Wiring – Why doesn’t the doorbell have power at the button

doorbellwiring

I tried to install a wired doorbell which has a camera. I did some online research and learned that it requires a transformer and I checked that a transformer is already there by the breaker panel. I started with installing the chime. I switched off the line to doorbell and installed chime. I switched on the power to doorbell from breaker panel and chime sounded “ding-dong” so I assume that I successfully installed the chime.

I then switched off the main power supply to doorbell again and went outside to install new wired doorbell with camera from SimpliSafe. After its installation, I turned on the power button from the breaker panel but this bell doesn’t ring and the bell switch is not receiving power.

I checked with multimeter that there was no power on the outside wire that goes with the doorbell switch despite the power switch for doorbell was on in breaker panel. However, the chime receives enough power.

Is it normal that the chime bell rings when doorbell switch is turned on from breaker panel?

Do you think that my assumption is right that the outside wire is faulted or has no power coming to it and it requires rewiring?

I might have done a wrong installation as well so please advice.

Thanks
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Best Answer

It sounds like you've connected the two transformer terminals directly to the two chime terminals. That would cause the chime to sound immediately when the power is turned on, and no power would go to the switch.

The correct wiring looks like a loop or ring connecting the transformer, chime, and switch. See removeandreplace.com.

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With your specific cables it could go like this:

  1. At transformer, white wire to one terminal and black wire to the other terminal.
  2. At chime, white wire from transformer goes to chime's transformer terminal. White wire from button goes to chime's front door terminal. Black wire from transformer connects to black wire from from button. Note: black wires do not connect to chime at all.
  3. At button, white wire goes to one terminal of SimpliSafe and black wire goes to the other terminal of SimpliSafe.

Do steps 1 and 2 first, leaving the button wires by the front door disconnected. Turn on power. Touch the bare ends of the button wires to each other. The chime should sound.

After confirming the chime works correctly by touching the wires, turn power off again and do step 3. Then verify the complete system.

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