A 120 yr old house with an original front door buzzer stopped working. Where would you look first to run down the problem?

Question

The buzzer itself is on the wall in the dining room. I presume that electrical power is connected to something, somewhere, possibly directly to the buzzer itself, and that activating the button at the front door completes an electrical connection to activate the buzzer. Is it my job to get into the walls, go into the attic, and check electrical wiring everywhere in between to find the relevant wires, test them with a basic outlet tester and find where power is no longer running? I don't know why it would just stop if no one had severed the wires someplace, or the wires corroded over time and won't conduct a current anymore. Replacing wire in the wall behind the door buzzer button would be a pain, if that's where the problem is. All if this would seem to involve original wiring, not more modern up-to-code wiring. There are original two-prong outlets in the house that work, along with more updated 3-prong. Obviously I'm not an electrician who can explain how two types of wiring, both old and new, are able to run from my circuit breaker box, throughout the house.  

Answer 1

From troubleshooting many things over the years - first look and test anything that moves. Then check for corrosion anywhere water can get in. 

Things that don't move or get wet don't often go wrong, but in your case there may be mice. 

Answer 2

Thake the buzaler off and see if the wires are bad or the button is worn out then you work from there back!

Answer 3

Maybe I am misunderstanding this question, but are you absolutely sure this is a BUZZER, connected to a power source?  a house of 120 yrs old could possiby have an old fashioned 'butler bell' which is connected to a system of wires that rang a bell somewhere else in the house.... not connected to electricity at all.  Just a thought.



https://www.catawiki.com/stories/4601-everything-you-didn-t-know-about-butler-bell-pushes

Answer 4

first find the power source.   Should be a 18v,24v transformer somewhere.  Most of the time there attached to the breaker/fuse panel or near it. First thing you need to check is if theres 24v voltage on it. If not then theres your issue an if it has 120v going in then your transformer in bad an needs ro be replaced.  I'd put a 3amp fuse in line just incase theres a short you'll just blow a fuse instead of new transformer.   

If you have voltage then you get to do tge fun part ohm the wires out.  Your wires are gonna run from the doorbell to your chime an from chime to transformer.   You can test the wire by tieing one of the sides together then ohm the wire from the other location.   If it ohms then theres no break in that wire if it doesn't then you have a wire issue.   If thats the case you'd be better off buying a wireless doorbell unless the break is easy to find an repair.  But if its in wall your talking probably plaster cut out an repair in a house that old. Or a layer of drywall then plaster.

Answer 5

I assume the electrical system was updated sometime in the past 40 or so years -- 120 year old wiring?  not likely it still is being used, if it even was installed in 1901.  get a cheap multimeter [at minimum].  doorbell circuits today are 24 volts, not 110, and your outlet tester won't be helpful.  use the tester at the doorbell itself -- the button may have failed [which is an easy fix].  Next, you locate the required transformer and test -- it might be in the breaker box, under the inside panel.  Other locations might be in the attic, perhaps over the breaker box and/or over the door.  if that is working, you run temporary wires [extension cords] from the transformer [after you find it] to the bell system itself and test the bell.  Also test that the system as 24 volt power at the bell.  If that works and you got this far, the problem is in the 24 volt wiring from the bell to the push button -- don't bother trying to find the break if you can't see it within a few minutes, just run new -- cheap lamp cord or even cheaper 18 gauge single pair wire is enough. -- grampa

Answer 6

get a multimeter , check the buzzer to see it its got continuety when you press it , if yes , short the wires its connected to to see if they have power , if yes then check the noise maker , only 3 parts , the connecter ( buzzer button) , the wires or the reciever (noise maker ) just dont get electricuted ..

Answer 7

Good heavens first of all take the buzzer switch off from the front door and put a meter on the two wires and see if there is current on the two screws. If there is current all you need is a new switch. If there is no current go to the buzzer itself and see if you are getting current at the buzzer. If there's current there jump the two wires that lead to the switch. If the buzzer buzzes you know you're going to have to replace a wire. If there is no buzzing you have to replace the noise maker.





Me I would just get a wireless buzzer kit for $60 it doesn't involve running any wires just plug the unit in to where the old buzzer is plugged in or wire it in at that point and screw the battery controlled buzzer outside where the old buzzer button is.

Answer 8

hire a professional  . 

Answer 9

I would check the button and make sure it's working properly.  Take it apart and see if you can trigger the buzzer by just touching the wires.  After that, I'd go to the buzzer and see if I could do the same.  



In the end, if I didn't find a quick solution then I'd consider not worrying about it and just getting a wireless one.  You could still leave the old one up for looks inside if it has a classic look or such.

Answer 10

Issue: Buzzer broken; you are not familiar with how buzzers are wired. You want the buzzer to work.



Resolution: Hire someone (electrician, handyman) who knows how buzzers are supposed to work to fix it.



If you have to ask if "it is your job", it sounds like your not the home owner... perhaps a renter. If that is the case, then contact the owner (or the property management company) and report the issue for resolution. In my experience, the transformer needs to be replaced... the button may need to be replaced... the wiring is old, but likely OK.

Answer 11

lol NOT reading about some house 

Answer 12

Doorbell buttons need 2 wires. One black, one white.  Door bell wires are 2.   The part that wears out is the button.  Mine only lasted 30 years.  Did that and it works.  The transformer is heavy duty and if you have other doorbell buttons on other doors and they work, they all use the same transformer.

Answer 13

Get a friend who is good with a voltage (VOM or DMM) meter. Check the buzzer (often 24vac) as you push the button. Then check the button for continuity. The power supply for the system can usually be found in the basement, often a small 24v transformer feeding the button.

Answer 14

Could be the buzzer is worn out, or the button, or the power source is disconnected somehow.



My 1890s home had a doorbell that ran on dry-cell batteries, since it had no original house wiring and was lit with gas.  At some point the batteries were replaced with a plug-in transformer and a rectifier (Battery eliminator) located in the butler's pantry, next to the electrically operated panel-board that shows the location of the person who triggered the bell (front, kitchen, parlor, music room, upstairs hall, etc).

A more modern doorbell has a 24-volt AC transformer, often located in a basement, closet, attic or other out-of-the way location. It may have a loose wire or be disconnected from the 125-volt main supply for some reason (unplugged, blown fuse, etc).

If you can't find the transformer, then you may need to get someone to help with a fresh set of eyes.



Personally, I would start with the wires at the buzzer and measure whether there is any voltage when someone presses the button. If not, it gets harder because the button itself may only have "voltage" on one terminal and no access to the "other" part of the circuit to measure. You can test the "continuity" of the button, when pressed, with it disconnected from the wires.

Answer 15

The buzzer is usually operated by some transformer somewhere.  In my experience the transformer and the button itself are the most likely items to fail.  You'll need to track the wires back to it and test it.  They're cheap to replace.

Answer 16

Most likely a failed transformer. Rare is the doorbell that operates on full mains power.

Transformers have a finite life and are usually located somewhere that they can easily be found like a cupboard or adjacent to the fuseboard. 

Answer 17

Call an electrician to install a NEW door buzzer system good for another 20 years.

Answer 18

My guess is a bad transformer



Some of the older buzzers have the transformer in with the chime, others are remote.



The attic is a common place where you may find a remote transformer at, and it will/should be exposed…. next to a power source. It would be located in the radius between the buzzer and the doorbell.

Answer 19

The two prong outlets don't use a ground the 3 prong outlets do use a ground wire. That's the only difference but they all probably go back to the same distribution panel.