Wiring a doorbell actually requires two wiring tasks to complete it. The chime portion of the doorbell has to have power source. This is usually a 110/120 volt circuit. The wires to the switches receive power from a transformer inside the chime box to convert them to a low voltage level. So, wiring a doorbell means wiring the chime into your home’s electrical power and wiring the switch or switches into the transformer wiring coming from the chime.
Start the wiring process by determining where to place the chime inside your house.
Most doorbells are located in a central area of the house so that they can be easily heard throughout the space. This can be a hall or on the wall of a room within easy hearing distance of the remainder of the house. Occasionally, multiple chimes are installed at various locations throughout a large residence, but more often this type of need is handled by an intercom system.
To wire a doorbell inside an existing home, seek out an uncrowded circuit that travels near the location of unit.
Tap into this wire after cutting the power to it and run the wires to the location of the doorbell. If this is not possible, you will need to open your electrical panel and add a circuit. If there are no open spaces for a new circuit, you may want to call an electrician to add to you panel if you lack the skill or experience to do so. The power coming into your electrical panel is enough to stop your heart if you make wrong move. Leave this to the professionals.
You can cut the power to the whole house and add a breaker if space allows.
Wire the white wire to the ground panel on each side or the bottom of your box. The black wire gets inserted into the breaker and secured. The bare wire will get wired in as a ground. Thread the wire to the outside of the panel and run it to your location. This can require trips to the attic, basement, or crawl space of your house.
Make a small opening in the wall near the center of where the doorbell will be attached.
Bring the wire out through this opening. You can turn the power on to your house, but leave the breaker that feeds this circuit off. Inspect the new doorbell to make sure that the opening will line up with where the wires exit the rear of the unit. Make any adjustments needed to the opening to allow the wires to pass through to your chime box.
Run the low voltage wires from this opening to the locations of the outside buttons.
This part of the job can get a little tricky if you are installing a doorbell for the first time into an existing home. Follow the same path through the wall that you used when bringing in the main power. Once you have entered the area above or below the wall, run the wires to where they will go into your outside wall. Make a hole outside where the wires will exit. Make a hole in the plate at the top or the bottom of the wall. Slide the wires through the opening until they get to the outside exit.
Sometimes, you may choose to make an opening on the inside of the house.
By cutting a clean opening in the drywall inside the house, you can have more work space to get the wires inserted and installed cleanly. The problem with this is that you have to patch the hole and repaint the area when you are finished. It can be quicker to do this than to fight with the small outside hole.
When you have completed running the wires, it is time to wire up the box and switches.
Attach the wires to the back of the outside switch or switches. Using the screws provided, attach the switch to the side of your house so that the hole behind it and the wires are concealed. Follow the instructions that come with the new doorbell for wiring the switch and power wires to the unit.
Once all of the wires are attached, screw the box to the wall.
After the doorbell is attached to the wall, replace the cover on the front of it. Turn on the power to the doorbell. Step outside and test the unit. When it rings or chimes, the job is completed.
