16V 10va VS 16V 30va Doorbell Transformer 

Thank you soooo much for taking the time to do the test and sharing your findings! I was getting so pissed at my new Arlo doorbell.

I added a nest hello about a year ago and it’s wired to a chime inside. Recently I noticed I was not getting notifications and when I tried to view video as soon as a person pressed door bell video would freeze. This video proves exactly what I was wondering… when I unwired chime the nest hello works perfect and quickly. Draws .1A but when I wired the chime back it draws .83A and door bell goes offline. The transformer is 16v 10VA so I will be going to the 16v 30VA. Thank you for great video!

Best explanation on RU-vid. 👏🏻 something so simple. This should be the first thing they should ask when u tell them that you’re ring doorbell shuts down and then powers back up after ringing doorbell.It actually said it on the back of the door bell 16v 24vac but most people don’t actually know all this stuff. Like the 16v 10 vac will power it up but under load volts drop and shut doorbell down .I was troubleshooting my uncles doorbell and found the problem to be exactly just that.

THIS.. is exactly the test I was looking for!

I had an issue where I tried to replace my existing button with a video doorbell (Merkury with the Geeni app). The video & app notification when the doorbell button was pushed both worked great, but the mechanical chime (a NuTone from the early 60's) would not work. It tried to activate both of the plungers and it made a humming/buzzing noise. The existing transformer was showing 20VAC, but after watching some other videos online & reading what happened to others, I ended up getting one that was a 24VAC 40Va for more current. That fixed the problem of the chime not working when the video doorbell button was pushed. Many thanks to my stepdad for helping me with the wiring & the multimeter usage.

Thank you for your video it helped me to find my problem no one talks about changing out the transformer not even the destructions

This is a Great video to explain Why someone needs to upgrade their transformer when adding a Smart Doorbell. Thank You, I have shared your video with many...

Since this video Ring has put out the V2 Power Kit. It works really well make sure you install the V2 Power Kit.

Great clear and concise video. Appreciate the explanation!

Thank you for your video...it's awesome!

Thank you for this video. I just had my 16v 10va transformer die after only 17 months in my newly constructed home. This is exactly what I wanted to know if I could replace with a 16v 30 va. Thank you for making this so clear!

Explained why my wire did not work on my ring video doorbell. Ordering the 16v30ba transformer. Thanks.

WOW! Excellent explanation! Great job!

I have a front and rear door. want to swap out the old doorbell buttons/switches to a video doorbell on each. What if I just want to ditch the old mechanical doorbell all together. Can I just tie the 3 red wires at the doorbell (front, transformer, and rear wires) together using a twist connector ?....and then use either a 16v/10va or maybe a 16v/30va tranformer?

I just found that my current transformer, a very old one, is labeled 16 V and 15 VA. My multimeter reads between 16 V and 17 V on it. I guess that's not sufficient for smart doorbells?

Hello there, Thanks for the great video, I have upgraded the 16V30VA transformer for my Ring pro 2 and the same problem exists showing poor power and Level 3 I still have the pro kit hooked inside the chime do I need to remove this? or what would be the problem?

I'm installing new doorbell lines in my house and was wondering about 10 vs 30 VA FOR the ring and the powerpack! You answered questions I wasn't even ready to ask yet! You rock. Thanks for being clear and concise. Did you ever find out if your power pack was a dud?

Thanks for teaching you are so awesome.

I'm preparing to install a video doorbell and came across this very useful post. My chime is a Nutone that looks very similar to this one but I don't see any transformer near it. Is there such a thing as a typical location for a doorbell transformer? Thanks

Helped a lot.. interestingly Ring installation manual never mentioned about it.

What if I don’t want to use the Arlo chime and just continue using my regular mechanical doorbell chime? I’ve read some comments that the doorbell chime could be damaged but others state that’s not true. Just don’t want to burn the house down using the 16/30 for my Arlo doorbell. Excellent video!

I am having issues with my nest hello, I currently have a 16v 10va, but after some research I am wondering if the 16v 30va would suffice, I have a long run with the wires. they go from one side of my 3 car garage to the other side of the home, maybe 60ft to the doorbell, and 60 feet to the mechanical chime inside. would you recommend stepping up to a 24v40va? I would just hate to waste money on a 16v30va and it not carry enough. I'm getting 18v at the xfmr and 14v at the nest hello. any info is appreciated. thx

What doorbell chime were you using with the setup? The chimes I have used always keep the mechanical solenoid engages causing it to start heating up.

