Simple door bell (not wireless). New door bell light works, sound doesn't

[BillEH]

I thought this would be a 5 minute project.

Door bell went dead. I removed the buttons, crossed the wires and the door bell rings. I replaced the button, the light works, but the sound doesn't. I reversed the wires: light works, sound doesn't.

What could I be missing? I did have to splice in new spans of wires because the builder left me no slack. But even with these splices, when I cross the new spans/splices, both the light and the sound works. I tried a different (new) button same problem.

Most grateful for any ideas.

 

[Bluejets]

Without any photos of what you are talking about, your guess is as good as anyone elses.
Provide some details.

 

[Martaine2005]

I agree. More details please.
You say that you crossed (shorted) the wires and both bell and light worked.
It can only be the push button. Unless there is a circuit inside the button housing?.
You then said that you tried a new push button. Didn’t work but did when you shorted the wires. Unless you have two faulty push buttons, it must be something you are doing.

Martin

 

[BillEH]

Without any photos of what you are talking about, your guess is as good as anyone elses.
Provide some details.

Without any photos of what you are talking about, your guess is as good as anyone elses.
Provide some details.

Sorry about that. Here's a picture. What you see are the original wires and a splice (given how short the original wires are). In the picture I am crossing the spliced wires with a screw driver connecting the circuit. I can hear the door bell ring inside.

When I attach a button to the spliced wires, the button lights up, but when I depress the button, I get no doorbell sound. I can't figure out why. If there was a problem with my splice, the screw driver test wouldn't work. The push button is new..and of course its internal light lights up when I connect it.

Thank you much for any ideas, further tests.

 

[BillEH]

I agree. More details please.
You say that you crossed (shorted) the wires and both bell and light worked.
It can only be the push button. Unless there is a circuit inside the button housing?.
You then said that you tried a new push button. Didn’t work but did when you shorted the wires. Unless you have two faulty push buttons, it must be something you are doing.

Martin

Martin, Hi. I answered in more detail above. And I am including a picture.

 

[Tha fios agaibh]

Some doorbell chimes require a diode that passes a small dc current while the button is off.

Either way you should briefly hear a sound when the push button is held in.

 

[BillEH]

And while I too am left with "must be the button" I don't understand how the button lights up, if it's defective

Some doorbell chimes require a diode that passes a small dc current while the button is off.

Either way you should briefly hear a sound when the push button is held in.

Agree. I've ordered a new doorbell (not just button) that should arrive soon. I'll give that one a go and report back.

I was worried that maybe the gauge of my spliced wires was wrong, perhaps changing the voltage. But I tossed that concern away when I confirmed that - with the splice shown in the picture - the screw driver test ruled that idea out, at least based on my understanding.

Thanks all for the efforts.

 

[Tha fios agaibh]

You don't have insulation on the wires.
Likely shorting when you push wires in cavity.
You can use much smaller gage and it's fine.

Try taping or insulating the wires.

 

[BillEH]

Good idea..but I haven't gotten to the step of insulating them...they just hang out during my test, which fails. I wanted to prove everything before doing the work to insulate and putting it all back in the door frame.

 

[cjdelphi]

Good idea..but I haven't gotten to the step of insulating them...they just hang out during my test, which fails. I wanted to prove everything before doing the work to insulate and putting it all back in the door frame.

you got me at reversing the wires... how? no matter what you do they touch, that's what a button does it bridges the two wires to allow current to flow

now obviously the first button went dead for some reason and when you short the wires something happens in another room, that's where your problem is, not the new switch