Minimum wire size for doorbell?
 

The system uses a 24V transformer. I am not sure of the current draw.
I have extra 24 gauge wires available from an old phone system and I'd
like to use them (I won't have to rip open any walls.) I'm guessing 24
gauge is "probably" okay but not the best. (I can't pull the old phone
wires and install a new 18 gauge (???) cable, there are too many
staples along the path.)

What is the normal wire size for this situation?

Greetings,

Most phone cord has 4 wires (some has two). You can combine two and
two of these wires to help eliminate your concerns.

Hope this helps,
William

Joseph Meehan wrote:
wrote:
The system uses a 24V transformer. I am not sure of the current draw.
I have extra 24 gauge wires available from an old phone system and I'd
like to use them (I won't have to rip open any walls.) I'm guessing
24 gauge is "probably" okay but not the best. (I can't pull the old
phone wires and install a new 18 gauge (???) cable, there are too many
staples along the path.)

What is the normal wire size for this situation?

It is more a factor of distance than current. If you have a long run
that 24 gauge may have too much voltage loss and the bell may not function
properly.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit


Greetings,

If you have too much voltage drop simply use an 18 V buzzer or even a
12 V buzzer instead of the 24 V buzzer you were originally going to
install. It is a lot easier to substitute a different buzzer than to
open the walls.

Hope this helps,
William

William

In article .com,
wrote:

Joseph Meehan wrote:
wrote:
The system uses a 24V transformer. I am not sure of the current draw.
I have extra 24 gauge wires available from an old phone system and I'd
like to use them (I won't have to rip open any walls.) I'm guessing
24 gauge is "probably" okay but not the best. (I can't pull the old
phone wires and install a new 18 gauge (???) cable, there are too many
staples along the path.)

What is the normal wire size for this situation?

It is more a factor of distance than current. If you have a long run
that 24 gauge may have too much voltage loss and the bell may not function
properly.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit


Greetings,

If you have too much voltage drop simply use an 18 V buzzer or even a
12 V buzzer instead of the 24 V buzzer you were originally going to
install. It is a lot easier to substitute a different buzzer than to
open the walls.


Another option is to use a 24v relay to activate the bell. the button circuit
only has to carry enough current to pull in the relay.

We used a setup like this at a radio station that I worked for. The circuit ran
over 10kft (~2miles) on 22 gauge telephone wire. The circuit was used to
provide positive control of the transmitter, so that a cable cut would not
leave the transmitter on the air. The same cable carried the program audio,
and phone lines from the studio PBX..


--
-- Welcome My Son, Welcome To The Machine --
Bob Vaughan | techie @ tantivy.net |
| P.O. Box 19792, Stanford, Ca 94309 |
-- I am Me, I am only Me, And no one else is Me, What could be simpler? --

Good grief, lots of answers here, eh?

24 gauge should do fine for a doorbell buzzer. It's
easily capable of 0.1A over a long run and is even
bigger than some of the supplied wiring on new bells
these days.

wrote in message
oups.com...
The system uses a 24V transformer. I am not sure of
the current draw.
I have extra 24 gauge wires available from an old
phone system and I'd
like to use them (I won't have to rip open any
walls.) I'm guessing 24
gauge is "probably" okay but not the best. (I can't
pull the old phone
wires and install a new 18 gauge (???) cable, there
are too many
staples along the path.)

What is the normal wire size for this situation?

" wrote:


Joseph Meehan wrote:
wrote:
The system uses a 24V transformer. I am not sure of the current draw.
I have extra 24 gauge wires available from an old phone system and I'd
like to use them (I won't have to rip open any walls.) I'm guessing
24 gauge is "probably" okay but not the best. (I can't pull the old
phone wires and install a new 18 gauge (???) cable, there are too many
staples along the path.)

What is the normal wire size for this situation?

It is more a factor of distance than current. If you have a long run
that 24 gauge may have too much voltage loss and the bell may not function
properly.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit


Greetings,

If you have too much voltage drop simply use an 18 V buzzer or even a
12 V buzzer instead of the 24 V buzzer you were originally going to
install. It is a lot easier to substitute a different buzzer than to
open the walls.

One can add a simple circuit, consisting a resistor, diode, and a
2000-5000mfd 35vdc capacitor.

A single diode to convert the 16vac into DC, to charge the capacitor. A
tens of ohms to limit the current thru the diode.

Connect the door bell circuit to the capacitor, it will ring with real
authority, as the capacitor discharges. The capacitor will take a
second or so to recharge before it is ready to ring again.

The values of the electronics parts isn't critical, so you can use what
ever is available.