Your Ring Doorbell is going to be outside every day of the year and that means it has to stand up to the environment. What should you do if your Ring Doorbell has been taking a little bit too much moisture?
The best way to weatherproof your Ring Doorbell is to make sure that you install it properly and check the case for any damage or cracks. After that, change the position of the Ring Doorbell to another location that is more protected from the elements. You can also add a bead of silicone caulk around the edge of the Ring Doorbell to give it another layer of waterproofing.
If your Ring Doorbell has been getting stuck in the rain, we've got some solutions that will dry it out and get it working again.
Are Ring Doorbells Waterproof?
There's a lot to discuss when it comes to whether or not your Ring Doorbell is actually waterproof.
The first thing that we need to look at is the fact that these doorbells are not waterproof at all. Being waterproof means that you could fully submerge a device and still expect it to work up to a certain depth. No Ring Doorbell is built to be fully submerged in water.
Most devices that are water-resistant and weatherproof have an IP rating. This is known as Ingress Protection and is an international standard that rates how much just and moisture a device can resist.
Ring have opted to not advertise an IP rating for their Ring Doorbell range. With that said, thousands of users have these devices outdoors all year long, and they withstand everything from humidity to heavy rainfall.
It's difficult to accurately gauge how water-resistant these devices are, but it seems like most Ring Doorbells can stand up to a fair amount of moisture.
Are Wire Ring Doorbells More at Risk for Rain Damage?
There's been a lot of talk about whether or not the wired Ring Doorbell is more or less at risk for rain damage than its battery-operated counterpart. The truth is that there is a slightly higher risk of water damage for wired Ring Doorbells, but it's not really worth worrying about.
The higher risk of water damage comes from the fact that the wired Ring Doorbell needs to have a wire running from the back of the doorbell into the wall of your home. This creates an additional point of ingress for water as well as the potential for water to damage the connecting wire itself.
However, if properly installed, your wired Ring Doorbell really shouldn't be taking any more water damage than a battery operated version.
How to Fix Your Ring Doorbell After The Rain
If your Ring Doorbell has been exposed to heavy rain, you might need to take some steps to remove that moisture and get it fixed. This is most often the case if your Ring Doorbell stops working after a bad storm.
Before we get started, it's worth pointing out that most rainfall won't do any damage to your Ring Doorbell. If the exterior of your Ring Doorbell is wet, you probably just need to wait a day or two for it to dry off as the weather changes.
Let's jump into a few quick fixes for a wet Ring Doorbell.
Allow Your Device to Dry
The first thing that you want to do is allow your device to dry. There's really not much we can do in terms of fixing or resetting a wet Ring Doorbell.
You should bring your Ring Doorbell indoors after safely following the instructions for taking it off the wall.
Taking apart your Ring Doorbell is a great way to help it dry out, but this might void your warranty depending on how far you go. With that said, the water damage itself might be enough to void the warranty, so you could be in no harm no foul territory.
You also want to let your Ring Doorbell dry out naturally. Avoid the temptation of drying it with a blow-dryer or doing anything more than patting it down with a towel.
Applying too much heat could actually damage the electronics or warp the casing making it more vulnerable to moisture.
Try to Reinstall Your Device
Once your Ring Doorbell is dry, you want to try getting it reinstalled.
This is mostly for the wired Ring Doorbell. If you have a battery operated Ring Doorbell, you could just insert a new battery (these often retail for $30-40 on Ring.com), and see if it works right then and there.
We've seen a bunch of reports from the community that say that after the Ring Doorbell was exposed to too much moisture, the battery died. If you have a battery Ring Doorbell, you might want to replace the battery if you're experiencing performance problems after a heavy rain.
Just make sure that you follow the same directions for getting your Ring Doorbell installed again. Proper installation is the key for preventing unnecessary moisture exposure when it comes to a smart doorbell.
Once your Ring Doorbell is powered up and installed, you're going to want to try to reset your Ring Doorbell and go through the setup process again.
