Never took a picture first. He called an electrician who said it could take him hours to trace all the wires.

I spent a couple hours at least with my Neighbor tracing wires (used a volt meter) and it turned out the transformer was good and it was his front doorbell!!!! A two minute fix!!!

I would have hated to pay an electrician for that kind of grunt work.

[Wally Sconce]

remove the button/switch at the front door.. grab the two wires and touch them together.. if it rings then you know it's just the button that needs replacing... don't worry about the electricity as it's very low current in a doorbell.

[Ponderosa]

Mine is by the water heater. It has been by the water heater in every house I have owned here. Look by the water heater. You might get lucky.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Try a wireless one you can plug and play and put the dinger anywhere in the house you want.

[Colt AZ]

Originally Posted by Wally Sconce

remove the button/switch at the front door.. grab the two wires and touch them together.. if it rings then you know it's just the button that needs replacing... don't worry about the electricity as it's very low current in a doorbell.

That's correct. The wattage is approximately 5 watts maximum; about the same as land line telephones.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Mine is by the water heater. It has been by the water heater in every house I have owned here. Look by the water heater. You might get lucky.

Agree, Ponderosa . . . another "hiding place" is high up inside a utility and/or linen closet.

[jdahunt]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

if you take the cover off the main panel, there is still live electricity there, even if the "main" breaker is off. .

Well that is a given...but it does greatly reduce the risk of getting shocked......