• Home
  • about emily
  • before + after
  • HGTV + DIY Network
  • good press
  • contact
  • Let’s Organize These Posts:

    • Art Attack
    • Backyard
    • Barn
    • Basement
    • Bathroom
    • Beach
    • Bedrooms
    • Being Thrifty
    • Business-y
    • Buying and Renting and Selling
    • Casual Celebrations
    • Closets
    • Curb Appeal
    • Dainty Details
    • Deck
    • Decor
    • Dining Room
    • DIY
    • Dog-Related
    • Entryway
    • Flooring
    • For the Kids
    • Garage
    • Gardening
    • Helping The Economy
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects
    • Holiday-Related Projects
    • Home Safety
    • Kitchen
    • Lighting
    • Living Room
    • Merry Travels
    • Office Space
    • Organized
    • Other Pads
    • Outdoor Living
    • Scooter Fun
    • Stairwell
    • Sunroom
    • Supporting Sponsors
    • The Art Room
    • Tools
    • Uncategorizable
    • Wedding
    • Windows
    • Work-pads
  • Search

  • Hi, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle.

    You can find me writing for HGTV and DIY Network, follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

    Thanks for visiting!

  • BROWSE POSTS BY CATEGORY:

    • Art Attack (7)
    • Backyard (92)
    • Barn (8)
    • Basement (27)
    • Bathroom (43)
    • Beach (13)
    • Bedrooms (73)
    • Being Thrifty (53)
    • Business-y (12)
    • Buying and Renting and Selling (23)
    • Casual Celebrations (36)
    • Closets (17)
    • Curb Appeal (44)
    • Dainty Details (8)
    • Deck (23)
    • Decor (286)
    • Dining Room (37)
    • DIY (577)
    • Dog-Related (24)
    • Entryway (59)
    • Flooring (58)
    • For the Kids (32)
    • Garage (17)
    • Gardening (70)
    • Helping The Economy (30)
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects (283)
    • Holiday-Related Projects (80)
    • Home Safety (12)
    • Kitchen (83)
    • Lighting (31)
    • Living Room (77)
    • Merry Travels (21)
    • Office Space (21)
    • Organized (41)
    • Other Pads (14)
    • Outdoor Living (12)
    • Scooter Fun (8)
    • Stairwell (20)
    • Sunroom (22)
    • Supporting Sponsors (43)
    • The Art Room (3)
    • Tools (43)
    • Uncategorizable (1)
    • Wedding (28)
    • Windows (14)
    • Work-pads (10)
  • Search

  • Pages

    • blog
    • Merrypad Features
    • Privacy Policy
    • about emily
    • before + after
      • before + after, our current home
      • before + after, our first house
    • contact me
    • choose a badge and share the merrypad.com love
  • Home
  • about emily
  • before + after
  • HGTV + DIY Network
  • good press
  • contact

Doorbell Affection

July 3, 2013

I posted a photo of our doorbell a few weeks ago on Instagram. I also commented that its chime rang beautifully like the bells at St. Bonaventure. If I only  if I could reprogram it to play Michelle. Every hour. On the hour. Maybe I’m asking a lot out of this simple doorbell.

It’s the kind of mid-century authentic piece that I initially thought we’d modernize, but after hearing it, I changed my mind, and for now, we’ll leave it in all its long-chimed glory. Plus, it has a cool, mod face, and I can’t say no to it.

Our pretty mid-century doorbell chimes.

A few of you asked to hear it, and I finally took a moment to record it.

I’ve heard that I might actually be able to switch out the bell for another setting in the same unit, so I’ll be looking into that at some point too. Thanks for all of the tips, all of you knowledgeable people!

Share

Dainty Details

Emily
I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. You can find me writing for HGTV and DIY Network, follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

11 Comments


Katharine
July 3, 2013 at 11:09 am
Reply

Cool! You just can’t find this stuff anymore, so I’m glad you guys are keeping it. I think it’s missing a tone or two, though — the second and last notes aren’t playing — and the last note sounds slightly out of tune.



    Emily
    July 3, 2013 at 11:14 am

    Oh yeah? With a few extra notes it would sound a lot better.

craftyb
July 3, 2013 at 1:17 pm
Reply

My grandmother had door chimes like those! I can’t stand the new tinny digital chimes- thankfully when we bought our house it came with “real chimes” (though without the hanging section). It would have been one of the first things I changed.



Karry
July 4, 2013 at 2:11 pm
Reply

Go Bonnies!



Denise@BeBetsy
July 7, 2013 at 1:37 pm
Reply

Love these old chimes – reminds me of our grandparents! So happy to see that you have kept it in the original condition. It’s a treasure.
Share your great ideas with us Tues – Sat weekly on our link party (meet new peeps too)
BeBetsy BRAG ABOUT IT Link and Hop
Thanks ~ Sharon and Denise
Follow us:
Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Bloglovin ~ Pinterest



Sumshee
August 25, 2013 at 1:21 pm
Reply

It is NOT missing the second and last notes, actually. There are four bells (notes) and the mechanism goes through them in two different orders. The solenoid…the electromagnetic striker… is not reacting. That might be from a bad wire connection or a bad spot on the cam which rotates one full turn each time the button is pushed outside. It then resets for another rotation when triggered again.
It’s a very simple mechanism and if you carefully get a ladder and get up there, you should be able to remove the cover, usually by just lifting it off, and study it. I betcha you’ll see how it operates and beable to figure out what’s wrong on your own. Almost assuredly it runs off of low voltage, with the transformer in the basement or a closet…so this should all be safe to futz with.
I believe the “tune” is the series of notes associated with Big Ben, in London.



