Loud Door Bells
There may be no more jarring sound than a doorbell that suddenly thunders into the house. Even though you know it is just a machine, when that chime is set to ring too loudly, it can make it sound insistent and urgent. So if you notice that the doorbell is causing a sense of panic and disorientation in your family and pets, it might be time to do something about it.
The process of adjusting the volume of the chimes or ringer of your doorbell is not very well known but it is also quite easy to do. The adjustment is made on the chime box, not at the doorbell button. But before you get started, as it true when you work on any household appliance that draws power, you should drop the power to the unit. In most cases, it is easiest just to drop the main power switch to the house for the few minutes it takes to make this adjustment.
You will need to remove the outer housing of the doorbell chimes box. It is usually secured with tabs along the side that you can find and by pressing in on the indentations, the box will snap out and you can pull it outward. You will use the same procedure to clean the interior workings of the doorbell mechanism from time to time. Within the interior mechanism, you should find another housing for the chimes themselves. On the side of that unit, there will be an adjustment screw. It might look somewhat like the kind of screw you use to attach something to something else but it should be larger and sometimes you will see simple signals etched into the housing side showing which direction to turn the adjustment screw for a louder and softer tone.
Usually using a flathead screwdriver, make small adjustments to the volume. It is best to then turn on the power and test the doorbell to see if you reached the desired level of loudness with that adjustment. If not repeat the process until you are satisfied. Because this testing and adjusting procedure involves powering on the unit, running to the door to press the doorbell and then going through the steps again, it usually helps to work with a partner who can help you with the legwork.
Be aware that a doorbell chime should have sufficient volume to make themselves heard in a busy house. If you make these adjustments in the middle of the day when it is quiet, you may find the doorbell is too soft to be heard when the TV is on, people are talking and appliances in operation during the evening hours. So make sure you leave the chimes sufficiently loud to do their job when the house is busy as well as when it is quiet in the home.