Separate Chimes Multiple Transformers

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blingbling4r

Member
Location
Seattle, WA
We are building a 118 Unit Multi family low-income housing project.

We have a $10 USA made chime kit that we are installing the "chime only" on every floor of a residential unit. We are forced into buying the buttons/chime/tranny as part of the kit. So for a 3 story apartment we have 2 extra trannys/pushbuttons.

The tranny they include is 16V, 10VA. The manufacturer rep told me this (1) tranny is big enough for up to (3) chimes. However it isn't loud enough at all. Is there any way we can use an extra tranny wired together to make a 16V, 20VA so the bells ring louder?
 
Location
NE (9.06 miles @5.9 Degrees from Winged Horses)
Occupation
EC - retired
You can, just not advisable.

Probably void any sort of warranty and cause you and your insurance carrier a whole lot of grief if or when a fire starts somewhere.

Spend the bucks & get a bigger transformer, simplest, or have the first chime also pull in a small 2 pole relay that closes a contact for the other two chimes. Utilizing a xfmr for each chime.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Just buy a 30va trany- that is the only way 3 chimes will ring loud enough. Of course, that is a lot of money for 118 units.
 

broadgage

Senior Member
Location
London, England
I dont think that a larger wattage transformer will help much or at all.
How many chimes per apartment ?
I was presuming only 1 chime and push button per apartment, the 3 per building being a reference to 3 apartments per building.
If this is the case, then it is unlikely that more than one chime will be rung at the same time. Therefore the transformer wont "know" how many are connected.

If 2 or 3 are rung together then the extra load will cause the voltage to drop, and the chimes to be less loud. As the supplier has stated that one transformer is suitable for up to 3 chimes, the reduction in volume will be marginal and probably not noticed.

The volume can only be increased by use of a higher voltage, perhaps 20 or 24 volts, provided of course that the chime unit is suitable for the higher voltage.
If the 16 volts is the maximum permitted, then I believe that a different type of chime, or perhaps bell is the only answer.

A higher wattage 16 volt transformer will still be 16 volts. The on load voltage of a larger one might be a bit better, but only very slightly.
Assuming that the 16 volts is an off load voltage, then it might be 15 volts on load for the small transformer, and 15.5 volts for the larger one.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
I dont think that a larger wattage transformer will help much or at all.

I disagree. I have used a 30va transformer many times for 3 chimes and it works fine. I understood the op to have 3 chimes per unit- one on each floor. I also assumed these were 3 floor units so the chime rings from every floor of the dwelling unit.
 
Location
NE (9.06 miles @5.9 Degrees from Winged Horses)
Occupation
EC - retired
Three floors do or should make for some pretty nice sized low income units.

I have used 24v 40va transformers on dual chime houses. Definitely helped make them louder but I also noticed the low end pb with lamps didn't last as long. The button directly over the lamp seemed to deteriorate quickly. Not sure if it was extra lamp heat or just general POS to begin with.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Three floors do or should make for some pretty nice sized low income units.

I have used 24v 40va transformers on dual chime houses. Definitely helped make them louder but I also noticed the low end pb with lamps didn't last as long. The button directly over the lamp seemed to deteriorate quickly. Not sure if it was extra lamp heat or just general POS to begin with.

The PB light burns out because the PB lights are not rated for 24V. You should be using the 12v connection on a tri-tap trany, not 24V or get a 12v 30 va one.
 
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