Different color wires on new doorbell transformer....

ConstantChange

I know. I know. I just liked the one that had the temperature probe. My mechanic used his when testing out the A/C in my truck this summer.

I'll probably get a cheap one, but I was hoping this new transformer would do the trick and I wouldn't have to get one at all.

LawnGuyLandSparky

Take the chime down (label where the wires went before you disconnect them) Bring the chime to the transformer and run 1 wire from the transformer output (either one doesn't matter) to the com/comm/common terminal, and touch another wire from the transformer's other terminal to "door" or "1" and see if the transformer can drive the chime.

Some chimes are crappy builder's specials, and can burn out their coil if the pushbutton ever gets stuck.

RichyL

The black lead coming out of the transformer wirenut that to the black 120 volt wire. The white lead to the white 120 volt wire. Green to the bare (ground) wire. Turn the power back on. Try pushing the doorbell button, if it doesnt work trying removing the doorbell, back out the screws completely and touching the two wires together briefly, if the chime is still not working at this point you may need to verify low voltage from the transformer and get a meter. And yes it is possible for the transformer to go bad if wired wrong. When you screwed the new doorbell in did you use longer screws? If you hit the wire screwing in the doorbell, which i hope is not the case, your transformer COULD blow everytime. In that case you will probably need to check for continuity to make sure the 2 wires arent constantly touching. I dont know how likely it is that a chime can go bad, I have never experienced this but i guess that could also be a very remote possibility. Hope this helps

ConstantChange

I never even attempted to screw the new switch in places since it wasn't working. Now I just have two wires sticking out of a hole next to the door. I've just been touching them together to test things out. I figured once it was working that way, I would try to reinstall the switch.

RichyL

Have you taken off the chime cover yet? Maybe one of the strikers got stuck or something, or a spring popped off lol

ConstantChange

Yeah, I took off the cover. Everything looks fine. I can manually move the striker and make the doorbell sound.

RichyL

I hope this helps

http://www.thehomeshow.com/hih/howto...ls/dbells.html

Piedmont

Well, just an FYI it doesn't take much to fry a doorbell transformer. Well, one purchased at Home Depot anyway. My doorbell didn't work, I replaced the switch and chime and still no go. I replaced the transformer, turned on the breaker and the transformer made a humming noise. I tried the system out, no go. Went back to the transformer (after about 10 minutes of fooling around) and it wasn't humming anymore. Nothing I did could make it hum and the thing was damn hot, I had blown it. Purchased another, hooked it into the panel, no humming. Hooked in the wires to chime and it started humming. Unhooked the wires to chime, humming stopped. Moved chime to transformer and hooked in new wires, no humming. That told me there was a short between the doorbell and chime. Replaced them and my doorbell light came on and everything was great.

Lessons learned, a humming transformer means it's being used, and if you don't have your doorbell hooked up it shouldn't be humming. After about 10 minutes of humming it will blow if a cheap one at Home Depot, maybe others will as well.

Do you have a back doorbell hooked into the system?

ConstantChange

Nope, just the one at the front door.

joed

Good way to blow out the transformer if it was any good.

ConstantChange

Well, I bought a voltage tester and tested everything out. The old transformer seems to be working fine. Its output is 18.5v, which should be fine. The wires at the door are dead. I guess when I took the old switch off and pulled the wires out of the hole so I could work with them I somehow broke one of the wires or snagged it on a staple or something.

I went in the attic and was able to locate what I think is the wire going from the transformer to the door. I guess I'll just have to cut it right before it goes down into the wall and test it there to see if the break is before or after that point. I have no idea how I would be able to run a new piece of wire from the attic to the hole outside by the door. I don't have one of those nice flexible things I could feed up from the hole into the attic like the professionals do.

I'm not giving up just yet!!!

ConstantChange

Just to make sure I'm doing it right since I've never used a volt meter before. When I test the wires at the switch. I should just hold one probe to the red wire and the other to the white wire, correct? I assume I should see a reading between 10-18v.

I was getting a reading of 0.00 when I held the probes to both wires.

RichyL

does your meter have different volt ranges or functions? Make sure its on voltage, try testing on a receptacle first to veryify its working. Put one probe into the grounded slot of the receptacle then one in the small slot. Keep your fingers away from the leads. Verify power at your power source using AC voltage. Might be labeled as a V with a squiggly line over it. To test the transformer try the same thing as before or you might have to switch the meter to DC current, lemme know how it goes
RIch

RichyL

Sorry didnt read your previous post.

joed

You don't need to cut the wire to test it. Just strip a small section on each wire and then short it together. Listen if the chime rings. Before you do that go to the chime unit and test it there. The button wires should run to the chime unit.
The power wires should run to the chime unit not the button. See if you have voltage at the chime.