Doorbell Site

Mechanical Doorbells

Mechanical Doorbells: Bringing the Old Into the New.

Mechanical doorbells got their start during the early Victorian era, and though we have moved on to more technologically advanced pieces, these charming bits of history still hold a place in the hearts of those with a fascination for old fashioned architectural accessories, and the people who like to add interesting bits of unusual style to their homes.

What makes mechanical doorbells such delightful pieces is their simplicity. These doorbells do not run on electricity, but are simply a bell on the inside of the door attached to a lever on the outside. The external handles vary from a twist handle (which tends to sound similar to a bicycle bell), and a push lever, which has a stronger, singular tone.

Most of these unique historic pieces are made of a heavy brass. Although you can find a style that is simple, you will find many more that are intricate in design. The lever designs are almost always elaborately fashioned; you will generally find them in golden hues, with complex scroll work patterns, or leaf and flower etchings. These ornamental outlines extended to the twist handle (or rotary) styles as well. However, they also included fun touches such as bold geometrical patterns, words sayings things like, “turn here,” and occasionally an animal bust. The twist handle design can also be done in a simpler fashion; these are generally smooth and sleek, and look similar to a vertically placed inn bell. This style, as well as the more elaborate counterpart, can be seen in a golden tint as well as silver, bronze and a patina copper.

When it comes to choosing this style of doorbell for your home, it is important to know exactly what you are looking for, and how much you would like to spend. Do you want an antique, or a reproduction? Will it be a showpiece, or something functional as well as stylish? Whether they are antique or reproductions, these doorbells are relatively inexpensive; the antiques ranging from $100 to $20 dollars depending on size and quality; the reproductions generally cost between $70 and $15 dollars. The originals tend to be made of studier material; however, due to their advanced age, they may require some repairs. On the other hand, reproductions are usually made of fine quality materials that will last a while, but they are not usually as heavy, and you may not find pieces that are as ornate as the originals.

Whether using them as a functional piece, or for purely aesthetic purposes, mechanical doorbells are certain to add a bit of old fashioned flair to your home.

Doorbell Site - An Introduction to Doorbells

Welcome to the Doorbell Site. Doorbells serve a very practical function and yet there is a lot of variety in the types of doorbells that you will see today. They have evolved from simple mechanical systems to sometimes very sophisticated wireless doorbell intercom systems. We’ll start by digging into the various types of door bells available.

Types of Doorbells

• Standard Doorbells – Nothing unexpected here. There is a button at the front door, wiring to the bell or chime unit and the actual “bells”. The standard door bell system requires electricity to allow the doorbell button to activate the relays that turn on the doorbells.
• Wireless doorbells – Wireless doorbells are a great invention for anybody that wants to replace or remodel the area where their current doorbell system resides. They are also an easy way to add a door bell to a door that doesn’t currently have a door bell. Wireless doorbells typically have a range of about 100 feet.
• Doorbell intercom – Easily answer your door without opening it! Doorbell intercom systems can be found in wireless models and you can even expand some systems to include multiple intercoms and make a whole house system.
• Mechanical doorbell – Mechanical doorbells require no electricity and they are just bells attached on the inside of the door with the level on the outside. When a visitor turns the level the bells ring on the inside. They are most often mounted at mid-door height they come with different types of twist levers. Mechanical doorbells are often called mechanical twist doorbells due to the twisting motion you make to use them.
• Driveway doorbells – Driveway door bells (also called driveway alarms) have a sensor that you place at the front of your driveway to detect vehicles and the doorbell chime unit in your house. Many detectors are passive infrared sensors, some are motion detectors and others use a rubber hose so that they trigger only when a vehicle drives over them (the others will trigger for people and pets). Almost all of the driveway doorbell systems are wireless these days.

Parts of a Doorbell System

• The bell or chime system. These can be actual bells are a speaker system that plays pre-recorded chime sounds.
• Wiring (or wireless) connection from the button to the chime unit.
• The doorbell button or level. It all begins here with the push of a button or a twist of a lever.

I hope that you can see that there is more to doorbells than most people realize. I hope to explore more of the doorbell world with future articles.