How to Reset Your Ring Doorbell
If your Ring Doorbell is powering up again, there's a good chance that it might not be paired with any of your other smart technology. Water damage tends to have a very harsh impact on these devices and this means that you might need to do a factory reset.
You can follow these steps to reset any Ring Doorbell.
- Remove the security screws – this is usually located at the bottom of the device.
- Remove the Ring Doorbell faceplate (also called the cover).
- Locate the reset button on the bottom or side of the device.
- Press and hold the reset button for 10 seconds.
- The front Ring light will start to flash once the reset is complete.
- Follow the setup instructions for your Ring Doorbell to get it working again.
Get the Fog Out of The Lens
There is another specific problem that we should quickly touch on. If you have fog stuck in the lens of your Ring Doorbell, it could be ruining all of your pictures and video.
Fog gets trapped inside of the lens of the Ring Doorbell when the temperature inside the doorbell is different from the temperature outside. This causes moisture to build up on the glass which could be either on the inside or the outside of the lens.
The easiest fix for this is simply to reposition your doorbell to an area that gets a little bit more sunlight which will help even out the temperature and get rid of that internal moisture.
You could also try to apply an anti-fog spray to the lens, but this might jeopardize your warranty or your ability to return the doorbell.
How to Weatherproof Your Ring Doorbell
The best way to get moisture out of a Ring Doorbell is to prevent it from ever getting there in the first place. We're going to give you five quick tips that can effectively weatherproof your doorbell.
Proper Installation is Key
We hinted at this fix earlier in the article, but the best way to weatherproof your Ring Doorbell is to install it properly.
Improper installation opens up new places where water can enter your Ring Doorbell. This includes not installing your doorbell level, not screwing everything together tightly, or accidentally damaging the plastic housing while installing the doorbell.
Follow the included instructions when installing your Ring Doorbell, and it will be weatherproof enough to handle most tough rain.
Buy a Ring Silicone Cover
You can also buy an aftermarket silicone cover for your Ring Doorbell. These are covers that slip over the outer case of the doorbell and provide an additional level of durability and weather-resistant.
However, these silicone covers also change the look of your Ring Doorbell, so they might not be for everybody. It's also possible for you to improperly install the silicone cover and accidentally create little pockets where water can build up in between the silicon and the Ring Doorbell itself.
Use Some Caulk or Silicone Sealant
A really great fix that you can do is to use some caulk or silicone sealant around the edge of your Ring Doorbell.
This will create a waterproof barrier in between the Ring Doorbell and the wall of your home. This is probably one of the best things that you can do in terms of adding an additional layer of weatherproofing to your doorbell.
This will make it harder to remove your doorbell, but not impossible. If you're looking to have a smart doorbell that you can quickly take down or move, using caulk or silicone sealant probably isn't the right move yet.
Buy a Weather Blocking Mount
You can also buy a weather blocking mount that you can install behind your Ring Doorbell.
This essentially acts as a hood that covers up your Ring Doorbell and gives it some more protection from the elements. This is a great way to add some additional weatherproofing, but just like the silicone cover it also changes the style and look of the Ring Doorbell.
A lot of the options for adding additional weatherproofing also involve adding additional material. We've only got one option when it comes to weatherproofing your Ring Doorbell that doesn't change the look of the doorbell itself.
Move Your Ring Doorbell
Proper positioning is key when it comes to weatherproofing a Ring Doorbell.
If you find that your Ring Doorbell has been taking a little bit too much rain, the best thing that you can do is relocate the doorbell.
You could find an area near your door that's not getting the same moisture exposure, a position that's more covered by an awning for a porch, or another location that provides the doorbell a little bit more protection from the elements.
This is much easier when you have a battery operated Ring Doorbell. You might need to get an electrician to run some wires if you have a wired Ring Doorbell that you need to reposition.
It's also going to take some trial and error to find a new position for your Ring Doorbell that doesn't involve changing the kinds of video and images you can get with your doorbell.
