Are doorbells in homes connected with the circuit breakers or fuse boxes or are they independent of them?
Question:My doorbell wont work, I cant figure out why not? I had fuse box replaced with circuit breakers and after that it wouldnt work.
Anyone know why? and how to remedy this situation?
Answers:
Sounds like whoever changed out your fuses for breakers didn't reconnect the transformer. They are usually next to or directly mounted to the breaker panel so maybe it got removed completely. The small 2 conductor wires used commonly for doorbells are fairly distinctive. Consider going with batteries if you are unsure how to reconnect it and don't want to pay an electrician, although the person that changed out your panel should go back and fix it.
If you do reconnect it yourself, consider fusing it down rather than connecting directly to a 15 or 20amp breaker as done very often but is very bad practice since a 100va transformer can not be protected by a 15amp breaker.
No they are not connected directly to your breaker box but doorbells run off low voltage if you locate the transformer for your doorbell you can check to see if it has 110v power supply to it if it does it may be the transformer if not the transformer it may be the doorbell switch.
Door chimes usually run off low voltage and require a small transformer to reduce your regular house current down. This transformer can be located in many places, but commonly you can find it near your breaker panel or your furnace on/off switch. I can be locate inside your breaker panel. Either your transformer has gone bad or maybe the electrician didn't hook it up correctly. I could also be the button itself. You can remove the button from the wall and touch the two wires together to see if the bell rings. If it does, than replace the button.
they are connected through a transformer wired some where in your doorbell circuit (usually in attic or basement) the transformer converts 110 voltage to low voltage ) find the transformer and use avoltage tester to determine if it is receiving current on the high side and low side has current (12-24volts) if you have power on high side your transformer may be faulty if not have the electrician that worked on your fuse box check it out (he may have left out a neutral wire in your circuit
They are connected to a circuit in the home somewhere which is connected to a breaker/ fuse. They are almost never connected to there own circuit which means that if everything else in the house works then it is probably getting power too. There is a transformer that changes the voltage from 120VAC to 24VDC. They can go bad, but it is more likely that the button or chime has broken than a solid state xfmr to fail. Check continuity at the button and voltage at the chime (both with button depressed).
Your low volatge transformer will be hooked up to a junction box. Find that and check for power there. Check for your low voltage, if you dont have the low voltage change the transformer. If thats not the problem then check your coils at the chimes, if you have power there, check your button, make sure there is no corrosion on the contacts. Thats all there is to it. Good luck.
If the circut breaker replacement was the only even between working and NOT working then I would find it likely that there is an unconnected wire behind the panel.
There is good advice in some of the anwers as to how to run down the problem. Or you can bypass it totally. You can buy a kit that has a door bell that only needs its other half plugged into some circuit in the house. It works on the wireless principle.
Check out Home Depot or Lowes for kits. They are very simple with no real life connections.
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