An Easy Home Improvement Project

by : Linden J. Walhard



One of the best ways to know that someone is at your front door is to have a doorbell for them to ring. You don't want guests standing on your doorstep believing you are rude because you do not come to answer the door.

Installing a new doorbell is so easy even the non do-it-yourselfer can do it. One of the easiest ways to install a new doorbell is to buy a wireless doorbell. No installation, just stick it up with the self adhesive. A doorbell is actually a small transmitter, and when a button is pushed, a signal is sent to a bell which acts as a receiver.

If you decide to install a wireless doorbell, you can buy more than one chime unit and attach it to the same bell, for more, or more interesting sounds.

A wireless doorbell can be run on a battery, or on household current, and you plug it into an outlet. If you use the electric kind, you will not have to worry about constantly changing batteries. If installing a standard doorbell is easy, installing or replacing a wireless one is a real no-brainer. Most of your time will be spent choosing the style of doorbell!

To install a wireless doorbell, remove the old doorbell swath with a flat screwdriver, tape up the wires, stick them in the old hole and put the new doorbell over the hole. In the inside of the house, plug in the chime unit.

This whole process, including taking out the old doorbell should not take more than 1/2 hour. You will need the simplest of tools, such as a flat screwdriver and tape.

You should turn off the electrical power to the existing doorbell before you cut the wires. It is prudent to do this, even though the voltage is probably low. But you may have higher voltage, and this could be dangerous.

If you decide to install a wired doorbell, here are the step by step instructions: Remove the old switch. Take out the screws. Disconnect the wires, cut and trim them if necessary. Discard the old switch. If wire ends are frayed, pull wires out and trim to equal lengths. Strip 1/2 inch insulation from each wire. Connect wires to the terminals on the new switch. Tighten the screws. Feed the wires back through the hole and put new switch flush against wall. Put the power back on and test the unit.

If you are installing a new chime unit, use the same process, but make a wiring schematic and put the same wires on the same terminals when re-stalling. This step was not important in installing the button because there are only two wires.