Wiring for 2 doorbell chimes

I have not been able to find help on the internet for my particular situation:

I have an existing doorbell installation with one button (front) and one chime on the main floor. The problem is that when in the basement you cannot hear the chime upstairs if someone rings the doorbell. I would like to install a second chime in the basement. Can this be done with the existing wiring? The transformer is located in the basement.

Thanks.

 

It can be done. You need to take two wires from the existing chime to the new one in the basement. Though you will need to change out the transformer to a heavier one. Find a distributer that sells "nutone" products and buy a model number 301T and that will boost the output volt amps to drive to door chimes. Any furthur holler.

 

get a new chime....on it should be markings such as trans./front/back...or T/F/B...T/F/R...anyway the T is the transformer connection...

Find the wire that goes from the transformer to the original chime and splice another wire onto it, connect this wire to the transformer connection on your new chime.

Find the wire that goes from the front button to the original chime, splice another wire on, and connect to the front connection on the new chime...same for the rear button if applicable.

The splices in this type of wiring are no big deal as the voltage is usually only 6-10 volts.

hope this helps, post back if necessary

 

I recently just did this at my home.

You put them in parallel

You need to get a 3 wire cable to go from the first chime to the second chime

Screw 1 wire from the first chime one goes to screw 1 of the second chime.

Common screw on the first chime to common screw of the second chime.

Screw two on the first chime to to screw 2 of second chime.

You may need to replace the transformer feeding power for the doorbell system from 16 volts to up to 24 volts to handle the extra load of a second doorbell sounding device.

Hope this helps

 

Ahhhhh...didn't think about upping the Trans. rating.....good catch Light and thanks...hate to think I gave someone bad advice.

 

Thank you for your responses. I was afraid I'd have to fish wire, but oh well. Luckily the wall where the existing chime's located is directly above the unfinished part of the basement so it's a straight shot. I can even see the wire exiting thru the floor joists. For some reason I thought I could simply connect a new chime to the existing transformer but upon thinking about it didn't really make sense. Thanks again.

 

I'll bet you won't have to buy a new transformer. I'd suspect that the existing transfomer will be a little oversize to start with and besides, someone isn't going to be leaning on the doorbell all day long. The transformer only needs to supply power to the circuit for an instant and most transfomers can be 100 percent overloaded of a brief time. If it were my house I'd just try paralleling the door bell and see what happens. The worst that happen is that the transformer smokes a winding, but you were going to replace it anyway.