Easy Ways to Decrease the Volume of a Doorbell

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Plus, how to disable the sound of your doorbell
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If that loud ringing sound shooting out of your doorbell is giving you a headache, it may be time to take action. Unfortunately, most old-school wired doorbells and intercoms do not have a volume control to adjust how loud it is when someone presses the button outside your door. However, you may be able to muffle the sound with some simple solutions. If you have a wireless doorbell, like a Ring, you can usually adjust the chime volume in the device's app or digital control panel. Keep reading to learn how to adjust your doorbell’s volume!

How to Make a Doorbell Quieter

If you have an old wired doorbell, place tape or acoustic foam over the chime box inside your home to muffle the sound. Or, open up the box and attach foam or felt between the striker piece and chime plate. If you have a wireless doorbell, like Ring, use the device’s app to lower the volume.

Section 1 of 3:

Muffling the Volume on a Wired Doorbell

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  1. If you have an old school doorbell, there is a chime located somewhere in your home. Look for a plastic box that is roughly 4 by 6 inches (10 by 15 cm) or so. These boxes are typically located near your door and close to the ceiling, but they may be in your living room, kitchen, or some other common area. [1]
    • If you have an intercom system , the chime likely comes out of the grill right above the buttons on the intercom itself. Pay attention the next time your doorbell rings. If it sounds like it’s coming from the intercom, your chime is built-in next to the “speak” and “listen” buttons.
    • A wired doorbell refers to any doorbell that relies on your home wiring. There is a literal wire running from the doorbell outside to the chime inside.
    • To check if your doorbell has volume control, inspect the chime itself. If it doesn’t have a volume knob, its volume likely cannot be adjusted.
  2. Inspect the sides, top, and front of your chime. There will be a small vent or opening somewhere on the chime to let the sound out. An easy way to lower the volume of the doorbell is to just put a piece of duct tape over the opening or vent. This will muffle the sound a little without completely silencing the doorbell.
    • On an intercom , you can put the duct tape over the grill to reduce the volume. You won’t be able to hear or speak into the intercom, though. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many good solutions when it comes to lowering the volume of the chime on intercoms.
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  3. Tape acoustic foam over the chime for a more aesthetically pleasing solution. Buy some acoustic foam online or from a music supply store. Cut the foam into a 1–2 in (2.5–5.1 cm) strip that matches the opening or vent on your chime. Use scissors or a utility knife to cut the foam. Then, peel off some double-sided tape and press it on your chime cover right next to the opening. Lay the foam over the tape so that it covers the vent or opening where the sound comes out. [2]
    • If the chime is really loud, you can cover the entire plastic cover with acoustic foam if you’d like. This will reduce the sound even more dramatically. The sound is amplified by the openings on the cover, but it comes through the thin plastic case a little as well.
  4. 4
    Place foam or felt between the chime plate and striker. Go to your home’s circuit breaker and turn off the switch that powers your doorbell. Then, remove the faceplate from the chime box—it may simply pull off or require a screwdriver. Look inside the box for vertical springs, which are the strikers, and the horizontal chime plates that run along the top and bottom of the box. Then, tape or glue a small piece of foam or felt onto the plate so the striker hits it, rather than the plate, to muffle the sound. [3]
    • For example, cut up a sponge or use a bit of acoustic foam. Or, secure a felt furniture pad to the end of the striker.
    • Turn the circuit breaker switch back on and test the doorbell. If it is still too loud, turn the breaker back off and add more foam or felt onto the chime plate so the striker is more muffled.
  5. Get a chime cover to insulate the sound and muffle it a little bit. A chime cover is a decorative piece of art designed to obscure the plastic chime sitting on your wall. They will also lower the volume a little bit if you get a solid chime cover that doesn’t have a vent on it. Measure the length, width, and depth of your chime and buy a chime cover online. Simply hang it over the box on your wall to muffle the sound slightly. [4]

    Variation: If you really want to get crafty, you can get a chime cover that is 3–5 inches (7.6–12.7 cm) bigger than your chime. Cut up some acoustic foam and tape it to the inside of the cover before placing it over the box on your wall. This will look quite good and dramatically mute the sound.

  6. Install a wireless doorbell to control the volume of the chime. If you’re willing to do a little work to resolve this issue, replace your wired doorbell with a wireless doorbell. Most of the main brands (except Nest) have volume controls for the chime. Buy your wireless doorbell and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to install it in your home. [5]
    • Most wireless doorbells are wired into your old chime. You turn the fuse off, remove the cover, take the old wires out, and attach the new doorbell to the chime. Then, you unscrew your old doorbell and wire in your new digital buttons.
    • While Ring is undoubtedly the most popular brand of wireless doorbell, there are plenty of other options out there.
    • You can always hire an electrician to install the doorbell for you if you don’t want to mess with the electrical wires in your home.
    • According to home improvement specialist Jacob Pischer, “wireless doorbells are pretty simple” to install. He recommends getting one that plugs into the wall over one that is battery-operated.
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Section 2 of 3:

