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Video Doorbell Upgrade? Where to Find Your Hidden Transformer!

Published on 05/30/2025•Content Creation Opportunities / Question Hotspots

Content Idea Title: The Great Transformer Hunt: A Guide to Finding Your Hidden Doorbell Transformer

Content Idea Brief: A detailed guide (blog post or video) tackling the common DIY challenge of locating a doorbell transformer, a crucial step for installing video doorbells or troubleshooting existing ones. This resource will compile a comprehensive list of potential locations, from the usual spots (near the chime, electrical panel) to the surprisingly common but often overlooked areas (attics, basements, crawl spaces, garages, closets, near the furnace/HVAC unit, or even inside light fixtures or wall voids).

The guide should include:

  1. What to Look For: Images and descriptions of common doorbell transformers.

  2. Systematic Search Strategy:

    • Starting points: Chime box, doorbell button.
    • Tracing low-voltage wires.
    • Identifying the doorbell's circuit breaker to narrow down the search area.
    • Looking for subtle clues like a slight hum or warmth (with caution).

  3. Checklist of Locations (with explanations why they might be there):

    • Common: Behind/near the chime, basement/attic joists near the electrical panel, inside/on the electrical panel itself.
    • Less Common but Frequent: Garages, utility closets, linen closets, coat closets (especially if near the front door or central).
    • Often Overlooked: Near the HVAC furnace/air handler (sometimes mistaken for HVAC components), crawl spaces.
    • Rare but Possible: Inside wall voids accessible via other fixtures, behind other electrical boxes, inside old alarm system panels, attached to light fixture boxes.

  4. Tips from the Trenches: Incorporate anecdotes or common scenarios from DIY communities (like those in the provided Reddit thread).

  5. What If You Still Can't Find It? Next steps, like considering if it's missing or faulty, or if a new installation is needed.

Target Audience:

  • DIY Homeowners: Specifically those attempting to install or upgrade to video doorbells (e.g., Ring, Nest, Reolink, Wyze, etc.).
  • Smart Home Enthusiasts: Individuals setting up smart home ecosystems who encounter this as a prerequisite for smart doorbells.
  • Home Improvers: People troubleshooting non-functional wired doorbells before calling an electrician.
  • Users of Online DIY/Home Improvement Forums: Members of communities like Reddit (r/DIY, r/HomeImprovement, r/smarthome), Facebook groups, etc., who frequently ask "Where is my doorbell transformer?" or share their struggles finding it.

This content directly addresses a widespread, frustrating, and frequently asked question, making it highly valuable and shareable within the target audience. The variety of locations mentioned in user comments indicates a clear need for a consolidated, comprehensive resource.

Origin Reddit Post

r/diy

Can’t find doorbell transformer – installing video doorbell (pics included)

Posted by u/Control_Careful•05/30/2025
Hey DIYers, I’m trying to install a Reolink video doorbell and I’ve hit a wall — I can’t find the transformer anywhere. I’ve attached two photos: 1. One of my existing mechanical chime — is

Top Comments

u/smurb15
It's like they knew when they built it that it would not be a problem until long after they were gone
u/Swagasaurus785
HVAC tech here. In homes built in the late 80’s or early 90’s in my town they attached it to the power coming into the furnace. So it looks like a transformer for the HVAC system but is not.
u/TJNel
Mine was in the basement attached to a ceiling light box. My parent's house had theirs next to the main breaker panel.
u/ntyperteasy
The transformer you showed in picture 1 is typical of an old burglar alarm system. May be long gone. Look in the basement. Typically it’s a metal thing attached to the side of an electrica
u/IndependenceDizzy891
Coat closet or next to furnace if not too far.
u/wkarraker
Mine is bolted to the side of my breaker box in my basement. I disconnected the electromagnetic chimes and have it powering my Ring doorbell.
u/craftycraftsman4u
Turn off breakers and find out which breaker the doorbell is on. Once you find that it should give you some idea of where in the house the transformer might be or what it might be attached to
u/confused_boner
Check near smoke alarms above/below the doorbell
u/DC3TX
It is possible the transformer is behind the chime. Mine was in a previous house. If there is attic space immediately above or basement or crawl space immediately below, look in those areas
u/gladiwokeupthismorn
Mine was in my garage and I moved it into my attic 🤣
u/jfk_47
Literally? Anywhere? ![gif](giphy|LkcIVUmf1qoUM)
u/ntyperteasy
That’s terrible. I have not come across that before.
u/EvilGeniusSkis
The one in my house is on the electrical panel, the one in my grandparents house was in a junction box on the other side of the wall from the chime.
u/bryansj
I looked everywhere for mine and eventually found it after I gave up. It was behind my doorbell chime in the electrical box.
u/scofus
Throw breakers until you figure out which circuit it's on. Check the other electrical boxes (switches, outlets, etc) on that circuit. Mine was attached to an electrical box in the basement
u/saltysomadmin
I had mine in a light fixture by my front door. Good luck!
u/murphmobile
Do you have a crawl space? My house (built in 1969) has the transformer hidden in the crawl space under the house, mounted on the “ceiling” next to the light. I’ve been in a handful of houses
u/grizzdoog
I found mine that was from 1924 in my attic. I found it because it was so hot under all the loose insulation.
u/rackoblack
Bought our house in 2021, built 2018. They put the transformer conspicuously visible right above the tankless water heater. Progress, I guess?
u/ParadigmShift013
Yeah, mine was behind the chime assembly in a void in the wall.
u/JerryLZ
Look inside or right around your breaker panel. Most likely going to need to replace it with the beefier $20 one anyway for a video doorbell but at least you’ll know where the wires are going
u/Theletterkay
Wow, how did the installers put the transformer in a whole other house?
u/UMustBeNooHere
My in-laws transformer is in their attic. It could be literally anywhere.
u/pete663
If it's not behind the chime, at least you know what the wire looks like. You may have to physically trace it in the attic and then be mad when you find it somewhere you already looked.
u/TheTarasenkshow
Good luck lol It can be almost anywhere. Make sure it’s not attached to the breaker box but check closets, attic, light bulbs, outlets. Sometimes it’s by the front door, sometimes near the

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