Need Tips for on Moving a Phone Line

[TromboneAl]

I wouldn't drill UP ... angle the drill and go DOWN at the exact location using an 18" drill bit extension. Then use a surface mount jack or snake the line up into the wall and repair the wallboard/plaster hole.

Actually, that would be my inclination. I have a wall plate like this

so I wouldn't have to do any repairing of the wall board.

Like this:



What would be the downsides of that approach?


As for the actual splicing, I guess I'll use a junction box like this:

 

[ERD50]

Actually, that would be my inclination. I have a wall plate like this

so I wouldn't have to do any repairing of the wall board.

Like this:

View attachment 14117

What would be the downsides of that approach?


As for the actual splicing, I guess I'll use a junction box like this:

The wall plate link didn't show up, I'm assuming it hides all the way to the floor?

Forget the splice box, just put the wires together and use small wires nuts. There will be enough of the colored part of the wire sticking out so you can see the colors are matched properly.

-ERD50

 

[TromboneAl]

The wall plate would be big enough to cover a pretty big hole:



And it would be installed just above the molding.

Would wire nuts be as secure as the screw on junctions? I really don't want a failure here. I'll even take my soldering iron down there if necessary.

 

[TromboneAl]

How to do proper telephone wire splicing

 

[ERD50]

The wall plate would be big enough to cover a pretty big hole:

View attachment 14122

And it would be installed just above the molding.

Would wire nuts be as secure as the screw on junctions? I really don't want a failure here. I'll even take my soldering iron down there if necessary.

OK, that looks like a pretty standard wall plate, but if you mount it low enough it would cover all.

Wire nuts will be fine. If you are worried, practice on a few scrap pieces of wire. It should be fairly tough to pull the wires out. And if you untwist the nut, you should see that the wires twisted together firmly. With the moisture in your house, the wire nuts might be better, there is more surface area squished together. As I understand it, the tightness actually keeps air and moisture out of the area where the two surfaces meet. You could fill the nut with white grease when you're done, that would also keep moisture out.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

How to do proper telephone wire splicing

Those look perfect. Insulation displacement and gel filled. No stripping. Perfect (well, if they were free, and put themselves on).

-ERD50

 

[ducky911]

I have drilled through tile. It is not to bad. Buy a special masonary bit to drill then change to the long bit.

 

[bld999]

Drill, baby drill. Hardware stores may still carry "bell hanger" bits, which are ~18" long and have a small hole in the end to attach a wire. You drill the bit through, go in the crawl and attach the wire to it, tape it up smooth, go back up in the room and carefully withdraw the bit with the wire on the end. Radio shack or the like may also carry what phone techs call "beans" which are an insert and punchdown arrangement that uses pliers for the connection closure.

Lots of ways to go, and actually drywall patches are not difficult. Cut out a piece big enough to help the task, going too small doesn't help the repair effort anyway. [ I noticed that keyhole saw in the picture] Some times cutting a hole is the way to go in the end. If you botch the repair, it's under the desk anyway, right?

In the old days, the correct wire pair was red and green, [christmas] now I think it's blue + white with blue tracer.

 

[tryan]

Electricians have fancy drill bits with holes in the tip to allow a lead to be placed on the tip after the hole is drilled ... I just snake a coat hanger back tru the hole and tape the phone line to the tip. Now your time the crawl space is very limited.

 

[TromboneAl]

I did a few reconnaissance trips to the crawlspace, and measured to figure out where the hole would come. There's a nice clear space there, so that should be no problem.

However, I haven't located the existing telephone cable. Where would this run? I have a feeling it's not in the crawlspace at all. The only two phone installations are the wall phone in the kitchen, and the alarm on a high shelf in the closet.

Where would the cables for telephone be likely to run? Through the studs as with electrical? In the ceiling? Or could it be in the crawlspace, and it's under the insulation so I need to search more?

Thanks.

 

[Ronstar]

Can you find where it comes into the house? Sometimes there is a junction box near ground outside, and the phone wire would go through the outside wall near the box. If so, you could trace it around the crawl space from where it enters the house. Or if you have an overhead feed, then it may enter the house in the attic.

 

[TromboneAl]

Can you find where it comes into the house? Sometimes there is a junction box near ground outside, and the phone wire would go through the outside wall near the box. If so, you could trace it around the crawl space from where it enters the house. Or if you have an overhead feed, then it may enter the house in the attic.

I can, but it doesn't help. The line disappears into the wall by the garage, where there is no crawlspace.

 

[ERD50]

I can, but it doesn't help. The line disappears into the wall by the garage, where there is no crawlspace.

Probably runs up to the attic then. Ours also comes in at the garage where there is no crawl, so it goes up and over.

