Can I have Multiple Door Chimes on Standard Bell Wire?

[FussyLady]

Hi all,

I'm looking at putting 3 wired chimes in different locations around the house (with two bell pushes). I don't want to go wireless as we've tried this in the past and nothing seems to last more than 6 months.

I've been advised that I will probably need a 3Amp transformer rather than the more common 1Amp bell transformer. If we have a 3 Amp transformer can we still lay standard bell wire or will we need to upgrade this to something else?

I want to get the wires in whilst we have floor boards up as with 2 pushes and 3 chimes we end up with quite a bit of wire!

 

[Taylortwocities]

That is good advice. a normal transformer is only good for one bell chime.



EDIT: The standard bell wire is
1/0.6mm copper 22AWG (23SWG)
The maximum is 1.8amp.
For 3amp you'll need to use something like 0.75mm² twin cable. And that will include the wires to the bell push..

 

[FussyLady]

Thanks. The person that advised me to use a 3amp transformer said we could use ordinary bell wire which I wasn't convinced about.

However in the meantime we have bought a load of bell wire. Can we just double it, ie use two cores for each connection so that load is effectively shared?

 

[Alarm]

Why not drop in a decent door entry system?
Then it rings and you can talk/view the persons calling.
Something like Comelit ( not associated with them ) or others can run on standard alarm cable.
One pair, no need for coaxial.

 

[FussyLady]

Don't really want a door entry system to be honest. Neither house nor area imply a need for such a system and my hearing is bad enough to make talking over such devices difficult. Just need to position chimes so that I can hear them easily

 

[bernardgreen]

The bell push should be one that can switch the current for two chimes without reducing it's life too much. Or be prepared to change the bell push more often than expected.

 

[FussyLady]

The bell push should be one that can switch the current for two chimes without reducing it's life too much. Or be prepared to change the bell push more often than expected.

Confused by this - all the bell push does is complete a circuit; how does it "know" how many chimes it is affecting.

For 3amp you'll need to use something like 0.75mm² twin cable.

This seems a bit overkill at 8-12V? Still wondering if I could double up ordinary bell wire with a three amp transformer at 8-12V to increase load bearing capacity?

 

[bernardgreen]

Confused by this - all the bell push does is complete a circuit; how does it "know" how many chimes it is affecting.

As you say the bell push completes a circuit and break it when push is released. When the circuit is brokn by the contacts opening there is an arc until the contacts are far enough apart for the arc to also break, The arc removes a few atoms of the contacts each time it happens so the contacts wear out over time. The more current that is flowing when the contact open the larger the arc.

Good quality pushes will switch two chimes for a fw years before the contacts wear out ( unless you have a lot of visitors ).

This seems a bit overkill at 8-12V?

The volts determine the thickness of insulation required and the amps determine the thickness of the copper.



Use the thicker cable to the door bell push and from a jucntion box at the transformer run separate bell flex leads to each of the chimes.

Larger cable may be needed as the voltage drop along a long length of bell flex may mean the chime is a bit sluggish to operate,

Still wondering if I could double up ordinary bell wire with a three amp transformer at 8-12V to increase load bearing capacity?

Yes you can but make a single "wire" by doubling up the two wires in one flex. That way there is very little risk of twisting the wrong wires together at the far end.

 

[FussyLady]

....The more current that is flowing when the contact open the larger the arc

That makes sense; I never considered arcs.

Use the thicker cable to the door bell push and from a jucntion box at the transformer run separate bell flex leads to each of the chimes.

The wiring diagram we have daisy chains the chimes to run in parallel rather than taking them all back to transformer. The bell pushes are then wired to the 1st and 3rd chime. Effectively the two bell pushes create different circuits so that I get different sounds at front and back door

The volts determine the thickness of insulation required.

Now, that's interesting and something I had never realised.

but make a single "wire" by doubling up the two wires in one flex

Yes, this was my intention. Currently have different coloured bits of tape on each end of the wires laid so that we know which is which. We can test them, but coloured tape gives us a starting point.


Thave come across this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/12V-Black-Red-Power-Cable/dp/B0042AFASQ which I thought might be worth a try.

 

[JohnW2]

Doesn't this whole discussion depend upon the nature of the 'chimes'. If they are electronic (rather than electromagnetic), then the current demand of even three of them might be very low - possibly low enough for a 1A transformer and bell wire?

Kind Regards, John.

 

[FussyLady]

The guy at Byron told me I would need a 3amp transformer. Hence the starting question

 

[Alarm]

Well your certainly fussy

Mains wireless bell chimes would probably suit your purposes.
Then, the clever bit, put a tramsformer onto the bell push instead of the battery.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mains-Wireless-Wirefree-Doorbell-Cordless/dp/B0014S6OL6

Works every time, and you can always move them room to room.

 

[FussyLady]

Works every time, and you can always move them room to room.

Works every time for the first few months and then everything gives up the ghost and new batteries don't have an impact

 

[Alarm]

Where are there batteries?
Mains fed chimes and a transformer fitted to the bell push.

I have given you the best advice possible, and have actually done as described for a client.

Your really too fussy.

 

[FussyLady]

Sorry, long day, missed the bit about transformer to bell push. Have had the plug in chimes before though and had problems with those too.

Not adverse to giving another try with the bell push variation but just in case it doesn't work I would like to lay cables for the fully wired method whilst we have the floor up. Much easier than wishing we had done this at a later date.