I didn't know a doorbell could confuse me.

January 4, 2010 10:25 AM

Broken doorbell button. Do I have to buy a new chime?

Yesterday I noticed that the doorbell button on our front porch is broken. It's pretty ugly anyway, so I have no problem replacing it - but do I have to replace the whole doorbell system at the same time? Looking at Lowe's and Home Depot, I see that most if not all of their replacement buttons specify "works with Heath Zenith Low Voltage Chime System".

I have absolutely no idea what type my existing doorbell is - there's no label on the chime unit in the house. Can I just buy one of these buttons and use it with my existing doorbell, or do I have to buy a whole new chime and everything?

posted by pdb to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

Best answer: You can buy one of the buttons, it's really simple to replace it. The wires attach with screws on the back. And the new one will no doubt have a working light in it-- very satisfying to see that when it gets dark.
posted by No New Diamonds Please at 10:30 AM on January 4, 2010

Best answer: As far as I know, doorbells are all the same low voltage, so you can just replace the button. It's like a light switch - you can replace a switch without replacing the light itself.

As a matter of fact, I installed a new doorbell button a few years ago - just picked up a basic one at Home Depot - and it was as easy to install as a new lightswitch.
posted by kdern at 10:31 AM on January 4, 2010

If you remove the button, you'll see it's attached to two small wires. Disconnect those wires from the button. If you touch the wires together and the doorbell rings, the problem is just a broken button. If you touch them together and the bell doesn't ring, then the chime itself may have failed.
posted by jon1270 at 10:40 AM on January 4, 2010

Response by poster: jon1270 - the chime definitely works, this would appear to be a random act of vandalism (there was a bunch of empty bottles, various debris and crap in our yard yesterday) so I just need to replace the button which was broken...

thanks all for the info. Off to replace a doorbell button!
posted by pdb at 10:45 AM on January 4, 2010