The plastic button next to my front door completely cracked from the sun last summer, and lately, it only worked about half the time when people actually pressed it. Delivery drivers were just knocking on the glass because the internal spring was totally stuck inside the housing. I bought a cheap, basic lighted replacement button at the hardware store today, figuring it would take about two seconds to just unscrew the old plate and swap the two low-voltage wires. What an annoying little hassle.
The tiny mounting screws were completely rusted solid into the brick wall anchors from the damp weather. The second I put pressure on the screwdriver, the head of the top bolt just stripped completely flat, leaving me with zero grip. I had to go find some needle nose pliers and manually twist the rough metal edges of the screw out millimeter by millimeter, which felt like it took an eternity. When the plastic housing finally broke loose, a bunch of dry plaster dust and a massive spider dropped straight down onto the porch floor.
The real headache happened when I went to disconnect the two little copper wires from the old terminal plates. The wiring was so old and brittle that the hot wire snapped off right at the wall face the second I touched it with the wrench. I was stuck kneeling on the concrete porch with a flashlight, using wire strippers to carefully shave back the tiny bit of remaining insulation while absolutely terrified I’d snap the wire completely inside the brick cavity where I couldn’t reach it.
The new button is finally screwed down tight against the door molding now and the little internal light glows orange when the porch lights are on. The main chime box inside the hallway triggers instantly on the first click without any delay, and the plastic shell sits completely flush against the brickwork. The front door ringer is working completely normally now.