Questions regarding disconnecting phone line

SeanKroll

Treehouser
Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Messages
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Location
Olympia, WA
I have to remove a phone line to remove a tree. It looks like an older box/ wiring. Not co-axial cable. Looks like basic ring tips on studs with a nut.

Seems straight-forward, and at the same time I don't want to make any rookie mistake that I am not seeing as a first timer.

I imagine making sure not to short-circuit between the two studs with a tool, and replacing everything in order, are the basics.

Is the stud just a structural post where the street wire meets the small wires?

What do you say?

(I'll post the picture from my phone in a minute. I use the keyboard for typing)
 
Phone lines are easy peasy, two wires, put the wires back with the wires you found them with and all is well.

There can be studs in the box that connect the house wires to the service wires.
 
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  • #4
It's in the Phone Co Personnel Only side.

Seems like it's all low power to me. Right?
 
What Carl said. They can give you a good tingle though. It'll piss you of in the rain trying to hook them back up. Or I could've been doing something wrong
 
Ezpz, but I ask if they even have a phone, most don't, then I just coil and hang it on the pole somewhere
 
I'd have no worries disconnect and reconnect..... unless someone is calling, that's when it gets a higher voltage.... just a tingle.
 
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  • #16
Thanks Bob. Looks easy. I just didn't want to tell a story about " one time, when it looked easy, but...".
 
48 Volts until someone calls, then the ringing current will bite you. I disconnect drops several times a day five days a week. I can't tell you the last time someone called while I was doing it. If you get a two pair drop wire their first line SHOULD be White with a blue stripe for the tip and solid blue for the ring. The second pair is White with orange stripe and solid orange. This pair is usually not attached to anything. If you're afraid you'll forget, just clip the wire leaving a quarter inch of the colored insulation on the lugs so you know what went where. Strip a half inch of the insulation and re-terminate it on the lugs removing the small piece you left there for identification purposes. (If you do it this way make sure you'll have enough slack to determinate!)

Best bet is to take a picture with your phone!
 
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  • #18
Two black wires from street with ring tips, connecting to two small wires, red and green, with ring tip connectors, as you can see in the picture. I'll just hook it back up the way it is. Thanks.
 
That's an old "flat" drop wire. Two 19ga solid cooper wires laying next to each other with no twist. Polarity used to be a big deal back in the day, but you can reverse the drop now. Won't hurt a thing.
 
No worries with phone lines in these parts, the telephone company here put every drop and trunk line underground about fifteen years ago to cut down on hurricane damage. CATV is another matter. They never show up for service appointments, we just do it ourselves, but it's even easier than phone lines.
 
Internet flows through those old lines?


Surpringly quickly. The flat drops slow it down due to inductance because the wires aren't twisted, but 25Meg is common. The newer twisted drops work great. I've gotten 120mg plus through a twisted drop pair. When you use both pairs I've gotten 250meg + at the house. Fiber optic glass is king, but twisted pair copper still works just fine.
 
Internet flows through those old lines?
Yes, but it's a pain in my area, until they'll put in place the optic fibers straight at home. I guess I'll have to wait a long time before I can see that. All I have is a rotten old copper line. You can see some water seeping out of the insulation !
They claim that they make a great deal to lay the optic fiber everywhere. Actually, it's far from the truth.
But I know that involves huge investments.
The main phone centers are equipped, they are connecting now the dense urban areas and big buildings. After, maybe, they will take care of the houses.
 
Surpringly quickly. The flat drops slow it down due to inductance because the wires aren't twisted, but 25Meg is common. The newer twisted drops work great. I've gotten 120mg plus through a twisted drop pair. When you use both pairs I've gotten 250meg + at the house. Fiber optic glass is king, but twisted pair copper still works just fine.
:cool:
 
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