Disabling a Wired Doorbell Chime

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  1. You can always turn the chime off. Go to your fuse box and look for the fuse labeled “doorbell” or “chime.” Flip the switch to the off position to keep your doorbell from going off at all. [6] This may not be a permanent solution, but it’s a decent way to keep the doorbell from ringing if it’s really driving you crazy.
    • If the chime only bothers you when it goes off at night or early in the day, just flip the fuse every night before you go to bed.
    • If you want to keep the chime off permanently, put a small sign near the doorbell that says “please knock” to let people know the doorbell isn’t on.
    • In rare instances, the fuse for the doorbell may be linked to another electrical system in your house, such as your porch light or entryway outlets. If there are other electrical systems on the same circuit, this may not be a feasible option for you.
  2. 2
    Remove the chime plate and striker from the chime box as an alternative. If you don’t want to keep the fuse box off permanently, simply dismantle your doorbell’s chime box. Flip off the fuse box switch to turn off the electricity as you work. Then, remove the chime box faceplate. Use a screwdriver to pry off the top chime plate. Then, pull out the spring-based striker piece. [7]
    • Simply turn the fuse back on when you’re done working on the chime box.
    • If you ever want to re-enable your doorbell, simply place the striker piece back into the slot inside the chime box and attach the chime plate back on top of the box.
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Section 3 of 3:

Adjusting the Chime on a Wireless Doorbell

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  1. Almost every wireless doorbell has adjustable volume settings. If you control your doorbell through an app on your phone or computer, open it on your device. If you have a digital control panel in your home, use that to access your settings. If you can’t figure out how to control your doorbell, consult your instruction manual or call the company that you bought the doorbell from. [8]
    • Some doorbells that plug into the wall, like Honeywell, have volume controls directly on the plug-in device. [9]
    • Nest is the only major wireless doorbell that doesn’t have adjustable volume . While there are currently no volume controls for the Nest chimes, there are a few solutions to try:
      • Change the volume of the entire speaker by pressing the “lower volume” button on the back of the control panel. [10]
      • Turn on Quiet Time to mute the chime. In the app, tap your device, tap “More,” select “Quiet Time,” and choose how long you want it to last. [11]
      • Turn the chime entirely off. In the app, tap your device, tap “More,” select “Settings,” tap “Doorbell,” and switch the chime to “Off.” [12]
  2. In the app or control panel, there are likely several devices you can select. You may see your speaker, the intercom, the app settings, or some other devices. Select or highlight the doorbell to open the settings for it.
    • For instance, on Ring : Tap Menu (3 horizontal lines) > Devices > Device Settings > General Settings > Volume Settings. [13]

    Variation: On some wireless doorbells, there is a small gear in the top right of the screen. If you can’t select a specific device, press the gear to open the general settings for your doorbell system.

  3. Once you’ve opened the settings for the doorbell, look for the volume slider. Move it to the left to lower the volume of the chime. Every doorbell has different values for the volume, so keep the app open to make adjustments while you test it. [14]
    • Many wireless doorbells have a mute function as well. If you don’t want the doorbell going off late at night, open the app or settings on the control panel and simply set the volume to 0.
  4. Once you’ve adjusted the volume, go outside to your doorbell. Leave the door open so you can hear how it will sound from inside. Press your doorbell and listen to the chime. If it’s too quiet, turn the volume up a little. If it’s still too loud, turn it down even further.
    • You can always enlist some help and have one person stay inside while you check the doorbell from outside (or vice versa). This will give you a better sense of what the chime sounds like inside and outside.
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      • Most wireless doorbells function as security systems as well, since they have cameras that let you monitor what’s going on outside of your door. If you’re worried about crime or getting your packages stolen, a wireless doorbell is a great solution.
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      • If you get annoyed with people ringing your doorbell late at night, put a sign over the doorbell saying, “Please do not ring after 9 pm,” or something like that.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/20pM5pkVQQ4?t=26
      2. ↑ https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/interior-projects/how-to/g2470/soundproofing-a-room/
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/PE8bh0RWehY?si=jUqhRRllqqOXAwNb&t=100
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/wVj1ImN7N_k?t=262
      5. ↑ https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001773266-Setting-Up-Your-Ring-Video-Doorbell-In-the-Ring-App
      6. ↑ https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-install-a-doorbell/
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/4UsPSYOLfbU?si=JJofEjrVnwixud0G&t=51
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/0kD_TOeqSVk?t=14
      9. ↑ https://digitalassets.resideo.com/damroot/Original/10014/33-00193EFS.pdf
      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7072489?hl=en
      2. ↑ https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9218407?hl=en#zippy=,use-quiet-time-to-mute-the-indoor-chime
      3. ↑ https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9218407?hl=en#zippy=,turn-the-indoor-chime-on-or-off
      4. ↑ https://ring.com/support/articles/p9go2/Adjusting-the-Volume-on-Ring-Doorbells-Security-Cameras-and-Chimes
      5. ↑ https://ring.com/support/articles/p9go2/Adjusting-the-Volume-on-Ring-Doorbells-Security-Cameras-and-Chimes

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