When our doorbell suddenly stopped working in the midst of a bitter cold spell last winter, we did not consider it a big problem. My husband Tom was facing some major medical challenges at the time so fixing the doorbell was not a priority. We naively hoped that when the weather warmed up, the doorbell would thaw out and once again announce our visitors. Well, spring turned to summer and summer turned to fall, and our doorbell still didn’t work. Our friends and family learned to knock loudly when they arrived, but we realized it was time to take action.

We discussed our doorbell situation with a number of people over several months. Tom talked to an electrician and we mentioned it to several friends, some of whom are very handy with home repairs. No one offered to help, and the universal comment was “don’t know anything about doorbells.”

When our home was built over 20 years ago, the front and back doorbells were wired in. As a first step, Tom took the front doorbell off and checked the ringer in the inside box to see if there were any loose wires, but everything seemed to be connected and nothing looked out of place. Next, he checked the fuse boxes in the basement to see if perhaps one had blown. When he opened up the cabinet, he discovered a recently deceased mouse caught in a mousetrap! Other than that, the fuses all looked fine.

Our next stop was the neighbourhood home improvement centre. We were amazed at the variety and types of doorbells available. The newer ones are wireless and easy to install but, unfortunately, the doorbells in these sets are shorter and wider than our existing bell, so this option wouldn’t work. There are entire kits of wired-in doorbells available, but without an electrician and our limited abilities, we did not want to tackle this option. Eventually, we sought the help of a salesperson, who asked us several questions and then announced the problem was likely the transformer. Who knew that doorbells have a separate transformer? So, off we went, with a new transformer - and a replacement doorbell - in hand.  

Once we returned home, however, we had another surprise. Not only do we have one transformer wired into our fuse box, we have three: one was hot; one was warm; and one was completely cold. On top of that, there are no markings to tell us the difference. This necessitated a long-distance phone call to a good friend who has worked in the utility business for most of his life, and now advises companies throughout North America about electrical safety. He gave us a couple of suggestions and then went and “felt his transformer” in his basement to see how warm it was. 

This proved to be enough excitement for one day, but bright and early the next morning, Tom went downstairs with a determined look in his eye. He turned off the power to that side of the house, selected the cold transformer, and removed it easily. When he started to connect the new one, however, he received a series of small electrical shocks. After the third shock, he felt that his long-departed father was there beside him to help him to get it hooked up properly. With this new-found electrical energy and advice from the great beyond, we soon had a doorbell that worked! 

For homeowners who routinely undertake home repairs, this would not be a big event, but in our case, we had a real feeling of accomplishment. In fact, I rang the bell a couple of more times just to make sure it worked, and we were quite pleased with ourselves. Shortly after we had put everything away, we were surprised to hear the new doorbell ring. I thought to myself, “How many unexpected calls like this have we been missing?” Our visitor turned out to be a friend and neighbour canvassing for a charity, so naturally we felt obligated to give him a donation. After we chatted with him and he went on his way, it occurred to me that, while not having a doorbell had been an inconvenience, it likely saved us some money in the long run.

AUGUST 2011 SENIOR LIVING MAGAZINE VANCOUVER ISLAND