Were your contacts eventually cleaned? I hear only two of the first four notes. And what other tunes does it play? Most ran 4- or 8-note Westminster, but these 3-tune Rittenhouses are rare and I've never heard one's other songs. Also, what sort of cover goes over the mechanism? There were six or so cover options at that time. Not that these Ritts needed one, they have one of the most classy and sleek mechanisms ever made! I collect old door chimes.
@JonasClark As far as I know, all of the notes that were supposed to sound did. If there are any missing, I did not know it. I did clean the contacts thoroughly. There isn't a lot of variation between the melodies on this one. As I remember it, the melodies differ mainly in length.
I never had the cover for this doorbell, so I cannot speak as to what it may have looked like. We made our own cover for it.
If you check out Nutone Westminster you will see a early 90's version of this chime. You can still buy these at nutone.ca in Canada and nutone.com in the USA
I recently fixed one of these for a friend; it had been sloppily fixed (before she was the house's owner) when one of the screws holding the chimes was bent, so the string had been tied up to get the chime in range of the solenoid hammer, and the string nub stuck up far enough that they had moved the supporting nut to move the string, but not before a few rounds of "ring the bell and scorch the string". gotta love sloppy repair work
@HappyDiscoDeath Most of the time, the transformer is external. I've seen a few that had the transformer built in. Rittenhouse also built some doorbells that had a "control unit" buried in the house, which is an important thing to have that most people don't realize is there!
@NICHOLSCO Exactly. The new electronic ones just sound cheap to me--you'd think somebody would make an electronically operated one with real chimes, but I haven't ever found one.
Might as well keep these classics on the road as long as they'll go. This one still works great! Not bad for something that dates from the late 40s.
@uxwbill i found a quite nice one, but who would pay for a $90 doorbell, its called the ichime, its got 100 pre put in tunes, and it will play cd's mp3's line in recording, ive heard them, they dont sound like this real one, but its better then those $10 heath zenith ones
This is a long bell westminster door chime. There are a couple small companies that make long bells with 2 or 3 tubes, but nobody makes these 4 bell chimes anymore. Most of them play an eight note westminster sequence for the front door, and a four note westminster sequence for the back. Some even have a one or two note chime for a third door.
@clockbuilderhg Thanks for watching and posting the comment. That's an interesting thing to know.
I don't think anyone makes doorbells like this any longer, which is too bad. (There is an outfit called Knock Doorbells that comes close, and they sell units with nice cabinets, but the chimes are simply.)
In other words, I think it pays to keep these old doorbells on the road as long as they can be fixed.
@uxwbill Knock Doorbells do have real, functional chimes. They're just two notes. What sort of decorative cover goes on the Rittenhouse 420, can you describe it? I know what a 620 looks like.
@JonasClark Yes they do. I think it's great that someone cares enough to continue the production of doorbells with real chimes. I just wish they had some with melody options.
I never had the cover for this doorbell. I suppose someone took it down, never put it back and it just got tossed. My dad and I made a cover for it.
What amazed me was the meticulous manner you described the electric wiring! But as I am a complete illiterate in all electronic gadgetry I would made the push-button on the door turn on a small ventilator inside the house, directed at the individually-hung chimes! (Besides, I would hear every time a NEW tune!)
Newer bells are simpler, most of them have only three or four contacts. And most don't play melodies unless they do so electronically. It seems like few of them even have real chime pipes any more.
This one does it all mechanically. It's very cool.
Approximately 100 years old. There is evidence of an earlier bell system being place, as there is a very old 12 volt transformer labeled as being a "Junior Bell Ringer" in the basement. I haven't tried to figure out where it went.
I started out and had a heck of a time getting it through customs. I mean how many people have ever taken a doorbell across the border?
Turned out when I got that done, it didn't have enough power to get up there. So I had to add a second transformer. Unfortunately, the candle that burns twice as bright only burns about 1/99th as long. Lasted long enough to make up there and get some good air though!
I agree though. The older pre-Chinese era doorbells were classics. Those wireless things are annoying but my house is so small that a doorbell isn't even needed.
Were your contacts eventually cleaned? I hear only two of the first four notes. And what other tunes does it play? Most ran 4- or 8-note Westminster, but these 3-tune Rittenhouses are rare and I've never heard one's other songs. Also, what sort of cover goes over the mechanism? There were six or so cover options at that time. Not that these Ritts needed one, they have one of the most classy and sleek mechanisms ever made! I collect old door chimes.
JonasClark 6 months ago
@JonasClark As far as I know, all of the notes that were supposed to sound did. If there are any missing, I did not know it. I did clean the contacts thoroughly. There isn't a lot of variation between the melodies on this one. As I remember it, the melodies differ mainly in length.
