Doorbell Malfunction Fire Hazard! Troubleshooting plastic melting smell

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[@sarahwetzel1856]

Today I came home for lunch and smelt a weird smell and heard a loud busing noise. It took me awhile to locate. But I figured out it was coming from the doorbell. I went to the front door and someone had stuck their business card in there. We assume they rang the door bell and it got hung then. By the time I got home it was smelling really strong and when I tested the doorbell it got unstuck and quit ringing. Tonight my husband googled the signs and found your video. Sure enough that’s what happened. He could tell the coil and been messed up. Thank you!

[@godmode3359]

Wow, thank goodness you posted this because I would have never thought to even consider the chime. I would have (like most sparkys) checked the actual transformer and took a voltage reading and moved on. This sort of info is PRICELESS. Thanks again coach for highlighting something most people would look right passed.

[@user-fi9lr4uc5f]

I had to search for this after I smelled burning electrical and found the doorbell chime buzzing and hot as could be. Disconnected the power immediately. Great informative video. It can happen to anyone.

[@Sparky-ww5re]

I've heard of this happening but don't know anyone personally who had this happen to them. The push button gets stuck and since a doorbell button is nothing more than a normally open momentary contact switch, the doorbell solenoid will have constant power and is not designed for that and can lead to smoke and possible fire if the doorbell doesn't have some type of thermal protector or thermal fuse. If someone rings the door bell and you hear a ding but no dong, you best begin investigating the problem ASAP.

[@HowCommunicationWorks]

Just happened to me. Delivery guy rung the bell. We started to smell electrical smell. Took a while to locate the source. Doorbell button was stuck. I disconnected everything. Will have an electrician in next week.

[@ElectricalCodeCoach]

Wow, thank you for sharing!

[@HowCommunicationWorks]

@@ElectricalCodeCoach Electrician friend walked me through process of disconnecting from the transformer. All set now. Gonna get one of those wireless doorbells now. Thanks for the video.

[@peace75]

This happened to me today. Thought the humming sound is coming from the thermostat. While I was googling how to turn it off I started smelling something like burnt plastic. I got so scared of an electrical fire that I called the fire department. They found that the noise and smells coming from the transformer and disconnected a few wires. Scary. And yes you are right, "plastic smell" that was the first thing I thought it smelled like plastic

[@user-lq9et1bb9u]

Thank you for sharing. My kids and I noticed a very funny chemical smell. The doorbell started buzzing and when I googled what could be wrong I found this video. My husband is coming home to disconnect the doorbell.

[@ElectricalCodeCoach]

Thank you for sharing! Hope everything worked out good!

[@Gruntled2001]

Coach, thank you. I am amazed that doorbell transformers are not fused on secondary side

[@Warp3326]

We have a General Electric doorbell from like the 60's or 70's, mabye even the 50's and it has a mechanical bell in it. Thankfully we have never held the button down but we will be careful. Our Neighbors have a SUPER old doorbell with huge organ pipe things sticking out of a box and its super cool

[@ElectricalCodeCoach]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@chrispate2788]

COACH, u r SOO MUCH appreciated in case u dont know that, by u sharing cases like this, could DEFINITELY help some one down the road, Thanks, and remember, U R THA MAN 💪

[@ElectricalCodeCoach]

Let's go!!

[@boulderboy245]

Twice i have seen that happen once it was a stuck button and the other time it was some lumber leaning on the chime button. Both times the transformer was fine but the striker in the chime overheated and was obviously burned the smoke pouring out of the chime made the problem easy to find. The job where the lumber was on the button was a new tract home we had trimmed a week before. we happened to be walking by and heard the smoke alarms.

[@markmeadows6401]

Yeah Coach, you have to keep an eye on those doorbell switches. Clean ' em or replace them. My sister has a back doorbell that likes to ring itself once in awhile; we know there's nobody at that door. She'd get a little damp once in awhile. Caulked her up; only happens in a blue moon now, and that's just because of condensation.

[@PacRimElectric]

Aw the worst smell has to be the burnt ballast that leaks the brown-orangish viscous fluid

[@Sparky-ww5re]

If a fluorescent ballast manufacturered before 1979 is leaking it has a very strong probability of containg Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) in the capacitor and possibly the potting material, which is a known carcinogen. Such ballasts are especially problematic if they overheat and the thermal protector fails, and some ballasts from that era may not have any type of overheat protection. Even today in the age of new high efficiency LED replacements, because older equipment was often very rugged and durable there are undoubtedly many of these PCB containing ballasts still in use.

[@J155P]

Good catch!

[@marvincrews76]

Ours actually caught on fire. Luckily we were home and put the fire out before any real damage.

[@ElectricalCodeCoach]

Wow thank you for sharing I'm very thankful that you guys are okay

[@davidgiesfeldt6650]

I had a door bell switch stick and the relay for the chime was buzzing and the the transformer was damaged. Replace the switch with one that has a light… gives evidence that the button is stuck as the light will be OFF…

[@ElectricalCodeCoach]

great point thanks!!

[@aaronboutwell]

Thank you! Awesome video

[@gamingbluemoon]

Think I was having this issue I just disconnected all wires on front and back door. Back door had protective coating all messed up they were touching each other so I'm sure constant call was going there. I hope disconnecting it will help for now until I can get it fixed.

[@norrisharrington3332]

The transformer is supposed to small enough to prevent sufficient heat for a fire. IMS 10va..

[@avklevens]

Had the same thing happen. It was the little plastic retainer that held the spring. They kept the plunger up and then they let it go to strike the tone bar with the buttons pushed. The plastic piece on the top it healthy spring in place broke off, releasing the inner part of the actuator. Then this little plunger just sat in the coil, heating up and making a buzzing noise, heard the buzzing noise, found it disconnected it.

[@kimmarie3014]

My 85 year old mother’s doorbell just started making a buzzing noise at 11pm. There isn’t a smell. If this happens to someone in the middle of the night, what do you recommend they do? Turn off the breaker for the area where the doorbell is?

[@zeestar6187]

I attached ring doorbell chime kit and smell came should I replace chime or fix it

[@quintsreeves]

So how do you fix that? I think this happened in my apartment but I rent and I have no clue about any of this and I want to look at the parts but I'm scared I might accidentally shock myself into oblivion messing around with parts.

[@zx9music704]

This is happening now it is the doorbell what do I do

[@ElectricalCodeCoach]

consider contacting a qualified licensed electrician