# Doorbell: 2 buttons 3 chimes issues



## pedaldoc (Mar 23, 2015)

So my house had 1 button an 2 chimes run on 24/2 wire. transformer was a 16v/10VA. I needed to add a second button and a 3rd chime. I swapped the transformer for a 16v/30VA. then I pulled all new 18/2 wire  on the new button and new chime,and to the rear post on all existing chimes. But I left the 24/2 as it was working and I couldn't replace all of it due to house specifics.I mounted the button. connected everything up and the new button worked great. single chime on push of the 2nd button. was about to button everything up when I realized that the original button, although seemingly wired correctly  didn't work. (wired exactly the same as the rear only going to FRONT on the  chimes instead of rear)

After further inspection the front bell did work if I did a rapid fire push on the button. Basically I pushed the button like 5 times in rapid succession. then I get a very faint ding. the rear button was illuminated but the front was not. i rechecked my wiring a hundred times. I then unhooked everything. wired ONLY the front button and it chimes correctly on all 3 chimes.  so then I started adding in rear chimes. the main chime (near the transformer) works, but as soon as I added the 2nd chime (regardless of which of the 2 remaining chimes I added.) the front bell quits working. the rear bell always works. so trial and error, I decided to swap red/white wires on one of the remaining chimes (I just flipped which one went to the common transformer lead and which one went to the rear bell post). once I did this I was able to successfully add the remaining 2 chimes but now despite having the chimes wired to front/rear posts respectively, both bells ring the 2 chime note for the front door. after all my frustrations I'm almost satisfied with that. but I'd really like to know why it wouldn't work like it was supposed to ?

Here's what I think I know:
I know both buttons work.
I know the transformer is able to drive 3 chimes. 
I know the wiring runs are solid, since I can get both front and rear to ring independently.

what I'm wondering is if one of the chimes, new or old, is somehow bad or can't handle the load since all the other stuff seems to be ok.

does it tell you something that when wired correctly the first button would only faintly ring if I pushed it many times fast?

thanks for the time and information. I'm not ready to tear it apart again until I think I can make some headway.


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## JoeD (Mar 23, 2015)

Something is crossed in your wiring I think. 
Perhaps you somehow had the front and back in series instead of in parallel? The more loads you add in series the lower voltage and none of them work.


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## pedaldoc (Mar 23, 2015)

I though they might be crossed too. but  I got all 3 chmes working on the 1st button. and then all 3chimes working on the 2nd button. pretty easy to take one button out of the circuit at the transformer. but I never got both buttons working at the same time. so I got 1st button working and then I started ading the 2nd button.
always when I added the 2nd chime the 1st button would die but the 2nd button ALWAYS works.
I'm wondering if one of the chimes is bridged or shorted in some way?
I guess he only way to know is take down the chimes and test them with a mini benchtop setup.

I can tear apart the wiring and try again. but I've done that so many times now I'm starting to go crazy!!


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## slownsteady (Mar 23, 2015)

Sounds like you're a candidate for a wireless system.
I have to admit that I'm not very clear on the setup from your description. But a couple of questions come to mind. A basic traditional setup can handle 2 doorbells and can give two distinctive rings with one chime ( "Ding" & "Ding-Dong"). So an extra chime is for a location that you can't hear the the orig. chime? Do you have an actual "third" unit? Do you have more than 1 wire per terminal in your current setup?
And yes, it could be a voltage issue....


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## pedaldoc (Mar 23, 2015)

here is my setup. this is the way I wired it first. it worked on the rear bell (single chime: ding) but not on the front chime (2 notes, ding-dong)


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## pedaldoc (Mar 23, 2015)

my current "working setup" pictured below. I swapped the wires on the first 2 chimes on a whim and now it works but everything chimes DING-DONG both buttons.

As for the wireless: I have tried multiple wireless systems from the local big box stores and they all either don't work or work so intermittently that I spent the 2 days pulling cable to hard wire it. now I'm only slightly better off. I do have a working rear (side) door button but it's the same tone as the front so rather annoying.


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## nealtw (Mar 23, 2015)

I would have taken a different aproach. I would have set up a diferent one for the third door with different tone.


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## slownsteady (Mar 23, 2015)

You have three different chime units, each capable of making two different tones, but only two doorbells........


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## nealtw (Mar 23, 2015)

slownsteady said:


> You have three different chime units, each capable of making two different tones, but only two doorbells........