Douglas Blake on 8/23/19 writes This discussion focuses on the original 16Vac/10VA transformer and the problem I see with it in its original application. Relative to the 16Vac/10VA transformer measuring 21Vac on its secondary that is a problem which will cause the 16Vac-rated bulb within the door bell pushbutton to have a reduced life (< 3 years). Upon viewing your video (prompted by my own bulb burning out after 2 years) I discovered that the voltage on my 16Vac/10VA transformer is actually 22.3Vac. I went across the street to my neighbor (same transformer) and found his to have 22.4Vac. He has already replaced his bulb after 2.5 years of service. My experience with these bulbs is they usually outlive the house. The solution is either replace the transformer with the 30VA unit that seems to measure closer to its nameplate voltage of 16Vac (17.62Vac) or replace the bulb with one having a voltage rating that more closely matches the actual voltage (say 24Vac). Per web search there is very little cost difference between the 10VA and 30VA transformers (MOL $15); bulbs are

Does anybody know if somehow a ring pro would work better on 30VA compared to 12. I have it on 12 and it seems to be good. No chime, direct wire.

fantastic video. so im looking to buy a wired ring doorbell camera at the moment. i checked my bell transformer and it says TRAN 8/12/24, 230v-50Hz, 8VA. im guessing this is not adequate. Do i need to upgrade the transformer and if so how many hours should this take an electrician to do so I know im getting a fair price? Also I was hoping to use my existing doorbell chime, do I need to upgrade that as well? Many thanks in advance, have been searching for someone to explain this for hours online.

I upgraded to GE US made in US transformer rated at 24V 40VA, Works very well driving Westminster chime. Little bit over kill I guess. Thanks for the demonstration.

I recently moved and left my Nest power kit in the old house. If i upgrade to this 16V 30va doorbell transformer, will my Nest doorbell still work without the Nest powerkit?

Thank you. You helped me. Thanks.

Hey, I have a Nest doorbell wires that doesn't power up. It's the second unit I've received from Google and both don't work. I have the same 16vac/30va transformer pushing 17.8 volts at transformer and 17.8 volts at the doorbell yet the nest doesn't even turn yellow. any tips? thanks!

ty

The booklet tells you that you need 16Volt when you actually need a 24 volt Compatible System. My cost to upgrade was over $75 (new doorbell compatible system)+(Transformer and compatible doorbell) not including the Ring Pro Video Doorbell itself

Thank you

hey there, so im a few years in on this post, hope youre still around. I just moved into a REALLY old house. Like 50's. I bought a Lorex camera with video. The door chime I have says "only use 16V 10A transformer. I have a 24V 40A, and a 16V 30A. would the 24 be ok to install with that door chime? but also the 16V I have isnt 10A its 30A. The instructions on the video doorbell says I can use either of those, but the chime is rated differently. thanks so much!

Hi There, once again great demo. Now, I replaced my 16V 10VA transformer with a 24V 20AV one (that's all I was able to find at my Home Depot). I am using the NEST and a single chime.... I don't have the volt meters or amp meters to verify my setup but when I look in the Nest app, it shows voltage of 23.5V... I am not sure what happens when someone rings the doorbell... As far as I can tell, it is working OK I but don't know how low the voltage is dipping and what sort of amps the chime is drawing. Any idea? Have you tested the 16V 20VA combination? If I have to I may bypass the chime like you suggested it in one of your previous demos/videos. My new transformer is a heath Zenith SL-125-02 and my chime is pretty close to what yours looks like.

What is the 16V 30VA doorbell transformer amperage rating?

What problems are present when using an underpowered transformer?

Thank You!!

Good explanation! What do you think about a 24v 40vac transformer, is there such thing as too much power? Thanks!

Great explanation and important. Over on the Nest Hello side, there are numerous issues with the puck. The camera works but mechanical door bell chimes do not with the puck installed. Nest support does not seem to provide an answer to this. You may have solved the issue.

Thank you for this video! It's very helpful! What if you removed the chime part instead? For some reason my ring doesn't sound through it anyways. I'm scared to change a transformer.

Hi in my chime box there are 4 connection wire 0 1 2 and 3 I can't figure out which one is the transformer and which one is front n rear anybody can help me thank you

Hello...thanks for the video. We have a Ring Pro and just upgraded our transformer to 16v/30va after experiencing poor and delayed performance from our Ring. However, our mechanical doorbell chime is 16v/10va unit and there is a slight buzz coming from it (without pushing the Ring button). Will we have to upgrade the doorbell itself to a 16v/30va....and do they even make one?? Thanks :)

Great explanation. I know understand why I would need to replace my 16v/10vac to a 16v/24vac. Is the power kit a requirement? I had my doorbell camera installed by ADT and they did not put a power kit on the chime.

Hi, great, easy to understand video. Thanks. We are having problems with an ezviz DB1 doorbell. It worked for 50 days then suddenly stopped and became 'off-line'. We contacted ezviz and they had us do volt meter readings, we got 20.4 at the transformer, 15.0 at the chime and 8.6 at the doorbell. Our transformer is 16v 30va. They are telling us the recommended voltage should be 16V-24V, hence the doorbell should receive between 16V-24V. Have you any suggestions for us? We don't know what to do next.

Could this be the reason why my chime vibrates and "ghost rings" as soon as I hook up my nest hello? No load I am getting 19 volts at the chime and at the wires for the doorbell. I did not test amps or under load voltage. Thanks for the help.

I just bought a ring pro and preparing to install. I just checked my transformer and it shows 10V 5Va rating. I am sure this will be a problem. My question: Can I just replace this transformer with a 16V , 30va and be ok or will I have to replace my existing doorbell as well? The fact that my existing transformer was so weak, gives me outside for concern. My house is about 30 years old btw, but doorbell has worked great all these years.

Sorry this is a older video, I just purchased the google hello doorbell and have power to the doorbell but no chime inside. I currently have a 16v 10va transformer. There is another regular doorbell installed for back door and works fine. Would switching to a 30va transformer help in getting a chime? Also the mech. doorbell chime itself is only rated for 16v 10va.

Great video explanation! Would a digital (melody) doorbell cause the same problem?

Hi i have a couple of questions please, is the transformer something i must install after installing a Ring 3 video door bell? I installed a Ring 3 video doorbell last week, i had to add a ChimePro to extend wifi signal, working fine, battery always at 100%,then since yesterday i noticed the battery going down to 95/94 and 93% now, over night didn’t move from 94%, during the day i was using the app quite often and tried to change some settings but now back as before.So do i need to install a transformer(16/30) ? Is there an old transformer to be removed? and does it go in or beside the home ring chime? Just trying to find out if this could be a solution and if i could do it myself without hiring an electrician.thanks for any help!

I have two doorbell chimes attached to regular push buttons, and one transformer which is attached to the breaker box. The old transformer was 16v 10va, would I be okay to replace it with a 16v 30va?

Hi! When upgrading the transformer to a 16-30VA should I also replace the chime? My current doorbell chime is an old zenith rated at 16VAC 10AC. Planning on installing a ring pro.

I’ve been told this will eventually ruin your ringer because of the additional voltage and current , what do you think about that

My 16V 10VA transformer has stopped working. I only need it to power the same old-fashioned doorbell. Is there any drawback if I use a 16V 30VA version? For example, would it overload the low voltage wiring? Thanks!

So last week I installed my Ring, this is the second house I have installed one on and it worked for a day but dropped out and not working anymore. I assumed a bad one, didn't call Tech because it was set up correctly and was working fine for a day. So I packed up the Ring and was ready to take it back but was leaving for the holiday. Now on my holiday I watched this video and I do know I have a 16v 10VA transformer and my guess is this is exactly the problem. I wonder is it better to get 16 volt 30 VA or a 24 volt 20 VA transformer when I return? Thanks and really great video! Thank you for sharing!

Will a 16v 10a door chime work with a 16v 30a or do I need to check the chime for some compatibility?

Having problems installing my Ring Video Doorbell Pro. Question: the transformer outputs, are they AC or DC outputs? Does it make a difference? I don't have a clue. Thanks !

I bought a hardwired RING basic doorbell for my 82 year-old, mostly deaf, mother, so she would receive visual notification of visitors that would alert her on her cellphone, which is also hooked up to her hearing aids. Because my elderly mother is in a fixed income, and not very technologically proficient, I opted for the most basic, simple, least expensive version that is supposed to replace any existing hardwired doorbell and can be installed by almost anyone with minimal electrical or mechanical skill, like myself. I do have some knowledge about home maintenance and repairs, however-so I first checked the specs on her existing 40 year-old doorbell that worked perfectly since installation long before my family purchased the house- and the specs for the transformer were in line with the requirements for the basic hardwired RING. I even checked the wiring with a voltmeter and the reading confirmed the power was adequate. I then followed the installation instructions meticulously and upon completion the RING doorbell failed to function, supposedly due to inadequate power from the transformer. Tracking down the transformer was more difficult and when I finally located it, in the darkest, most inaccessible creepy old closet in the garage, nestled among 50-year-old cobwebs and God knows how many spider carcasses, not to mention the still living crawling things that probably reside there, I had to throw in the towel. I’m handy, but fuck spiders in my hair- and I don’t give up easily so this was a moment of great frustration for me. Dejected and angry, I uninstalled the RING, defeated, and reinstalled the old doorbell. At this point I had already drilled holes in the brick to mount the new button, which was larger than the old one so the old holes were hidden behind hit- to do this I had to purchase a masonry bit for my drill- needless to say I was EXTREMELY unhappy having to mount the old button, leaving the two new holes visible. My mother’s home, while old, is very nice-she keeps things very neat and tidy and while two small screw holes may not seem like a big deal to most, my mom HATES flaws like that. Still, I carefully rewired the old button and securely mounted it to its original 40 year location only to discover- IT NO LONGER WORKED!!! After 40+ years of flawless operation!!!! I was already wary of RING because the wiring instructions intentionally bypassed the chime, so that by installing the RING, you lost the regular chime function of the existing doorbell- of course, in order to retain regular doorbell function RING required an upgrade to the next model, which was 2.5 times the cost of the basic. This, I felt, was an underhanded, intentional effort to force customers to purchase the more expensive model by purposely configuring their product in a way that unnecessarily disconnected the existing doorbell chime. So when I found my old doorbell suddenly broken after attempting to install the RING, I researched the basic model online and found, unsurprisingly, that countless other customers all experienced the same issue, regardless of the type, model, manufacturer, age or configuration of their existing and previously functional doorbell. When I contacted RING I was told they would be happy to “fix” the problem their product caused by replacing my transformer for “free” IF I upgraded to their model that cost 2.5 times more than the basic version. WHAT A COMPLETE SCAM. That fraudulent, unscrupulous company is selling thousands of unsuspecting customers a product that will damage their personal property, thereby forcing them into spending more than double their original investment or else the customer, while they may be refunded, will no longer have a functional doorbell and face a much more difficult and expensive repair as a result. For many people, especially senior citizens like my 82 year old mother, who are concerned about home safety and want a video doorbell for personal security, but who may also be living in a fixed income, attempting the very simple RING basic installation is already a challenge, so to then be confronted with a transformer malfunction or more complex electrical wiring issue, they are totally out of their depth and stuck with no doorbell at all or forced to purchase a RING PRO, that they cannot afford and may not even be able to operate or understand. FURTHERMORE, after the RING BASIC damages their existing transformer, the installation of another wired doorbell, the installation of the RING PRO doorbell or even the repair/replacement of their now faulty transformer will doubtless require they acquire the assistance of someone with some level of technical knowledge or professional experience to locate the old transformer and solve the problem. What if the transformer is in the crawl space??? How the hell could my 82-year-old mother ever resolve the problem caused by the CROOKS AT RING, without paying somebody??? Now, I know I can go buy a transformer and face my fear of spiders and swap it out, but that will set me back at least $30 and an hour or two of my time, not to mention subject me to extreme emotional angst, when prior to making the mistake of assuming a company as well-known and heavily promoted as RING would be peddling a decent product that functioned as promised and treat customers fairly, my mother had a perfectly good, functional, reliable doorbell that never gave her any problems. I apologize for my rant, but after watching a couple of your videos, including the one about doorbell transformers, I thought maybe this would be the perfect channel to vent my frustrations to. If there is any advice you can offer me, regarding my current dilemma after I GOT TOTALLY DEFRAUDED, CHEATED, SCAMMED, AND RIPPED OFF BY THE SCANDALOUS, UNETHICAL THIEVING CORPORATE CRIMINALS AT RING, WHO CON TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS AND CHEAT AND LIE FOR PROFIT, I would be very grateful. As of right now, I plan to install a motion activated camera that has nothing to do with the now broken doorbell, and with a gun to my head I will force myself to install a new wired doorbell and transformer- troubleshooting the old bell and transformer seems daunting and like it may lengthen the amount of time I have to spend in the creepy, dark, dirty cabinet in the garage with the 50 year old spider nest.

This box is very old 15 years old message from Abdul

Will the 16v 30va transformer be good for running two nest hello video doorbells and a 16v chime box? I want to make sure I don't burn up the chime box. Currently my chime box is running off of the 10va version of the transformer.