Ring Doorbell On UPVC Door - How And Why

UPVC is becoming increasingly common in homes. It's in doors and windows pretty much everywhere - and for good reason. It's strong, secure, provides great insulation, and is easy to install, remove, and modify. Perhaps the best part about it is that you don't even need to paint it, though that's for another article. Today, we're talking about the security side of things. Specifically, installing a Ring doorbell on a uPVC door.

Fitting a Ring doorbell to a uPVC door is a bit different than standard Ring installation. It requires specific equipment that's not part of the standard installation kit.

Keep reading for a breakdown of what you'll need, how to install the doorbell, and more! Let's just get right into it, shall we?

Ring Doorbell Installation Basics - uPVC

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Oftentimes, uPVC doors and frames aren't exactly the most simple designs. They tend to resemble crown moulding (coving) in complexity and are (as mentioned above) extremely sturdy. This presents a slight hitch in the installation of your Ring doorbell. That's because the installation kit they come with is intended for wooden doors. In your Ring installation kit, you'll find:

• T6 screws
• A level
• Screwdriver with T6 tip
• Mounting bracket
• Adhesive
• And a 1.7 mm drill bit for screws

Beyond the drill bit, it's very likely that this is all, essentially, useless. UPVC doesn't really accommodate a lot of this, so you'll need a few bits of specialised equipment. Before we get to that, though, you'll need to know the dimensions of your doorbell. Ring makes (at the time of publication) 8 different doorbells, each with its own dimensions. These are as follows:

• The Ring Video Doorbell 3 -62 mm x 126.5 mm x 28 mm
• Ring Video Doorbell Elite -12.83 cm x 6.35 cm x 2.74 cm
• The Ring Video Doorbell Pro -11.94 cm x 6.98 x 5.51 cm
• Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 -11.43 cm x 4.67 cm x 2.03 cm
• The Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus -11.4cm x 4.9cm x 2.2 cm
• Ring Video Doorbell,Wired -128 mm x 62 mm x 28 mm
• The Ring Video Doorbell 4 -101 mm x 45.7 mm x 22.4 mm
• Ring Video Doorbell (2020) -128 mm x 62 mm x 28 mm

Now - what will you need to install these bad boys?

Self-Tapping Screws

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These are specifically designed for situations in which you can only access one side of your surface. They're great for just about any form of Ring doorbell when installing in uPVC, though there are two forms.

You've got thread-forming and thread-cutting self-tapping screws. For the former, you'll need to drill a pilot hole, as they have a flat tip. The latter doesn't this, but it will help make your life a bit easier. When mounting a wireless doorbell to a flat uPVC surface, the process is easy. Just place the base plate where you want it and mark the spots for holes. Then, just drill pilot holes and screw the plate in.

It's best to install Ring doorbells roughly 1.2 metres (4 feet) from the ground. While this may seem a bit low to the ground, Ring doorbells have a very wide field of view. This placement will allow a full-body image of whoever is at your door, rather than just waist-up.

If using a wired Ring doorbell, the process is nearly identical. The only change is that you'll need to wire the doorbell in and work around wires when drilling the holes.

Be sure to shut off power at the breaker when installing wired doorbells to prevent electrocution. Nobody wants to be the guy that was defeated by a lowly doorbell.

Wedge & Corner Mounts

These are what you'll want to use if the place you're mounting is curved or comes to a corner. You can buy them directly from Ring, or find third-party versions on Amazon . These mounts help offset any angles that may occur otherwise, keeping your view pristine and unobstructed.

To install them, simply do the same as you would a standard baseplate. Mark your drill spots, mount the wedge, and then attach the baseplate accordingly. You may require multiple wedges or corner mounts to get a fully flat, straight mount - so plan ahead.

Adhesive & Silicone

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This is really only best used on fully-flat surfaces that you don't mind repainting/resurfacing when it's removed. When using adhesive to mount a Ring doorbell to uPVC, be sure to carefully clean the surface. Just like with most adhesives on any surface, it needs a clean surface free of dirt or dust to properly attach. Work when it's warm and dry out, as moisture has a way of interfering with adhesive setting properly.

Be sure to hold your baseplate in place for ~a minute to ensure it bonds in place. Once that's done, you can remove your hand and repeat the process on the other side.

Silicone, on the other hand, is a good choice in generally cold areas. This is because silicone holds up well to cold - not so much to heat. That also means that you need to be careful to not apply silicone to the Ring device itself, as it will heat up as it runs. This will (if done poorly) end up with your doorbell on the ground in front of the door.

And a nice bonus is that silicone, once dried, is waterproof. That means it's great for areas that are overly rainy (like the UK, for example).

Final Thoughts

Installing a Ring doorbell on a uPVC door isn't necessarily hard , rather, it's different from normal installation. All that's needed is either silicone, adhesive, or self-tapping screws. You may need a wedge or corner plate to mount on textured or curved surfaces, but those are relatively cheap and easy to come by.

The installation kit given with Ring doorbells (wired or not) is generally designed for wood doors, meaning that most of what it gives has a wood door in mind. Believe it or not, uPVC is not wood, for better or worse. Just remember to gather the proper materials beforehand and you should be set for installation - now get going! You've got a doorbell to install.