Maybe he should type slower so you can keep up.:banana:


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## slownsteady (Mar 23, 2015)

I'm trying to take the why out of the wiring  (get it   ).  Two doorbells = two doors in my book. And unless he has a really big house I'm wondering why he needs six chime possibilities. If we can simplify the setup, the wiring gets much easier.


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## pedaldoc (Mar 23, 2015)

Yes, bigger house with front and side doors that get used about equally. Side door didn't have a doorbell when we moved in. I have tried a variety of wireless options and had finally given up on them.

The upstairs has the chime closest to the transformer. if that were the only chime we'd not hear the bell more than half the time. so there is a second chime on the first floor in the busiest area of the house. the third chime Iadded is for the back patio and pool. The 2 tones are obviously to tell which door the bell is ringing from.

So 2 bells and 3 chimes which evidently is a unique problem. I understand. As I said, currently I have it working with all 3 chimes ringing Ding-Dong regardless of the button that is pushed. 

today I purchased 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G0MB00/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

to utilize the wired button I worked so hard to install it will then signal these...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G0MAVA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
 which I will put alongside the 3 other chimes throughout the house. it's a hybrid solution. I get a wired button that will now be directly connected to a with a transmitter that will be centrally located in the house (next to the transformer). then these new chimes will signal just the rear door and my front door will all be on the 30VA transformer and wiring, reducing that load and fixing that problem.

I'll check back later in the week to update you on how it worked.

thanks for the info

S.
and


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## JoeD (Mar 23, 2015)

It looks correct if it is actually wired like that. The fact that it rings front at both buttons seems to indicate a short in the wires some where.
What happens if you disconnect the R terminal at the chime unit and try both buttons.


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## pedaldoc (Mar 30, 2015)

So my solution was as above. I connected the wireless converter to the new wired button/transformer. Now when the button is pushed it triggers the converter to send a wireless signal to the 3new chimes I installed alongside my 2 old ones and 1 new one. The bonus is the 2nd chime is now has an extended chime not the single DING.

Thanks for the information


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## pedaldoc (Mar 31, 2015)

OK, so just when I thought I was done...
my new doorchime. hardwired to the front bell.  only dings 1 time when the button is pushed.

There is nothing it is connected to the to the back door bell on any other chime. I changed chimes out just to be sure, it's not the chime. again the other 2 chimes ding dong as they are supposed to but his one does a sort of anemic ding. I double checked it at the transformer and when I short across the it goes the DING DONG like it is supposed to do but when all connected with the other two i just get DING!

what am I missing? I'm using the 16V/30VA side.


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## slownsteady (Mar 31, 2015)

Where did that dang "dong" go to?


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## pedaldoc (Mar 31, 2015)

slownsteady said:


> Where did that dang "dong" go to?



wish I knew. the fact that it works alone makes me wonder if even with the stronger transformer I'm not getting enough juice to the last chime. but why would only that 1 chime not work? and why does it work when it's in isolation!

I watch it as the button is pushed and the plunger goes down as it should but not enough to strike the lower bar and then comes up to ring the upper bar.

possible that I just bought cheap doorchimes? (they were $11 combo pack came with a transformer I didn't use). they are Heath-Zenith Dw-27102 contractor bell kit.


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## nealtw (Mar 31, 2015)

Try it with a length wire to prove that it isn't a problem with the wire to the door.?????????


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## pedaldoc (Mar 31, 2015)

nealtw said:


> Try it with a length wire to prove that it isn't a problem with the wire to the door.?????????


  meaning what?
if I ring the bell. 2 of the 3 chimes ring correctly, this new chime only rings once.
the plunger moves but not enough to contact the lower bar.

if I short the chime across the transformer in isolation it rings 2 times. so that implies that it's not the run to the chime from the transformer and the fact the other 2 ring correctly implies that the button run is good. I have the 3rd one connected at the transformer so I have access to all the wire runs at that point.

so I know the run to the button is good and It appears the run to the 3rd chime is good ( i just ran it the other day), since it rings in isolation. I'm running a larger transformer and my other bells are louder but this one is just sad.


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## nealtw (Mar 31, 2015)

Ya.?????????


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## slownsteady (Mar 31, 2015)

could be a cheap chime, or it could be at the end of the circuit and low on juice. Try swapping positions.


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