another sparky ques...
 

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[Closed] another sparky question, old doorbell

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 DT78
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turns out the old doorbell has a live mains connection. what's the easiest way of decommissioning this?

obviously the best way is to rip up floorboards dig the wire out of the wall to disconnect at source however this is going to be a lot of disruption.

Any other ideas? tempted to dig out a big enough stretch I can wire to a junction box and pop in the ceiling void.

it's about a foot below ceiling level next to the front door.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 8:00 am
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what you suggest is probably what I would do.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 8:29 am
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Just connect it. That'll learn the cold callers.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 8:31 am
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Was it really switching 240v at a bell push?

CAn you work out which circuit it’s connected to by switching them off one at a time? It’s probably spurred off the lighting which might make it easier to find the other end.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 8:44 am
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I think I'd try and find the other end first. Likely to be into a ceiling rose or at the consumer unit


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 8:46 am
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It’s probably spurred off the lighting which might make it easier to find the other end.

must be 30 years ago but I remember my mum's house having one that died and as suggested above was spurred off a ceiling rose

edit

Was it really switching 240v at a bell push?
No I recall the bell box had a transformer in it and guess it was 12v or so at the bell push


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:24 am
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I'm a sparkie and here's my opinion. Buy a wireless kit with a buzzer and a chime. Far less heartache


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:30 am
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I had a redundant transformer still wired up for years after we switched to a battery bell box. It decided to go on fire one day and filled the cellar with smoke, ancient 1940s bakelite and varnish thing. Luckily we were in the house or it might have got very burny downy. Trace the thing back properly and terminate in a junction box.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:20 am
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If you can find where the mains connection is then disconnect that and leave everything in place. Replace bell push with a wireless job as mentioned above ^^^


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:26 am
 DT78
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its definitely not used no evodence of the actual bell. it says transformer like mentioned above and when I took the cover off there is some blackening hence want to remove it pretty sharpish.

have tried testing all the circuits yet to see where it's spurred from. it 'looks like a sizable wire hence thought it not likely to be lighting.

the joys of renovating 🙂


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 11:29 am
 DT78
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Well turns out the alarm system was spurred off the doorbell?! And the doorbell had its own separate loop marked 'lights' on the consumer unit. And then the alarm was earthed in a light switch backbox.


 
Posted : 25/10/2017 7:47 am

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