Doorbell Wiring Question

[ffemtdisp]

If I have posted this in the wrong area, please move it.

My in laws built their house in about 1972. This year they replaced the roof and re-sided and generally spruced the place. (The place is nicely maintained I should add.)

They have a nice looking set of vintage door chimes inside the front door. The catch is they don't work. They never got around to hooking them up. I thought I would try to be a good son in law and try to accomplish that.

There is a cable from the chime unit that runs to the basement near the ceiling. I tested it and it is intact. I will need a 16 V transformer per the manual for the chimes which my father in law maintained.

There is a once exposed wire beside the front door that the siding crew hooked up to a standard door bell button.

My problem is, I cannot locate the other end of it!!!

I have searched along the outside wall around the perimeter. My in laws don't recall where it might be. I don't want to start tearing new siding/boards off to chase it.

Is there some type of a wireless doorbell switch option that I can retro-fit to control the old chimes?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks for reading!

 

[readhead]

Pull the interior door casing and run a new wire. Reinstall casing, done.

 

[LXCam]

Well you could pick up the cheapest wireless set up and test the output voltage to the speaker or chime. If it's the correct voltage you could give it a shot but most likely it won't be. The next option is to buy a relay that the coil voltage is compatible with that output then wire the existing chime off a dedicated transformer.

 

[JTG]

Was there another door bell unit installed before the current vintage one? If so was it installed in the same location? Maybe the wire from the front door is going to somewhere else in the house.

 

[ffemtdisp]

Was there another door bell unit installed before the current vintage one? If so was it installed in the same location? Maybe the wire from the front door is going to somewhere else in the house.

No, this is the 1st and only one. I can get power to the transformer (when I get one for them) and I can hook the unit to the (soon to be powered & installed) transformer, but getting the doorbell button hooked to the unit is the issue.

I was just wondering if there was a wireless send/receive unit from outside to close a switch at the vintage doorbell unit.

 

[BillK]

Are you sure the wire from the door button doesn't go to the chime itself ? Could it possible have been run up into the attic, that's where mine goes.