Doorbell Chime Installation. Issue with Exisiting Transformer

[zafoquat]

So.. It is my mother's house.. and a "friend" of her's has taken down the doorbell chime and the doorbell switch in an attempt to replace them.

The project was left unfinished and the wires unlabeled.

My wires don't match any diagram I've been able to find

for the Chime Unit.. i have 4 wires.. 2 white.. 2 black.. coming out of the wall..

1 white and 1 black are giving off 25v
the other two don't read.. i think they're the switch..

so this means i have a transformer somewhere in my wall on a circuit box right?

now for the doorbell switch I have a red, a white, and a green wire..

I have purchased a new doorbell chime set with a switch, and as I have power I decided not to buy a transformer and deal with a wall penetration.

Recommendations for haveing a hot and ground comeing out of the wall from the transformer? My friend says that just rigging up the hot and leaving the ground unhooked is a bad idea and that it won't be hooked up to the doorbell the right way.

looking for any advice =)


-edit

while fiddling.. i hooked up the "switch" wires in the hallway to the "front" and "rear" terminals on my unit in no paticular order. I then attatched the HOT wire reading 25v to the "Trans" terminal. I left the 4th wire bundled with the HOT 25v wire unattatched.

I then took the doorbell unit with a diode attatched out front.. and started .. fiddiling

by touching the red and white wires together i find the chime unit starts to yell about replacing the main cover.

so i touch the doorbell switch to these wires on its two unmarked terminals.. the switch lights up and shows it has power.. i press the button.. nothing happens.. i do 180degree flip and switch the two terminals.. again it lights up.. showing it has power.. i press the button.. and i get the chimer to yell about its cover like i did crossing the wires manually..


am i getting close? i figured id wait and get a response back about the unused wire coming out of the wall.

i dont see any chime on the market that has a ground terminal .. just Front Rear and Trans

[HayZee518]

I'll draw you a diagram point to point. how many terminals on the new chime? are they marked F - com - R, or, 1-2-3? two wires out of the wall. first of all the transformer wouldn't be embedded in the wall. look in the basement around the panelbox or fastened to a knockout on the panelbox. from what you state, a pair black and white are hot with 24 volts, the other pair are dead. this other pair could be a doorbell button but which door? front or rear?

[dkpbxman]

boiler?

When my doorbell quit on me, it turned out that I had a faulty chime unit. Replaced that and everything was OK.

Working on the doorbell circuit to determine where the problem was, I found that the transformer was being shared by, and mounted alongside, my boiler.

It seems that since both systems need a transformer (boiler and doorbell) the builder, in an effort to save money, had built the house that way and saved the price of a separate transformer.

I remember going crazy trying to find the transformer which was not in any of the usual places.

[HayZee518]

Doorbell circuit

Here is a point to point wiring diagram of a one location pushbutton.
In your post you mention two pairs of black/white wires
that is what i have shown

[zafoquat]

there is no transformer attached to my fuse box (and its an old fuse box with those screw in glass knobs)

i even took off the front of the panel and its not junctioned in directly to the board


looking online the only other suitable location is a junction box in my wall to tap off the 120.

--------------

and as to my new chime

it goes front - trans - rear.. trans and comm seem to be interchangable given what brand of chime you buy.

-edit
HeyZee

that photo makes perfect sense and would work like a charm it seems

but im assuming i have more coming off my transformer then that.

you have 4 wires.. but some are going to the doorbell.. i can only assume in reality i have more wires..

i actually have 4 wires coming out BEHIND the chime unit

but the doorbell switch lights up when i connect it out front.. so the transformer is sending a common through the walls out to the front door.. in addition to the extra wire comeing out behind the chime unit.

im just wondering instead of running the one wire up from the transformer as in your diagram... someone lazy just used the same bundle of two wires they used to run the front and rear doorbell wires.

maybe this 4th wire isnt even connected?

i can take photos if my text isnt relaying the information enough.

thanks so much for your time

[HayZee518]

the common or trans from the transformer goes directly to the chime [no splices] the other wire is what is spliced to whichever doorbell button you might have. you may have a white for the rear [or back] and a black for the front [or back] the transformer is wired into your knob and tube wiring probably in the attic or basement area. you are going to have to remove both pushbuttons and track down the paths of both wires. I'm assuming the both go into the basement and are probably just twisted together and held in place under a staple.

[zafoquat]

no knob and tube here. its all ran in romex.. but the fuse box is old

its a Weller home.. which means its.. halfway to a kit house.. the whole neighborhood was assembled..

no interior wall has 2x4s and the drywall is thinner then usual drywall..

circut boxes are all too shallow and not up to code and a pain to replace


buuut I digress and it isnt old enough for knob and tube..


now the bit about finding it twisted and stapled i wouldnt be suprised about.. you should see this junction i found downstairs.. it has so many romex coming into it ... its insane

or i have a main bundle of like.. 20-30 romex going across the floor/ceiling in the basement.. and a light fixture is tapped into one of the romex in the bundle..

the house is set up fairly 'jankety'.

--------------------------
I tried to attach photos and ran into a few road blocks

i apologize for taking the liberty of sending them to you in a private message

thanks again for your time and help.

[doorbellman]

I know I am chiming in late here but have you thought about a simple plug-in door chime? They are so easy to install and you won't have to worry about running wires. Carlon, Heath-Zenith, GE, all make really good ones.