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Bell Chime Problems

Started by rp2813, January 16, 2009, 07:37:15 PM

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rp2813

I have a couple of WE "Bell Chime" boxes and have always had one of them connected wherever I have lived.  Recently the chime action has stopped and all the box will do is provide the knock-you-out-of-your-chair ringing action.  I switched out the box and the replacement did the same thing.

Could this be a voltage issue?  I'm wondering if I have too many phones ringing (two early 50's 500's and a Panasonic cordless) along with the chime, and if the chime function requires more voltage than regular ringer function. 

Does anyone know much about these boxes or can someone maybe advise on voltage requirements?

Thanks,

Ralph
Ralph

bingster

You're talking about the extension ringers that give a choice between a standard ring and a slow "ding-dong," right?  I don't know much about these (except that I've heard them, and they're really cool), but I can tell you that you probably don't have too much hooked up. 

The maximum "ringer equivalency number" (REN) you can have on a single line is supposed to be 5.  A 500 has a REN of 1, and the chime should be the same.  So that gives you 3 REN for the old ringers, and the cordless is probably .5ish, for a grand total of 3.5, or well below the maximum.
= DARRIN =



Steve K

Ralph:

Here is a link to some information that might be helpful on the bell/chime units.

http://www.porticus.org/bell/bellchime.html

Steve

rp2813

Yeah Bingster, I was thinking about the same thing for REN totals.  I think I'll unplug the 4/53 phone and see what happens anyway.  As I think back, the chiming may have stopped around the same time I connected that phone.  If it turns out to be that, I'll disable the phone's ringer since where it's located is well within earshot of the chime and another phone.

Steve, thanks for the link.  I've been to that site before but hadn't seen the Bell Chime section.  I don't think it's an adjustment issue because both of my chime units are acting the same way.  And one of them has been connected for the last 20 years, both in Bell territory as well as Verizon, and has always chimed. 

I'll keep sleuthing this and see if I can resolve the problem.  Thanks to both of you for your input.

Ralph
Ralph