Sumshee
August 25, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Reply

…or the electromagnetic striker for that one bell (note), which is #2 and #4 in the two different squences, is just not freely “traveling” when asked to do so; it may be just sticky, or something might be otherwise preventing it from striking the bell.



Sumshee
August 25, 2013 at 1:47 pm
Reply

…all that is based on what your bell system APPEARS to be and from what my experience tells me.
I hope I am right…heehee.
Don’t ever go and get rid of the unit. It is beautiful, simple, easy to fix once you understand how it works and it is a classic device.
There is nothing better in an electronic replacement.



sarah
September 26, 2013 at 4:05 pm
Reply

I was browsing through one of my favorite blogs and saw a surprisingly familiar doorbell in this time capsule house!

http://retrorenovation.com/2011/01/12/1948-streamline-moderne-time-capsule-house-portland-oregon/



    Emily
    September 26, 2013 at 5:05 pm

    That’s it!!

Tim
November 25, 2013 at 9:58 pm
Reply

That’s model K48 Century, part of Nutone’s new post-war line and made for a number of years. I work on lots of these. Chime repair isn’t rocket science for a handy mechanic, but there are lots of ways for it to go very wrong. Let me know if you’d like my help.

Tim / http://www.knockdoorbells.com



Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • HI, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

    Thanks for visiting!

  • Instagram

    Can’t believe I ever bought dumpling wrappers. 🥟 Pulse a few cups of flour in the food processor drizzling in cold water until it forms dough. Roll smooth. Use a conveniently large cookie cutter, or just trim out squares. The end ❤️ #hny #dumplings
    Didn’t think I’d be making more masks, but her Didn’t think I’d be making more masks, but here we are (now feat. recycled t-shirt layer for added softness and bonus-layer protection). #diy #amateurseamstress #diymask
    Get out there ☀️ Get out there ☀️
    The gang finally showed up. 👻 The gang finally showed up. 👻
    A record 233 cloves + 10 shallots 🧛🏻‍♀️ 
#merrypadathome #garden2021 #garlic #gardennotes #whatisnormal
    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
    Immeasurably tall, lanky tomatillos. #garden2020 # Immeasurably tall, lanky tomatillos. #garden2020 #tomatillos #nofilter
    32 oz., reserved for the brave 🌶🌶 😍#homeg 32 oz., reserved for the brave 🌶🌶 😍#homegrown #tomatillos #harvest2020
    Nothing says “let’s stay home all fall, too” Nothing says “let’s stay home all fall, too” like a badass custom fireplace on our patio. 🔥 #chiminea #merrypadathome
    Load More... follow emily: @merrypad



  • Like Us On Facebook

    Facebook Pagelike Widget



  • Popular Posts

    • DIY sideboard rehab. Our Refinished Midcentury Buffet 37.7k views
    • How to fix an IKEA drawer. Cheap IKEA Drawers (And The Quick Fix) 37.5k views
    • How to design and make a barn quilt. How to Make Your Own Barn Quilt 32.4k views
    • DIY driveway removal. The Driveway Rocks 23.9k views
    • How to hang art on brick surfaces using specialty clips. The Easy Way to Hang Art on Brick or Stone 23.1k views
    • Goodbye, gold fireplace covering. Less Is More: How to Remove a Fireplace Surround 21k views
    • Our DIY flagstone patio. Building a Patio in One Day 16.5k views
    • Bedroom paint, freshened up with Snowbound paint. Painting Everything White: We Chose Snowbound, By Sherwin Williams 15.7k views
    • Tips for dying pasta different colors, and a Halloween Recipe for the kids. Tips for Dying Pasta Different Colors (+ A Special Halloween Recipe) 15k views
    • Finished stained kitchen cabinets. Javalicious, A Gel Staining Reveal (Update #3) 13.6k views



  • BROWSE POSTS BY CATEGORY:

    • Art Attack (7)
    • Backyard (92)
    • Barn (8)
    • Basement (27)
    • Bathroom (43)
    • Beach (13)
    • Bedrooms (73)
    • Being Thrifty (53)
    • Business-y (12)
    • Buying and Renting and Selling (23)
    • Casual Celebrations (36)
    • Closets (17)
    • Curb Appeal (44)
    • Dainty Details (8)
    • Deck (23)
    • Decor (286)
    • Dining Room (37)
    • DIY (577)
    • Dog-Related (24)
    • Entryway (59)
    • Flooring (58)
    • For the Kids (32)
    • Garage (17)
    • Gardening (70)
    • Helping The Economy (30)
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects (283)
    • Holiday-Related Projects (80)
    • Home Safety (12)
    • Kitchen (83)
    • Lighting (31)
    • Living Room (77)
    • Merry Travels (21)
    • Office Space (21)
    • Organized (41)
    • Other Pads (14)
    • Outdoor Living (12)
    • Scooter Fun (8)
    • Stairwell (20)
    • Sunroom (22)
    • Supporting Sponsors (43)
    • The Art Room (3)
    • Tools (43)
    • Uncategorizable (1)
    • Wedding (28)
    • Windows (14)
    • Work-pads (10)





  • a little bit of everything, friends, DIY, and inspiration

    • Dadand.com < My husband and his BFF
    • DIY Network
    • HGTV
  • Get Posts Via Email

  • Some Legal

    Merrypad incorporates the occasional affiliate link to Amazon.com and Minted; we link to many other websites and products, but if it is in context of a paid sponsorship, it is always noted as such. Please review the privacy policy and contact me if you have any additional questions.

    Theme customized by Pete Fazio Creative, the guy from dadand.com.


© Copyright Merrypad