Thank you for posting this as I got this with my Skybell too, and then didn’t have to make a resistor wire!
So this is great! Thanks for posting! My doorbell chime was humming/buzzing and I called SkyBell Customer service they assured me it was my doorbell transformer. Unlike you guys and not knowing how to test it, I went to Home Depot and 15 bucks later I replaced the transformer and it did not change a thing, doorbell was still humming away as loud as ever. So after reading this I ordered a 10 ohm 1W resistor from Radio Shack online (they all went out of business in town) it cost me a buck plus 3 for shipping but I couldn’t find a store that sells them. Anyway this made a big difference, I can still hear a small hum if I put my ear up to it but 93% improvement!!! Also I am lazy and unskilled so i just bent the resistor and plugged it in, rather than building a wire contraption.
I had a similar issue with mechanical chime hum on a new SkyBell HD installation. As mentioned previously, the problem is that the SkyBell draws current in its standby state, which energizes the chime coil at a low level. At first, the hum was really noticeable, so I replaced the 19 year old mechanical chime with a newer mechanical chime that was listed as approved by multiple smart doorbell vendors (Home Depot #216598). The hum was definitely reduced, but I could still hear it at a distance. The shunting resistor trick works with caveats. In my case, any resistance value lower than 31 ohms interfered with proper operation of the mechanical chime (it would ‘ding’ but not ‘dong’). Also, the resistor should really be conservatively over-sized based on power dissipation while ringing (full current), not the standby current…
After changing both my chime and transformer to one from Lowe’s, I still had an annoying buzz/hum. SkyBell’s advice clearly didn’t work. Then I was told it’s because I have two skybells. Fast forward, I read this thread and had nothing to lose. The 10 Ohm 0.5W resistor works. I added two and have almost no noise at all now.
My Skybell HD also had a buzzing noise but what was worse was my chime would also repeatedly ring! It was very annoying.
I installed it with my mechanical Nutone chime (mdl BK131LSN-1) which is on Skybell’s supported chime list.
I had to disconnect it. Tested voltage at original pushbutton doorbell and I got 16.5V. Voltage at Nutone C905 transformer (16V 10VA) was also 16.5V. My building is less than 1 year old.
I don’t know if my Skybell HD was defective but when I had it connected, the voltage at the chime “Front” screw fluctuated from 3V-9V or more which caused the chime to go off. When I reconnected my push button, the voltage at the “Front” screw was 0V.
Technical support wanted me to change the transformer, saying that usual transformers give off a little more than what they are rated at (19V for 16V transformer) and since mine gives off 16.5V, it is unusually low. He said Skybell HD has electronics in it that may cause Skybell HD to shut off and turn on if the voltage is too low and that may be why I have multiple rings. But 16VAC is in the specified range for Skybell HD. Seems to me, more likely my Skybell is defective.
Anyway, after a night and hours of looking for solutions, I found this thread. I saw people using 1/2 watt 10 ohm resistors for their buzzing. But my problem was a higher voltage and repeated ringing. I bought a $1.60 10-Watt 10-ohm through hole resistor package at Fry’s. Two resistors inside. (Also bought 1W 10 ohm resistor and 5W 10 ohm resistors because I was unsure if 1/2 watt resistor would reduce the voltage enough for my case. )
I used needle nose pliers to curl the 10W 10ohm resistor wires around the “Trans” and “Front” screws in the chime. No soldering needed. Voltmeter reads 1V AC at the Chime now and I don’t hear the buzz and there is no more constant ringing. The Skybell HD rings and works as expected now. Guess no need to test out the 5W or 1W resistors. Not sure why it is reading 1V at the “Front” now. But it works.
One word of advice to Skybell HD installers: if you are not careful and do not push the Skybell relatively hard to make it flush to the connection screws on the mounting bracket while you tighten the screw underneath the Skybell HD, the screw underneath the Skybell HD can dig into the plastic and weaken it so that when you let go, the bottom half slowly eases off the connection pads on the mounting bracket and the Skybell loses power. Happened to me. Had to push hard and screw it all the way to make it stay powered on.
Anyway, the resistor looks pretty bulky and the packaging is labelled “flameproof” so I hope there will be no issue with it overheating and causing a fire!!! Not sure if I should get a replacement Skybell HD since it works now. Would this be a fire risk if someone keeps pushing the doorbell as someone on electronics stack exchange alluded to??
Hope this helps someone but I’m not an electrician and I don’t know how safe this is. Use at your own risk.
I have been having the same issues with the buzzing/humming. I went out and bought new chime and new xformer, all the right specs according to SkyBell and the chime. I get a 21.5 reading with my voltage meter tester.
I tried the 10 ohm, .5 resistor and when I pressed the doorbell, the resistor started to smoke.
I would imagine I can solve my problems with the right resistor, but I am no electrician. Any suggestions?
HI Guys,
quick question.
