Humming doorbell

rickyroma

We hardwired our ring doorbell to our existing doorbell chime. Since then the chime box in the hallway gives off a slight hum. I gather this is due to the ring doorbell never being fully off in the same way a standard button push would be.
It does work OK apart from the hum from the box. Is it a fire risk or anything similar?? 
I did test the voltage before fitting the ring dorrbell and it was at the lower end of the recommended voltage range

Bendy_House

If your standard button push had a light in it, it too would never have been off.
It's quite clever, and a way of getting a push switch AND a light to a location using only two wires.
The power from your transformer goes to your push button and then to your bell in series. So, the power going through your light ALSO has to pass through the bell itself - the bell is ALWAYS receiving a tiny current via the bulb, but this isn't enough to make the bell operate since the light is introducing a resistance into the circuit. The old bell might well have been 'humming' too, but not actually moving. When you press the old bell push, you are effectively joining the two terminals of the bulb together, effectively 'removing' that bulb from the circuit - the current will take the easiest path through the switch and not bother going through the bulb.
Two things happen; one is that the bulb goes out since it doesn't get power, and the other is that the bell gets the full voltage since the current no longer needs to go through the bulb.
The ring doorbell is therefore the SAME as the old button - it's never off.
Being electronics and with a wee speaker in it, you can HEAR the mains hum, whereas before you just saw a light being lit - if your old bell had one.
I know nothing about Ring doorbells, but can only assume they've been cleverly designed to work as a retrofit, using existing transformers like yours. Smart!
There must be specific Ring forums to also ask on? If it works, tho', I'd imagine it's perfectly fine.

coffeehound

Hi @rickyroma, which Ring product have you got?  The wiring of these has always been a bit opaque since they were originally spec'd for the American market which used higher doorbell volts than the UK.  Having had a brief shufti at the FAQ, the situation hasn't improved much

rickyroma

coffeehound said:

Hi @rickyroma, which Ring product have you got?  The wiring of these has always been a bit opaque since they were originally spec'd for the American market which used higher doorbell volts than the UK.  Having had a brief shufti at the FAQ, the situation hasn't improved much

Ring video doorbell 2nd generation 

coffeehound

The electrical supply requirements are weirdly written

8-24 VAC (40VA max) and 50/60Hz, DC, halogen, and garden-lighting transformers not compatible

The '40VA max' bit sounds like they are saying the Ring doorbell might consume up to 40 VA, which is to most intents and purposes the same as 40 watts.  If you are at the lower end of the voltage range, then 40 VA / 8 V = 5 amps, which is a lot, and I doubt any UK bell transformers could supply anywhere near that current.  It's ambiguous.

The battery is meant to supply higher short-term requirements and then be slowly recharged via the wire.  Did you charge up the battery from a USB before installation?  That could cause it to draw more current initially while it is charging, if not.  

If no one here can give you better clear guidance, I would contact their CS and ask how much power the Ring actually needs and cross check whether your old bell transformer can supply that.