Does your doorbell ring softly or not at all? This could have an effect on your social life if you don't check into what could be causing this easily-fixed problem. Take a few minutes to inspect the bell hardware, follow this advice and pretty soon people will be knocking down your door!
- Check Clappers or Plungers. Bells or chimes usually don't work if their clappers or plungers are dirty. If your doorbell is dirty, the ring usually sounds muffled or muted. Take off the cover to the chimes or bells and inspect the points that strike the chime or bell for dirt. When the gong and clappers on a doorbell unit or the plungers on a mechanical chime unit get dirty and dusty, dip a cotton swab in alcohol to clean them. You can also use an old toothbrush and lighter fluid on the clappers and plungers. These parts look like springs or coils on both the doorbell unit and the chime unit. Warning: Do not clean electric chimes because it will ruin them.
- Check Rubber Grommets in Chimes. If the rubber grommets that are attached to the chimes are hard or brittle, it can result in very muted tones when the chimes are rung. Replacing the grommets can give a clear ring to your chimes. Rubber grommets can be found at your local hardware store. You simply attach the grommets to the support holes of the tone bars.
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