Another home wiring problem

[BoatBuoy]

I?m puzzled by an electric anomaly at my house. There?s an electric switch next to the front door that controls the light in the foyer. The doorbell transformer, in the attic I presume, apparently is on the same circuit. Whenever the light switch is on (foyer light on) the doorbell won?t work. When I turn the switch off, the doorbell will work fine. I would have thought it would have been the opposite of what it is, but it?s not. What?s the deal?

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: Another home wiring problem

Maybe the electrician assumed that if the foyer light was on that someone would be in the room and hence no need for a doorbell? Wishful thinking I know but its got me stumped.

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: Another home wiring problem

....

 

[ob]

Re: Another home wiring problem

my guess- whoever wired it up - powered the primary of the doorbell transformer off the wrong terminal of the light switch. The door bell transformer is incorrectly being fed by the switch (in the light off position) instead of tied to the hot wire that comes to the light switch

Exactly.The light switch is obviously a single pole double throw type.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Another home wiring problem

The light switch is a standard room light switch - single pole, single throw.

 

[ob]

Re: Another home wiring problem

The light switch is a standard room light switch - single pole, single throw.

So,is the doorbell transformer lead connected to the live side of the switch or the output end?Or neither?Maybe a loose lead path of least resistance issue going on.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Another home wiring problem

Hers how I would fix it. I would find the door bell transformer and patch it in to fed from another circuit. Just find another wire and run off of it.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Another home wiring problem

It should be easy to figure out with a OHM meter....

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Another home wiring problem

Measure the voltage at the transformer with the light on and off.

It is likely that you will find that there is a bad connection within a junction box somewhere that is causing your problem.

 

[Lone Duck]

Re: Another home wiring problem

my guess- whoever wired it up - powered the primary of the doorbell transformer off the wrong terminal of the light switch. The door bell transformer is incorrectly being fed by the switch (in the light off position) instead of tied to the hot wire that comes to the light switch

Yup! That sounds about right

 

[Hoss the Hermit]

Re: Another home wiring problem

Measure the voltage at the transformer with the light on and off.

It is likely that you will find that there is a bad connection within a junction box somewhere that is causing your problem.

If you just wire the doorbell button to 110 volts and ground to the switch housing, the screams will let you know there's someone at the door, you can get rid of all the extra wire and that annoying chime. IMHO

 

[v1_0]

Re: Another home wiring problem

I?m puzzled by an electric anomaly at my house. There?s an electric switch next to the front door that controls the light in the foyer. The doorbell transformer, in the attic I presume, apparently is on the same circuit. Whenever the light switch is on (foyer light on) the doorbell won?t work. When I turn the switch off, the doorbell will work fine. I would have thought it would have been the opposite of what it is, but it?s not. What?s the deal?

Does it still work this way when you remove the lightbulb from the fixture in the foyer?

-V

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Another home wiring problem

Does it still work this way when you remove the lightbulb from the fixture in the foyer?

-V

An excellent question. I just now removed the lightbulb from the foyer fixture and the doorbell does NOT work regardless of the switch position. On or off, it doesn't work. I put the bulb back in and the doorbell works as long as the foyer switch is in the off position.

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Another home wiring problem

If you just wire the doorbell button to 110 volts and ground to the switch housing, the screams will let you know there's someone at the door, you can get rid of all the extra wire and that annoying chime. IMHO

LMAO!!
Hoss, I'm startin to see why you're a Hermit!

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: Another home wiring problem

It almost sounds like they have a 3 way switch in there and the doorbell xfrmr is wired across the switched poles. In the on position with the foyer light on, the "source" for the xfrmr is disconnected. Flip the switch off (with respect to the foyer light) and the xfrmr source is now powered. The xfrmr return is through the lamp element. That's why when you remove the lamp, it doesn't work in either position. Hopefully, that makes sense....

 

[joed]

Re: Another home wiring problem

You have a switch loop controling that light. The cable going to the switch from the fixture does not have a neutral wire. One wire(white) carries hot to the switch and the other wire(black) carries the switched hot back to the fixture.
Someone has cut into the switch loop looking for power for the doorbell and now the doorbell is wired in series with the light fixture. That is why the doorbell does not work when the bulb is removed. Disconnect the doorbell and find a new place to connect it that has constant power.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Another home wiring problem

You have a switch loop controling that light. The cable going to the switch from the fixture does not have a neutral wire. One wire(white) carries hot to the switch and the other wire(black) carries the switched hot back to the fixture.
Someone has cut into the switch loop looking for power for the doorbell and now the doorbell is wired in series with the light fixture. That is why the doorbell does not work when the bulb is removed. Disconnect the doorbell and find a new place to connect it that has constant power.

I really doubt that would be the problem. If it was wired like that, the bulb would be dimmed by the voltage drop across the doorbell transformer.

If you read my previous post, you need to look at the voltages at the transformer with the light switch on and off...report back and we can go from there.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Another home wiring problem

If you read my previous post, you need to look at the voltages at the transformer with the light switch on and off...report back and we can go from there.

That's not gonna happen. Getting into the attic would be a major problem and not worth it.

 

[Sig_Mech]

Re: Another home wiring problem

Close as I can figure, the easiest way to fix this without gettin all itchy in your attic would be to open up all the switch boxes and fixture boxes in the area of the foyer. Look around in the boxes for two wires that look different from the others ( most doorbell transformers use a smaller guage wire than the lighting circuit). When and if you find these wires make sure one of them is tied to the white wires in the lighting circuit then move the other wire to another black wire in the lighting circuit.
This might take some time but it will keep you out of the attic.

 

[gss036]

Re: Another home wiring problem

Most electricians will install the transformer in a juction box in a clothes closet near the door bell and is easily accessible. Look for it there.