Door bell transformer - were is it?

[KMinAF]

Is there a common place that builders (circa 1985) would put the door bell transformer? I have crawled all over the attic following wires that disappear into the wall below with no luck.

 

[CNGsaves]

Look down by the furnace if in unfinished basement.

 

[brownbagg]

attic

 

[69gp]

Look down by the furnace if in unfinished basement.

transformer near the furnace may be for the thermostats. i would check under or around the breaker panel.

 

[TractorJeff]

Mine was screwed to the side of the circuit breaker box.

 

[pawel]

Mine is in the attic attached to the electrical box for the light.

 

[CNGsaves]

transformer near the furnace may be for the thermostats. i would check under or around the breaker panel.

^ ^ ^ ^ This too. My current house has it next to main electrical panel - - this house was built in 1955 and furnace is in different part of the basement.

Prior house was much newer (built 1988) and it had doorbell transformer near the furnace on open studs in unfinished basement. However, the furnace was only about 10 ft from the main electrical panel.

Both of these houses had full basements with main panel and furnace in basements.

 

[LB-1911]

Is there a common place that builders (circa 1985) would put the door bell transformer? I have crawled all over the attic following wires that disappear into the wall below with no luck.

As you see the answer to a common place is - No -

Check around your electric water heater & inside your hallway closet(s).

Good Luck

 

[kenners]

Mine is in a hall closet (high up by ceiling). Less than 3' from the actual bell chimes. House built around 1979.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Up in the joists in the basement relatively near your doorbell button...

Tommy

 

[ambenz]

....any electrical conduit box can hold the transformer....go figure!
Mine is on a 4X4 conduit box in the basement between the joist, for the front door light switch power feed... almost halfway between the front and back door... 1949 house.
It could be anywhere...when mine fails or I decide to get a new system, the transformer is going on the circuit breaker box.

 

[Jay H 237]

My parent's house, built in 1989, it's actually INSIDE the panel box mounted on the bottom. Only discovered it when we pulled the panel cover off to add another breaker and circuit dedicated for outdoor Xmas lights.

 

[UpNorther]

look next to furnace

 

[redmondjp]

look next to furnace

Or over the water heater. Usually sticking out of the wall on a junction box cover, half-drywalled over.

 

[zeeke]

+1 screwed to the side of the circuit breaker box.

 

[TLCObsession]

Mine is in a hall closet (high up by ceiling). Less than 3' from the actual bell chimes. House built around 1979.

Usually for the houses I have been involved with and built - front hall closet.

 

[77Mini]

Most of the ones I have seen are mounted on an electrical box in the basement.

 

[nehog]

Mine was screwed to the side of the circuit breaker box.

So is mine, built in 1983/84.

 

[CNGsaves]

One more for hall closet . . . . . .
. . . . I remembered I wired my BIL's house for all internet/CATV/phone and his was inside the hall coat closet above the trim board of door !!

 

[BearsFan315]

mine is attached to a joist in the crawl space. wide open !!

 

[bczygan]

On a joist in the basement. 1940's house.

Follow the wires.

 

[BillK]

Mine is in the attic right above where the doorbell is. House built in 1978

 

[Lassen Forge]

It could be anywhere...

The house from the late teens / early 20's, it was part of the doorbell assembly (AC ran to the bell, then a pair of wires ran to the button). . House was built in the 30's, it was nailed to a floor joist about 10' from the electric panel in the basement... the one from the 40's, it was in the hall closet. 50's, the attic above the front door. The (urban) one from the 70's was in the heater/AC closet next to the one for the thermostat. The one we live in now (mid 70's) is hanging off the front door - it's called a knocker. (No doorbell ever installed).

SO I guess tha short answer is to start from the post the doorbell is attached to, check the basement/crawl space to find the wires coming from it, if you can't find them do the same in the attic.

IF you have a friend with a wire tracer (puts a beep beep beep through the wire with a handheld detector you trace the wire with) it makes it a LOT easier - you hook it up at the doorbell terminal and then follow the beeping wire back to the transformer.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Could be any where, no standard location.

 

[dw1]

If you have a basement look directly below where the chime is and follow the wires, if no basement (or wires there) look in your attic above the chime, follow the wires, xfrmer probably covered with insulation if in the attic.

 

[Nowater]

In the garage close to the ceiling.

 

[oldmxracer]

+1 screwed to the side of the circuit breaker box.

Mine was on the top of the box, took awhile to find the darn thing !

 

[Gokart]

I had a doorbell in my old house that wouldn't work. I checked for voltage and found nothing, so I suspected a bad transformer, but I couldn't find it. I finally gave up and installed a battery operated wireless doorbell. A year later I need to do some work in the load center, so I take the cover off and I found the old, dead transformer in the bottom of the tub.

 

[Cyberbear]

There is no rhyme or reason why the builders put the door bell transformers where they do. Mine was located inside a kitchen wall cabinet near the ceiling, but try searching all over the house, it may turn up anywhere.

 

[coljar]

Mine is above the water heater next to the furnace. I had to install a different one when I added a second door chime, because we added on to the house.

 

[upndown]

In AZ, I've seen many by the receptacle that the garage door opener plugs into, on the ceiling.

 

[gungatim]

Mine was screwed to the side of the circuit breaker box.

that's where they usually are, since they need power, I've always seen them attached to the box or quite close by.

 

[95riosnake]

Mine was also near the breaker box in the basement, mounted to a floor joist above it.

 

[bad_idea]

Front hall closet up high.

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

Ranch house here...
Chime is in the middle of the house, about halfway between the front doorbell and the back doorbell.
Below the chime, in the basement, near the telephone junction box, is where the transformer is.
Years ago while doing a basement remodel a worker was driving a screw and the doorbelll starting going off constantly....the screw hit the wires and shorted them together.

 

[CJ7VFR]

Up in the joists in the basement relatively near your doorbell button...

Tommy

Mine too. Hooked to a joist in the basement, but it is about halfway in between where the front and back door are located.

My house was built in 1956.

Jim

 

[Kevin54]

Mine is on a rafter in the attic. My dad had his on a floor joist in the basement.

 

[Todd.Brock]

I have an unfinished basement with pull chain lights. It's mounted to the outside of one of the junction box. Old house, it was screwed to joists right by the front door

 

[dave*99]

I have an unfinished basement with pull chain lights. It's mounted to the outside of one of the junction boxes.

Me too. Built in 1986.

 

[nadogail]

Mine, built in '88, is in the laundry room across from the sub panel, high on the wall in a corner next to the ceiling.