On Fri, 31 May 2013 12:20:11 -0400, "Jerry" wrote:

When my father-in-law comes over, usually to watch a ballgame, he always
has the TV sound down low. He says it bothers his hearing. Since FIL is
always the first one here, and other company come, they ring the door bell.
He's asked us numerous times to turn down the volume on the doorbell.

We've tried to explain it would be better if he adjusted his hearing aids,
but he insists the doorbell is too loud.

Is there a way to adjust the volume on doorbells?

It definitely depends on the kind of doorbell. Which is it,
electronic, metal bell with clapper, door chime (two xylophone bars
with a striker inside)?

I actually had this problem. When I got the house, it had one chime
in the front hall. I spend all my time in the workshop in the baement
and couldnt' hear the chime. So next to the doorbell transformer, I
connect a bell with a clapper that I'd had for 20 years. Worked
fine.

Then I saw a nicer door chime for sale 66% off. Bought that and put
it in the front hall, moved the old one to the basement, put the
clapper one back in the storage box.

Now neither chime worked well. I had to get a bigger doorbell
transformer. Everything was fine I thought, until years later.

3 or 4 years later, a neighbor said that every time the mailman or UPS
man rang my doorbell when I was out, the burglar alarm went off!!! It
reset before I got home, and I wasn't subscribed to any alarm service
so no one had told me before (Most of my neighbors are also at work
when the mailman comes)

The glass and wood breakage detectors would set off the alarm. I have
two of them, one facing the front door and front sliding glass door,
and one facing the back sliding glass door.

I was unwilling to make them less sensitive so I had to make the door
chime quieter. (This would probably work for a bell too, although
for a bell, just put tape over the bell. ).

You don't need one, but I have a resistor substitution box, that
simulates any resistor from 0.01 ohms to 100 million ohms, maybe less
and more. I connected it between the transformer and the upstairs
chime and found a value that didnt' set off the alarm. Then I lowered
it to almost the minimum value (maxiimum sound) that didn't set off
the alarm. Then I used a fixed resistor of the same value in place of
the resistor box.

But you don't need a box. Cut some resistors out of a scrap radio or
tv or something and try each one (use wires with alligator clips at
each end, 10 for $4.50 at radio shack. Thousands of uses, If you
string 3 in a row, you won't need to stand on anything after you hook
one end of each string to the doorbell..) and use the one that sounds
about right. Maybe your fil will help you choose. You don't have to
solder. Just leave it attached by alligator wires until he goes home.
Then you can screw the wire back to the door bell or chime or you can
just let the two loose alligator clips bite each other. (I had an open
primary ignition wire in a car once and used a 2-foot wire with
alligator clips under the hood for 3 years and 30,000 miles, until the
car failed for other reasons. Right now my bedroom TV speaker is
connected for the last 5 months with alligator clips.