Boden wrote in :

Red Green wrote:
"Bill" wrote in
:


Wired doorbells have a transformer which is always on and always
using electricity. This is yet one more thing in the house which does
this like TV, microwave, remote control things, things with clocks,
plug-in phones, etc.

These things add up...

I replaced/rewired my switch so the transformer is only on when the
doorbell button is pressed! Thus the transformer is off most of the
time now.

I installed a regular electrical box at my front door, ran 14 ga.
romex from this box to the doorbell transformer, then got a nice
brass blank wall plate, drilled a hole in this plate, then installed
a 120V momentary push switch in the plate. Then wired this to switch
on the transformer when the button is pressed. Then connected the two
wires which were going to the old button so the doorbell would ring
as soon as it receives power from the transformer.





It's probably stamped right on it but I never looked. Any idea how
many watts it's uses in it's standby state?

This whole thread is about chasing the "little yellow hole in the
snow."
It's trivial.

When the bell is not ringing, the current that is measured is largely
reactive or imaginary current. It is the current determined by the
transformer's magnetizing inductance. The only dissipation is some
small core heating and trivial wire losses. The true dissipation is
far less than what most are calculating by multiplying measured volts
and measured current.

Worry about something important...like preserving the US Constitution.

Boden



Yellow holes in snow are not trivial.

Watch out where the huskies go and dont you eat that yellow snow. [Frank
Zappa]