-ERD50

 

[Nords]

However, I haven't located the existing telephone cable. Where would this run? I have a feeling it's not in the crawlspace at all. The only two phone installations are the wall phone in the kitchen, and the alarm on a high shelf in the closet.
Where would the cables for telephone be likely to run? Through the studs as with electrical? In the ceiling? Or could it be in the crawlspace, and it's under the insulation so I need to search more?

If you can see the telephone junction box then you don't have to care where the existing phone cable runs. Just buy enough cable to add those wires to the connection terminals in the junction box.

This eliminates the problem of having too little slack in the cable to make it with just one splice.

If you're soldering in the crawl space then you want to have enough slack for your exposed flesh to be above the solder location... not below.

I don't know about your presbyopian condition, but if I was soldering those tiny little 22-gauge wires down there then I'd also want a magnifying lens and two spare hands.

 

[bld999]

"Just buy enough cable to add those wires to the connection terminals in the junction box."

Nords is thinking there.

The easy and best way is to get some lan cable i.e. "category 5" ethernet cable and run the new cable outside to the appropriate location to penetrate into the crawl. Home depot or any hardware usu sells it by the foot or something that will work.
The newer plastic phone junction boxes usually need to be broken into as they are made tamper-proof. Get enough cable length and the solder job goes away. Lan cable has 4 pairs inside, choose the color combination pair you prefer.

 

[ERD50]

"Just buy enough cable to add those wires to the connection terminals in the junction box."

Nords is thinking there.

The easy and best way is to get some lan cable i.e. "category 5" ethernet cable and run the new cable outside to the appropriate location to penetrate into the crawl. Home depot or any hardware usu sells it by the foot or something that will work.
The newer plastic phone junction boxes usually need to be broken into as they are made tamper-proof. Get enough cable length and the solder job goes away. Lan cable has 4 pairs inside, choose the color combination pair you prefer.

I'm having a hard time understanding how anyone can be so sure that going all the way back to the point of entry is the 'easy and best way'? If the entry point is closest/easiest, then sure. But I would assume the phone line comes into the house and there is a closer point to tie into. Splices are super-easy with those connectors T-Al linked to.

-ERD50

 

[bld999]

I'm having a hard time understanding how anyone can be so sure that going all the way back to the point of entry is the 'easy and best way'? If the entry point is closest/easiest, then sure. But I would assume the phone line comes into the house and there is a closer point to tie into. Splices are super-easy with those connectors T-Al linked to.

-ERD50

In the case where finding the existing phone wire is vexing, and it seems so in this case, IMO, running new cable is the preferred method. I hate crawls, and mostly I hate attics. Others may see it differently.

 

[TromboneAl]

Running a whole new line would not work well. It would have to go along the outside of the garage, over the door, along the side of the house, etc.

It looks like I will drill down from the closet into the crawlspace, then over to the wall behind the desk, and up again. Not as bad as it sounds, and kind of fun.

 

[Nords]

Running a whole new line would not work well. It would have to go along the outside of the garage, over the door, along the side of the house, etc.

You've just described the phone & CATV installations that were on this house's exterior walls for over 20 years until we did the familyroom renovation. Even then the electrician didn't have enough slack to work with, so one CATV outlet is about three feet higher on the wall than "normal". But it's hidden behind the TV furniture so nobody notices.

Unless you can hand-over-hand that cable from the phone box to its entry point into the crawl space, you're going to have to do exploratory surgery in your walls.

 

[ERD50]

It looks like I will drill down from the closet into the crawlspace, then over to the wall behind the desk, and up again. Not as bad as it sounds, and kind of fun.

But then what? You said you don't see any other phone wires in the crawl. Are you going to also drill near that other jack (wall phone or high alarm? I lost track) and pull wires up to it from the crawl? Any issues drilling there?

Is there an attic above this area, or a second floor? If attic, I'd look there for phone wires, and think about coming down from there.

-ERD50

 

[TromboneAl]

But then what? You said you don't see any other phone wires in the crawl. Are you going to also drill near that other jack (wall phone or high alarm? I lost track) and pull wires up to it from the crawl? Any issues drilling there?

Is there an attic above this area, or a second floor? If attic, I'd look there for phone wires, and think about coming down from there.

-ERD50

I will drill down from the closet -- no issues there -- and pull wire from the jack there into the crawlspace and over and up. I had previously led cable down from the high-shelf alarm to the floor for a phone nearby.

There is a second floor above.

 

[TromboneAl]

All Done

I finished adding the new line, and it was fun and easy. Total time including cleanup: 2.5 hours.

I just drilled down at an angle, and fed the wire down, and pushed it up at the other location.

From my measurements, I thought the holes were well away from the joists but I just barely missed them.

I only needed two new trips to the crawlspace:

The final results were nice and neat:

I put in two separate jacks in the living room for our two phones, even though we only have one line (avoids the splitter).

 

[MichaelB]

Nice. 2 1/2 hours isn't bad for a cabling job.