Nest Doorbell Mechanical Chime Not Working (9 Ways to Fix)
I was so excited when I installed my new Nest doorbell. But recently I found a problem with my chime unit. But every time when someone rang the bell, there was no sound inside my house to alert me.
It was frustrating, not knowing who was at my door until I went to check for myself.
However, after some research online, I discovered simple steps to troubleshoot this issue and get my Nest doorbell’s mechanical chime running again.
In this article I’ll walk you through these steps to fix your Nest mechanical chime.
Let’s get started!
How to Fix Nest Doorbell Mechanical Chime Not Working
These are solutions that you should try to fix the Nest doorbell mechanical chime that isn’t working.
1. Check Power Supply
When you are facing an issue with the Nest mechanical chime that isn’t working, check its power supply first.
Ensure that the doorbell’s fuse or breaker switch that supplies power isn’t turned off; it should be in the “on” position.
And then, check the indoor power adapter; if you have one, ensure the outlet is receiving power. You can check it by plugging a lamp into it.
If it isn’t working, you can use another power outlet that you know is working correctly. In case the adapter isn’t working, you should replace it.
Sometimes the wall outlet can be controlled by a switch to ensure it is turned on; it should also not be faulty.
2. Check Chime Settings in App
Next, you have to check the doorbell settings in the app because the current settings might be preventing it from working correctly.
Sometimes you might have turned the chime off accidentally or not turned it on. Another thing which you may not have turned on is the chime unit duration. It should be turned off; these are only helpful for digital or electronic chimes.
So, you should look at these settings, and if they are not set, as I have mentioned, you should customize them by the following steps.
Here are steps to check and customize these settings:
Home app
- Open the Google Home app on your device
- Then touch and hold the devices tile
- Next, tap on Settings > and select doorbell
- Check that your Nest chime is set to On
- Then tap more > Quiet Time; if it is activated, tap cancel
After these settings, check it by pressing your Nest doorbell to ensure that these settings are the reason.
Nest App
For the Nest app, you can follow these settings.
- Open the Nest app on your phone
- Select doorbell > and tap on the Settings gear
- Indoor chime on/off > toggle next to the Indoor chime on/off should be turned on (blue)
- Tap on quiet time
- If the Quiet time is on, you should tap on it to reveal the switch. Tap the switch to turn it off.
- And then, scroll to locate chime duration, and tap the Chime Duration in the settings menu.
- It should be turned off for a mechanical chime; toggle the switch to the off position.
After these settings, if the chime is still not working, you should keep reading the below steps.
3. Check Chime Connectors
For your mechanical chime, you should ensure that chime connectors are not connecting any moving part of the chime unit.
In case if the wires or connectors touch any of the chime’s moving parts, it will cause the chime not to ring or muffle the sound.
So, you should troubleshoot it to resolve this problem. First, check the chime when the cover is off.
- Firstly remove the cover of your chime
- Then press the doorbell to ensure it works correctly
If the chime unit is working and producing sound correctly with the cover off, it’s clear that the chime cover or connectors are interfering with it.
Follow the steps to fix it:
- You should bend wires with the help of tape.
- Test it again with the cover on.
- If you still feel the bad sound, you should mount the connectors outside of the chime box with double-sided tape.
Check if the problem is resolved now if the chime is still not working correctly. You should take off the chime cover and ask someone to press the doorbell.
When you examine the chime, you may find something interfering with the moving parts of the chime.
And then, closely check for all the wires to ensure they are securely inserted into the chime box. And right all the screws that are holding the chime wires.
Check that all wires are clean and not corded. If any part of the wire is corded, trim and strip the casing to expose the fresh wire.
4. Check Doorbell Wires
Your Nest doorbell wires can possibly be loose or not correctly connected when you put the device on the backplate. The wires might not tighten enough, that’s why causing this issue.
So, check that all the wires of your doorbell are connected securely. Follow the below steps to resolve it:
- Turn off the doorbell from the circuit breaker.
- Remove the doorbell from the backplate with the release tool.
- Next, tighten all the screws that are holding the wires.
- Then consider checking the ends of the wires are not connecting to each other or the base of the backplate.
- You can trim or bend the ends of these wires if needed.
- Then put the doorbell back on the backplate and check the chime unit.
5. Check Battery
The Nest doorbell can run out of battery or not be connected securely to the power source. When the doorbell isn’t receiving enough power, it results in the chime not working.
There are a few reasons for the quick battery draining of your Nest doorbell, such as incompatible weather and the doorbell’s settings.
You should change these settings to save power on the doorbell. It will help you get an estimated 48 hours of life from the doorbell.
6. Check the Transformer Compatibility
Your Nest device requires a specific power rating which can be done by a particular transformer.
The compatible transformer ratings are 8-12 V AC and 10 VA in North America. If the transformer cannot deliver enough power, you should check its power requirements.
If the transformer ratings are less than those mentioned above, you should replace them to get the chime unit working back again.
However, if the transformer meets the power rating but still does not work, you should seek an electrician to repair it.
7. Hard Reset the Doorbell
After checking and fixing all the power issues, you should perform a factory reset for your Nest doorbell. It will help you remove the device glitches causing this issue.
Factory reset will roll back the device to its factory default settings and remove any function installed by the user while in use.
Here are steps to reset the Nest doorbell:
- Remove the doorbell from the backplate.
- Press and hold the reset button at the back of the doorbell by inserting (a paperclip, sim ejector tool or another similar tool) and front ring button at same time for about 10 seconds.
- Then the doorbell will chime and light on the start spinning blue and turn yellow then light will completely turns off.
- Release the reset button while the doorbell turns off
- Then wait for the doorbell to turn back on and finish the reset.
Also, you can watch the video below to reset your doorbell to factory default settings.
8. Monitor Weather
Nest doorbells cannot work in extreme weather and cause issues. Suppose you’ve placed the doorbell in direct sunlight or freezing weather.
The doorbell will stop working until its internal components return to a suitable temperature.
Cold Weather
If there is cold weather outside (below –4°F/-20°C), your doorbell will not work, and it might turn off. And will cause the chime not to work.
The chime unit will automatically start working again when the doorbell turns back on after its internal temperature moderates.
For the Nest rechargeable doorbell, you should place it inside your house to charge it. Because if the temperature outside is below freezing, the device will not charge the battery to protect against damage.
Hot Weather
In hot weather, your doorbell will automatically be turned off to protect any internal damage from the excessive heat.
Similarly, when the doorbell’s internal temperature becomes moderate, it will be turned on and connected to the chime.
9. Contact Customer Support
Once you’ve tried all the above-mentioned troubleshooting steps, you should contact your Nest device customer support.
The support team will be able to assist you with the other troubleshooting steps and walk you through the different steps.
Wrapping Up
These are the possible solution that will help to resolve your Nest doorbell mechanical chime:
- Fix the power supply
- Check chime settings in app
- Check the chime wires
- Check doorbell wires
- Check its battery
- Check the transformer compatibility
- Hard reset the doorbell
- Avoid the doorbell from extreme weather
How do I know if I have a mechanical chime?
Mechanical chimes have moving components that make a classic sound like “ding dong.”
On the other hand, a classic or electric chime has a speaker which makes sounds when someone rings the doorbell.
Can Nest Doorbell Chime Through Alexa?
Yes, a Nest doorbell can chime through Alexa; but the device should have streaming and display. There are a few examples of it echo show and echo spot.
Did I Miss Something
Now I’d like to hear from you!
Which method helped you to fix your Nest chime? Are you still looking for help?
Let me know in the comment right now.