Adding a second Door Bell Ringer?

[coolspot]

Is there a way of adding a second door bell ringer to the second floor? Are normal door bells capable of chaining a second unit to the first?

[pkguy]

Is your doorbell a wired or wireless doorbell?
Generally no if it's an older mechanical 24v chime. These days the easiest route is to just replace the old wired sets with a new wireless set and order a second set of matching chimes for another floor. It may be just as cheap to buy two identical sets .

[BuildingHomes]

You can always add a second ding-dong to the second floor, but as mentioned, it may be cost prohibative to get the wiring up to the second floor, install a new dinger and replace the power supply with a bigger one.

A wireless relay costs very little. You put a wireless notification unit next to your existing dinger, and then put a receiver/dinger somewhere else in the house. When the notification unit hears a ding-dong, it then tells the other one to make noise.

[Dolfan-Neil]

I've got one of the wireless relays, bought it at Home Depot as I can never hear the doorbell when I am in the basement.

The one problem I have with it is that one of my dog barks and gets the right pitch that it causes the extender to ring.

Just something I have learned to live with. It's better than not hearing the doorbell at all.

[coolspot]

A wireless relay costs very little. You put a wireless notification unit next to your existing dinger, and then put a receiver/dinger somewhere else in the house. When the notification unit hears a ding-dong, it then tells the other one to make noise.

I think that's what I'm going to do; I saw at Canadian Tire they have an "Extend-A-Chime" which wires into the existing door bell and transmits the a signal to a wireless receiver. Only 39.99 which I'm sure is cheaper than than fishing a cable to the second floor.

Home Depot has somthing similar, but unforunately the device requires batteries.

Now just have to hunt down some stock...

Does anyone know where the door bell transformer is normally placed?

[BuildingHomes]

Does anyone know where the door bell transformer is normally placed?

Right at the electrical panel. It will either be a transformer nailed to the wall, or protruding from a knockout on the panel.

[coolspot]

Thanks for all the replies; I got an extend-a-chime from Canadian Tire and it works great. It wires into the door bell itself so the transmitter does not require any batteries!

The door chime itself plugs into the wall, again requiring no batteries :D

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444329 9557&bmUID=1240973071101