Just replaced a set of gate to pool plus the interior intercoms for a client. Don’t know that much about these, but since it was a replacement I figured to just put them in the same way. They had never worked right since the begining 21 years ago, I found the one problem in the wiring, but still the sound is crackly, not clear. The troubleshooting guide says to make sure they are in a different cavity than any AC wiring. Well the main one on the interior has 3 AC wires within about 2″ of it. Is there anything out there now that will insulate the intercom from the AC wires. Moving it is not an option at this point.
If at first you don’t succeed, GET A BIGGER HAMMER!
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Generally when ac power wires are located too close and parallel to the Intercom wires, you get a 60 Hertz hum, but crackly sound could be a bad speaker in one of the units or of course other causes also. What brand and model are you installing?
Crackly could be produced by a loose wire or poor connection somewhere in the system, or a nail or staple compromising the insulation or crushing the wire. Outdoors it could be moisture, too. Or a blown speaker. Possibly the wrong voltage transformer was used when first installed. If it was too low there would not be a strong signal, if too high there could have been damage to the electronics.
If the wire is in conduit you could replace it with twisted shielded pair wire. The twisting and the shielding both reduce interference. The shield should be grounded at one end but never at both ends.
The wiring size may be too small for the length of the run. Probably wouldn't cause crackling, but worth verifying against the manufacturer's specs. I don't really know, but a weak signal could contribute to the crackle possibly.
If you can't replace the wiring you could shield the portion that is close to the AC. Pull the staples and wrap the intercom wire in metal foil or tape. You have to go all the way around the wiring, but it does not have to be neat.
The wire is probably the correct wire for the units, because the six wires all match the coding on the board correctly as labled. I would probably have to find some way to wrap it through the wall opening to the top plate or as high as it goes. Will have to see what the new owner will want to do. Mahalo for the idea of the foil, I really thought it would take more techy work than that, but then electronics is foreign to me.
If at first you don't succeed, GET A BIGGER HAMMER!
How close are the intercoms to one another... if they are directly in line with on another you will get interference also... someone had mentioned shielded wire also... try some shielded 18 gauge or 22 gauge depending upon your length of run...
They are all more than the min. apart, not in the same wall and not facing each other as per the original instructions. Like I say it is 21 years old and the current owner is not sure if it ever worked. There are 40 units there with the same system and only a couple work. So, it could be good for me if I can get this one going better than it is. By the way it is a NuTone system.
If at first you don't succeed, GET A BIGGER HAMMER!
I have a newtone system , If you open the control panel on the left side of the main panel you can turn off indivual speakers to isolate the trouble.
If the cables were run underground they maybe alongside ac wiring
Installation manual advises against excessive overall wire length if i recall correctly
I could look it up if its of any value to you as i still have the install paper work
I'll check that out later this week when I am out there. Another problem could be that we cannot find the transformer and think the power could be coming from the NuTone being wired into the security system. We have the installation guides and I have called the troubleshooting line, they did help some but I cannot answer all their questions until I know where the wiring and power come from and go to. Mahalo for the offer to help, but let's hold off.
If at first you don't succeed, GET A BIGGER HAMMER!