Doorbell (wired, gen 1) no longer sounding chime on first press

[nester12]

Hello all,

Have a Gen 1 wired doorbell that worked perfectly fine the first few years, but as of a few months ago (no changes in setup), it now only sounds the chime on third press.

Transformer: 16VAC, 15VA

Setup: One doorbell, two mechanical chimes, chime connector

Have tried switching setting to electronic chime and various chime durations with no luck.

First press, no ring, second press, no ring, third press, ring!  Same sequence continues thereafter.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

[steve81uk]

Hi! I'm sorry to hear that your Gen 1 Nest Doorbell only rings once every three times. Let's try some troubleshooting steps:

- Power Cycle: Sometimes a simple reboot can fix temporary glitches. Unplug the power from the transformer for 30 seconds, then plug it back in.
- Check Chime Settings: Make sure the chime settings in the Nest app are correct. Choose "Mechanical Chime" and adjust the chime duration as needed.
- Inspect Wiring: Check for any loose or damaged wires at the transformer, doorbell, and chimes. Secure any loose connections or replace any faulty wires.
- Test Chimes Individually: Disconnect one chime at a time and see if the problem still happens with only one chime connected. This can help you find the source of the issue.
- Factory Reset: If none of the above steps work, you may need to do a factory reset. This will erase all your settings and require you to set up the doorbell again. Follow the instructions in your Nest manual or online guide for how to do this.

If you still have the issue after trying these steps, please reply with more information, such as:

- Any error messages you see.
- Whether the LED light on the doorbell blinks or stays on.

[nester12]

Thank you for these suggestions.  I have tried most of these, but not all.

Power Cycle: Tried

Chime Settings: I'm using the Nest app.  There is a setting for electronic chime/chime duration, which I have played with.  It changes how many presses it takes, but doesn't ring the doorbell consistently on the first press.

Wiring: Inspected and looks good.

Factory Reset: Tried

Error messages: None

Doorbell LED: Stays on

Testing Chimes Individually: I have not tried this and will need to check wiring diagrams on how to disengage one at a time.

Thanks.

[MplsCustomer]

@nester12 

Does your doorbell by any chance also go offline for a minute when the doorbell button is pressed? That happens when the internal battery in the doorbell fails. It's now happened to all three of our Google Nest Hello Doorbells. If you turn off the "Indoor chime" option, the doorbell no longer goes offline because the purpose of the battery is to provide power during the instant when the doorbell button is pressed and power is diverted to ring the indoor chime. We rely instead on "Visitor announcements" on our Nest Hubs and Nest Mini (https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7672451).

Here is a very long thread on this issue:

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Nest-Hello-Doorbell-cuts-out-when-butto...

[nester12]

Thanks for the suggestion.  That is indeed a long thread.  Didn't know there was an internal battery on this doorbell.  I'm guessing the battery is not serviceable.

My doorbell stays online the whole time.

[MplsCustomer]

@nester12 

Most customers didn't know there was an internal battery. It's not designed to be serviceable, but some customers have tried replacing it: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nest+Hello+Battery+Replacement/131729

[nester12]

Tried the last suggestion (testing chimes individually) and the problem persisted.  I have now tried all suggestions.  No error messages and any special LED codes.

Removed Nest doorbell and installed traditional push button and everything works like a charm. 

[nester12]

This is how my doorbell was wired.  Worked fine for years then slowly started acting up.

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fxwkyqfzpjsd21.png%3Fwidth%3D489%26f...

[MplsCustomer]

@nester12 

I should have noticed your transformer (16VAC, 15VA) in your first post. Many customers in this forum, including us, have upgraded to 16V 30VA transformers to get both 1st and 2nd gen Google Nest doorbells to function correctly. We did so only after a couple of years.

[nester12]

Thanks.  I can try that next time I reconnect the Nest doorbell.  Does the Chime Connector ever die and need to be replaced?

[MplsCustomer]

@nester12 

I don't know.  Our oldest is 5 years old now and the doorbell still works.