There are many types of door bell available nowadays. The most usable door bells available in the market are the wireless doorbells, chimes and buzzers. These doorbells usually consist of two units. The pushbutton unit is the battery operated one. The sound unit runs on the home current provided by a regular outlet. Today\’s doorbells and buzzers mostly operate on 10 volts. Some like the modern door chimes operate on 16 volts. For the mechanism that you are planning to install, makes sure that the transformer that you buy with a doorbell, buzzer or chime is designed to provide you with the correct voltage. It also takes the same step as you are changing the old doorbell buzzer with a new chime unit as you will have to replace the transformer too. The required voltage input will be provided by the transformer. However, you will not have to be worried about power sources and transformers if you are installing a battery-operated unit. These types of doorbells are attractive enough to be installed on a wall in a room. Here\’s how you can install your own doorbell which includes the type of unit you have such as the bell, chime, buzzer and combination.
- Installing a single button doorbell
Follow the installation according to the illustration of your doorbell and buzzer package. Usually in the illustration, a button is mounted on one door only to operate the bell or the buzzer. Then, one wire does run unbroken from the terminal screw on the button of the bell or buzzer to the terminal screw on the transformer. While the second wire runs from the button to one of the terminal screws on the bell then from the second terminal screw on the transformer. You can choose to mount the button on any door or as far away from the bell as you like. The bell and transformer can actually be mounted in any concealed location.
- Wiring for a backdoor buzzer and front doorbell
Installing a bell and buzzer is one way to solve this problem. For the front door, install a bell while the back door using a buzzer. The wiring is basically the same, except that the buzzer is wired in between the terminal screw on the backdoor button and the terminal screw on the bell. The buzzer, bell and transformer can be concealed in any location. If you already have either a bell or buzzer installed, this step will work for you. If you don\’t have them installed, consider a combination bell and buzzer unit to reduce cost and for easy installation.
- Wiring for the buttons on front and back doors
For this type, one wire will go directly from the terminal screws on both the front and backdoor buttons to one of the terminal screws on the transformer. The second wire goes directly from the other screw on both buttons to the terminal screws on the bell. While for the third wire connects to the left terminal screw on the bell and to the other terminal screw on the transformer. The disadvantage of this system is that the person who hears the bell from inside the house never knows whether to answer the front or back door since both buttons is active with the same bell sound.
- Wiring for the combination bell and buzzer
This combination gives you a buzzer for the back door and a bell for the front door in one unit. You will also notice that this unit has three terminal screws rather than two. The bell and buzzer should be placed in a specific place so that the sound can be heard throughout the house. If you are installing bell and buzzers hidden deep in the attics or closets, it may sound muffles and even completely shut out.
Additional Reading:
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2installadoorbellImage Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/takomabibelot/3917734943/
