Mechanical Chime Stopped Ringing

[John_o]

I have a wired video doorbell with a mechanical chime. When I installed it the chime rang when the doorbell was pressed. Now it doesn't. Video is captured, activity zones are working so except for ringing the chime the doorbell works as advertised. The power pack is set to 0. I keep Silent Mode ON/Incoming Call OFF/Traditional Chime ON. Traditional Chime is set to Mechanical.

Apparently others have had this problem. Is there a fix for this yet?

[StephenB]

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@John_o wrote:

The power pack is set to 0. I keep Silent Mode ON/Incoming Call OFF/Traditional Chime ON. Traditional Chime is set to Mechanical.

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Those settings look good.

Still, perhaps try turning off silent mode, and see if anything changes.

[John_o]

No change with Silent Mode OFF.

[StephenB]

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@John_o wrote:

No change with Silent Mode OFF.

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Unfortunately the next troubleshooting step is more difficult.  I think you need to confirm that the chime hasn't failed.

I'd suggest removing the doorbell, and touching the two wires together at the door.  Then see if the chime rings.

If the chime is also connected to a second doorbell that chimes, then you could alternatively switch the wires at the chime (reversing "front" doorbell and "back" doorbell in the wiring).  

[John_o]

The chime rings touching the wires together. The chime is connected only to the Arlo video doorbell.

I should note that when I was re-fitting the doorbell to the mount and before I got the body clicked into place I inadvertently pressed the lighted ring button and the doorbell rang. I checked to make sure the wires were properly anchored, clicked the body in place and tried the button which continues to NOT ring the chime. 

[StephenB]

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@John_o wrote:

The chime rings touching the wires together. The chime is connected only to the Arlo video doorbell.

I should note that when I was re-fitting the doorbell to the mount and before I got the body clicked into place I inadvertently pressed the lighted ring button and the doorbell rang. I checked to make sure the wires were properly anchored, clicked the body in place and tried the button which continues to NOT ring the chime. 

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This sounds like an issue with the doorbell.

You could try a reset: https://kb.arlo.com/000062346/How-do-I-reset-my-Arlo-Essential-Video-Doorbell 

Or just contact support now.

Another option is to exchange the doorbell with the seller (assuming you purchased recently).

[John_o]

Ok, I can try a reset.

Let me ask this...I tested the current at the doorbell and got slightly over 15 VAC. I originally thought this seemed to be okay since *originally* everything including the chime was working. And I continue to think other functions (like video recording) would not be working if the minimal current level was the problem.

But is my thinking faulty?

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

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@John_o wrote:

I tested the current at the doorbell and got slightly over 15 VAC.

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15 VAC would be the voltage, not the current. The spec (as you likely know) says 16.  But I don't know how much margin there is.

Transformer issues can be hard to figure out.  My own seemed to measure ok, but had an issue anyway.  Replacing it worked, so there must have been something going on.

FWIW, my issue was also chime-related.  The chime rang ok w/o the powerkit, but failed to ring with the powerkit.

[John_o]

Well thanks, StephenB! Resetting the device did the trick. And the setup steps this time included confirmation of a mechanical chime that I do not recall during the initial setup. Who knows what the real problem was...but I guess it's like rebooting -- cures a myriad of ills.

Your help saved me from replacing my transformer and/or jumping ship to a Ring!. My transformer is marked 16 VAC 10 VA but tests out between 15 - 16 at the doorbell location. So there must be at least a small amount of tolerance.

[StephenB]

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@John_o wrote:

 Resetting the device did the trick.

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Great!