I’m living in Europe and I’ve bought and ‘test’-installed the Skybell HD.
I was wondering if someone has ever tried connecting Skybell to a digital bell.
Honeywell has a wired to wireless adapter, which allows to have a wired bell to be used to connect to a wireless chime.
Here is a YouTube video with the product name for the US.
I have tested the doorbell wired to wireless adapter and chime and without the Skybell it is working fine. But with the Skybell in between, it does not work.
The skybell does give the signal to my phone, but not towards the chime.
Now I have received the old version of the DDA and I’m planning to install this in between.
Anyone has any experience with a similar set up?
thanks
Micha
Belgium
Have similar buzzing issue, mechanical chime.
Tried 10 Ohm resistor, buzzing is gone, but no chime. Bought a box set of resistors in Amazon with 9 bucks. Tried from 10, 20, 30, 47, 100 Ohm. buzzing is not fixed with 100 Ohm. With 47 Ohm, buzzing is mostly gone, but “Ding-Dong” becomes “Dong” only, it’s acceptable for me.
The 47 Ohm is warm. The voltage drop is 1.5V when there is no chime, seems 1/4W power rating should be OK as power is ~0.05W. If somehow the resistor is burnt, will try to use 2 100O hm in parallel or 4 200 Ohm, there are plenty of resistors in the set:grinning:
I know this post is from years ago-but I’ve been having the same issues and have searched high and low for a remedy. I have tried various resistors in parallel (I do need to try smaller ones as I haven’t attempted .5w as I noticed someone stated)…replaced all the wiring…the transformer I’ve attempted 16v and even 24v as I’m running two doorbells…purchased a newer mechanical bell-all of these with NO luck. I am really regretting this purchase as a “simple” 30 minute job has consumed the better part of two weeks of my life and short of buying the converter and using a digital chime or a wireless battery operated I’m unclear as to what I should do…
Has anyone else had this issue? I couldn’t agree more with the fact that it seems to be the fault of this particular bell but after two years I’d have assumed they would have worked out any kinks that may have arisen…I’m definitely not an experienced electrician and this is about the upper limits of my ability…tying the transformer into old knob and tube was particularly nerve wracking. At this point it’s personal and I just want it to work haha
I feel your pain. Skybell was NO help at all. They told me to replace everything and I pretty much did. I replaced the transformer and the chime on a 10 year old house and it made no difference.
In the end I put a small resistor on it and it stopped the buzzing and worked as expected (should have worked to begin with). I can’t remember the size but I think it was under 10 (it was not much but made a world of difference.
Here is another link you may have already seen:
luterguy
Thank you so much…I had seen that before…I’d also seen smaller resistors mentioned (1w/10ohm and even .5watt)…I’ve now tried all of them so maybe I will move up to 3 watt and that will be golden ticket…I’m with you that they’ve been NO help and find it hard to believe this issue exists at all…only thing I can think is maybe the homes extreme age means an older electrical system so the power is very inconsistent? I’m not even sure if that is a thing but it’s all I can come up with…
I installed the Skybell Trim Plus and the the chime was fine but after the 3rd ring my mechanical chime wont stop ringing! I think this is a bit different than the humming/buzzing but I’m hoping you bright people can help me out! THANK YOU!
I had the same problem. Installed a 10 ohm, 0.5 watt resistor to the chime and it stopped. When I put it on both terminals the chime would not work, so now I only have it connected to the front door terminal and the other side is just there but not touching anything. It works perfectly. I got the resistors from Amazon.
I have a Skybell HD in a 3 year old house. The chime was buzzing, mostly noticeable at night when it is quiet. I bought the 10 Ohm .5 resister (Amazon) and installed it between the “trans” and “front” screws. The chime now goes ding, and not very loudly instead of loud ding dong. I unscrewed the “trans” end. Humming resumed, but not as loudly. Then I attached it to the “rear” screw which is not connected to a button. The other end is still on the “front” screw. The chime humming stopped. The chime now goes ding dong, not quite like originally, but loud enough to hear in the back room. It’s good enough.
It’s the digital chime setting it app that needs to be turned off, it’s set by default. Sky bell blew out my first doorbell chime after awhile. Installed new chime humming persisted until I turned off digital chime in app. Issue resolved. Thanks.
Hi - i wanted to add another idea on this thread. We had a Skybell video doorbell installed by Brinks. The mechanical door chime started humming almost immediately. I couldn’t locate the transformer (somewhere in the attic or walls) but tried installing a small resistor, then a large resistor, then a new mechanical doorbell (a brand recommended in some threads to deal with this issue). Nothing worked - the humming continued as before. Finally, i removed the Skybell and examined the connections to the wires there. One of the connections was not very solid and i removed and reattached it securely. Voila! No humming. No resistor, no new door chime, no new transformer needed. Sometimes the fix is the easiest thing - check the wiring.