ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Doorbell extension

Gentlemen, I have had several customers request doorbell chimes in remote locations on their property, i.e. patios, garages, decks, and outbuildings. I have seen ads for units that use a transmitter hooked to the current chime and a remote receiver. Have any of you had success with such a unit? Or can recommend what type of equipment to use? It looks a great deal simpler than trying to fish new bell wire through existing walls. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also wanted to let everyone know how much I enjoy reading your post. I feel that this website and the great contributions everyone makes has given me a lot of insights and made me a better electrician.

Thanks,

Steve

They make such a "repeater" unit as a commercial product now? That makes things convenient! I did a similar installation several years ago, and used a small "ice cube" relay wired to the existing bell, operating a standard "push button" type wireless doorbell transmitter with the button removed and wired to the relay contacts.

The wireless bells (at least the NuTone ones I have used) work very reliably, in my experience, but the downside is the need for occasional battery replacements. Homeowners aren't used to replacing batteries in doorbells anymore (ever found one that still used the old #6 dry cells? ), and I have received a few calls that were resolved by a simple battery replacement. The battery in the transmitter is somewhat unusual, being a lithium type often used in RF car alarm transmitters.

IME such remote transmitters use MN23 alcaline batteries. They are available at many home centers and electronic stores..