There has been an increase in doorbell related issues. The vast majority of these issues involve the doorbell chime buzzing, vibrating or not working at all. In almost all cases, the doorbell chime is a model made by NuTone, the most popular doorbell chime in new home construction. We have spoken to NuTone’s tech department and the issues stem from NuTone sourcing parts from multiple suppliers in China. Some of the components are of substandard quality and so those units have issues with video doorbells being connected. NuTone only tests these chimes with a regular doorbell button, but because a video doorbell constantly draws electricity to power the LED, Wi-Fi radio, etc., the doorbell chime can’t regulate this power draw and as a result, these issues occur. The chime sees it almost as if someone is just slightly pressing a regular doorbell button just enough to allow power to pass through the small solenoids that move the small plungers up and down that strike the chimes that create the “ding dong.” This constant “connection” causes the chime to hum, buzz and is some cases the solenoids turn into little heating elements, which eventually causes the plastic tips of the plungers to melt, causing the chime to fail. These issues affect all brands and types of video doorbells.
The best solution is for the electrician to switch to one of the manufacturer-recommended chimes listed below. We understand that these recommended chimes may be a little harder to source than the NuTone, but the extra effort will result in far less service issues.
An immediate, but not long term solution is to replace the NuTone chime with a brand new NuTone chime. This will fix the problem in most cases, but not all. If you schedule a service call where both Safe Haven and your electrician are there at the same time, this will reduce the number of service calls your homeowners need to deal with.
SkyBell Recommendations
Due to increasing compatibility issues with certain chimes, especially digital chimes and chimes manufactured by Nutone, please use a mechanical chime listed below. These chimes are recommended by Alarm.com.
- Newhouse Hardware, Model CHM1
- Byron, Model 771
- Heath Zenith SL-27102
Transformer
- A SkyBell Doorbell Camera requires 16–24 VAC, 10 VA. There should be no other devices wired to this transformer (address lights, outdoor lighting, etc.)
Wiring
- 18 gauge, solid wire is highly recommended by Skybell and most doorbell manufacturers. Smaller gauge or Cat5/6 wire can cause large voltage drops and interference.
For any additional questions, please contact: