How to Fix a Doorbell That Sticks in 6 Steps

If your doorbell sticks for too long, it’ll ruin the transformer and wear out the solenoids in the chime box. Sticky doorbells are often caused by paint stuck around the button, gradual grime buildup, and many other issues.

To fix a doorbell that sticks, use a toothpick to clean the edges of the button, then change the button if it won’t unstick. You should also replace all stripped mounting screws, chime bells, and bell wires. Shortening the bell wires can also relieve tension that makes the doorbell stick.

Throughout this post, I’ll show you how you can fix a doorbell that sticks and what happens if you don’t care take of the issue soon enough.

Clean the Edges of the Doorbell

Most doorbells get stuck because they’re surrounded by dirt, dust, and paint. The good news is that it’s very easy to fix a doorbell that sticks from debris buildup. Try these solutions:

• Use a toothpick or a flathead screwdriver to remove the debris from around the edges of the doorbell button.
• Remove the mounting bracket and clean the area behind the button.
• Wipe the doorbell button with rubbing alcohol to prevent grime and dirt from sticking to it.
• Find out if the button only sticks at the top or bottom, then clean it accordingly.
• Sand nearby sticky paint, especially if it’s made of latex.

Change the Doorbell Button

Changing the doorbell button is sometimes all you can do if everything else works. The downside is that only a handful of doorbell buttons can be replaced without swapping out the mounting brackets, electrical terminals, and wires.

If your doorbell seems quiet, it could be because the button is stuck. Use a flathead screwdriver to lift the button. Contact the doorbell’s manufacturer to know if the button can be replaced, or if you also need to change the brackets and other components.

Most doorbell buttons sit on a membrane, so they’ll pop right out. Place a like-for-like doorbell button over the bracket, then you’ll be good to go.

Replace Stripped Screws

Stripped screws are often overlooked when it comes to the various reasons doorbells get stuck. Most homeowners think there’s something wrong with the button, but it’s important to check if the screws are loose.

If any of the button’s retaining screws are stripped, the doorbell won’t make firm contact with the bell wire. This means the chime plates won’t ring, so it ends up being very hard to push. In other words, the doorbell isn’t sticking, it’s just loose and lifted.

Check if the Solenoids Are Stuck

Solenoids are electrical coils that wrap around the chimes. When a solenoid receives electricity from the doorbell and the transformer, the chime pops up and hits the chime plate. However, if the solenoids are stick, the doorbell won’t ring.

Here’s what you can do to fix a doorbell solenoid that sticks:

1. Family Handyman reports that you should use a voltmeter to ensure there’s between 16v to 20v between the chime box and the transformer.
2. A doorbell can’t work with power, so make sure solenoids show a voltage increase when someone presses the doorbell (this is a two-person project).
3. Remove the solenoids from the chime box and replace new coils around the chime bells.
4. Mount the transformer on a stud, in the basement, or in the attic (the doorbell transformer can’t be in the chime box because it can cause electrical fires).

Shorten the Bell Wires

There are typically two bell wires in a doorbell assembly:

• The first bell wire goes from the transformer to the chime box.
• The second bell wire goes from the chime box to the doorbell button.

If your transformer is noisy, it could be because the bell wires are overlapped, which pushes them out of their terminals.

Shortening the bell wires will relieve a lot of the tension, making it much less likely that the solenoids, chimes, or doorbell will get stuck.

Here’s how you can trim the bell wires:

1. Remove the bell wire from the back of the doorbell button, then trim it until there are only one to two inches of excess wire.
2. Remove the bell wire from the transformer, then cut it until there are only a couple of inches of extra wire between it and the chime box.
3. Secure both bell wires to their terminals, then press your doorbell button to find out if it sticks.

Replace the Doorbell

If your doorbell won’t stop sticking, you can replace it with these steps:

1. Turn off the electricity if the doorbell transformer feels hot. You can usually work on a doorbell without turning off the power, as long as all of your work is between the transformer and the chime box or the chime box and the doorbell button. The voltage is too low to shock anything.
2. Remove the screws from the doorbell and pull the doorbell out of the wall. You should see two to three wires on the back of the doorbell. One of them is the hot wire going to the transformer, while the other goes to the chime box. The optional third wire is a ground wire (it’s green or bare copper).
3. Disconnect the bell wire and the transformer wire from the back of the doorbell. You can cap the exposed wires with wire nuts if you don’t have a spare doorbell button on hand. This will prevent the copper lines from pulling electricity if the breaker turns on.
4. Connect the bell wire and hot wire to the back of the new doorbell, then mount it to the wall. Make sure you connect them to the same terminals that were on the old doorbell button. Use new screws if the old ones are stripped since they can prevent the doorbell from sticking.
5. Turn on the power, then press your doorbell to test the installation. Incorrect wiring can cause a doorbell fire, so it’s important that you have a transformer between the chime box and the junction box or the circuit breaker box.

Unfortunately, eHow explains that replacing a stuck doorbell is often the only solution. If you’ve tried all of my solutions provided above without fixing the doorbell, then this method is your only option.