I never had the cover for this doorbell, so I cannot speak as to what it may have looked like. We made our own cover for it.
uxwbill 6 months ago
If you check out Nutone Westminster you will see a early 90's version of this chime. You can still buy these at nutone.ca in Canada and nutone.com in the USA
TheTimeport 8 months ago
I recently fixed one of these for a friend; it had been sloppily fixed (before she was the house's owner) when one of the screws holding the chimes was bent, so the string had been tied up to get the chime in range of the solenoid hammer, and the string nub stuck up far enough that they had moved the supporting nut to move the string, but not before a few rounds of "ring the bell and scorch the string". gotta love sloppy repair work
HappyDiscoDeath 1 year ago
@HappyDiscoDeath another thing. does an early mechanical chime like this have an external transformer, or is it built into the chime?
HappyDiscoDeath 1 year ago
@HappyDiscoDeath Most of the time, the transformer is external. I've seen a few that had the transformer built in. Rittenhouse also built some doorbells that had a "control unit" buried in the house, which is an important thing to have that most people don't realize is there!
uxwbill 1 year ago
I love these. they don't make them like this any more. The new ones just have a speaker sound to them.
NICHOLSCO 1 year ago
@NICHOLSCO Exactly. The new electronic ones just sound cheap to me--you'd think somebody would make an electronically operated one with real chimes, but I haven't ever found one.
Might as well keep these classics on the road as long as they'll go. This one still works great! Not bad for something that dates from the late 40s.
uxwbill 1 year ago
@uxwbill i found a quite nice one, but who would pay for a $90 doorbell, its called the ichime, its got 100 pre put in tunes, and it will play cd's mp3's line in recording, ive heard them, they dont sound like this real one, but its better then those $10 heath zenith ones
mikeluscher159 11 months ago
This is a long bell westminster door chime. There are a couple small companies that make long bells with 2 or 3 tubes, but nobody makes these 4 bell chimes anymore. Most of them play an eight note westminster sequence for the front door, and a four note westminster sequence for the back. Some even have a one or two note chime for a third door.
clockbuilderhg 2 years ago
@clockbuilderhg Thanks for watching and posting the comment. That's an interesting thing to know.
I don't think anyone makes doorbells like this any longer, which is too bad. (There is an outfit called Knock Doorbells that comes close, and they sell units with nice cabinets, but the chimes are simply.)
In other words, I think it pays to keep these old doorbells on the road as long as they can be fixed.
uxwbill 2 years ago
@uxwbill Knock Doorbells do have real, functional chimes. They're just two notes. What sort of decorative cover goes on the Rittenhouse 420, can you describe it? I know what a 620 looks like.
JonasClark 6 months ago
@JonasClark Yes they do. I think it's great that someone cares enough to continue the production of doorbells with real chimes. I just wish they had some with melody options.
I never had the cover for this doorbell. I suppose someone took it down, never put it back and it just got tossed. My dad and I made a cover for it.
uxwbill 6 months ago
What amazed me was the meticulous manner you described the electric wiring! But as I am a complete illiterate in all electronic gadgetry I would made the push-button on the door turn on a small ventilator inside the house, directed at the individually-hung chimes! (Besides, I would hear every time a NEW tune!)
lausdomin 2 years ago
Newer bells are simpler, most of them have only three or four contacts. And most don't play melodies unless they do so electronically. It seems like few of them even have real chime pipes any more.
This one does it all mechanically. It's very cool.
uxwbill 2 years ago
60 years? how old is the house?
kennykiller911 2 years ago
Approximately 100 years old. There is evidence of an earlier bell system being place, as there is a very old 12 volt transformer labeled as being a "Junior Bell Ringer" in the basement. I haven't tried to figure out where it went.
uxwbill 2 years ago
Very cool old doorbell
moldymac 2 years ago
you should do a video on the insides of the doorbell and all 3 chimes...
KMScarboy 2 years ago
thats one AWESOME door bell ! I want one !
uscar17 2 years ago 2
i would have run a small bead of silocone around the back edge of the buttion to keep water out :)
itscool1968 2 years ago
love them old door bells.... they dont make them like that on more.
cbhonda90 2 years ago
Did you take the doorbell up Sky Hill? :p
BonhommeRichard91 2 years ago 4
Why didn't I see this coming? LOL!
I started out and had a heck of a time getting it through customs. I mean how many people have ever taken a doorbell across the border?
Turned out when I got that done, it didn't have enough power to get up there. So I had to add a second transformer. Unfortunately, the candle that burns twice as bright only burns about 1/99th as long. Lasted long enough to make up there and get some good air though!
uxwbill 2 years ago
I agree though. The older pre-Chinese era doorbells were classics. Those wireless things are annoying but my house is so small that a doorbell isn't even needed.
BonhommeRichard91 2 years ago
Nice man. Good how to vid.
atomicpyro 2 years ago