Old phone jacks - Page 2

> On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 01:25:03 -0400, "MiamiCuse"
>>I am remodeling an old house and in some of the rooms on the baseboard are
>>very old phone jacks. However in the living room and family rooms, they
>>installed two jacks, like below:
>>http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w67/143house/living%20room/P1000720.jpg
>>I am trying to figure out why. I do not have the phone line turned on
>>yet,
>>since the house will be worked on for the next six months and not
>>inhabited,
>>I don't see the need to pay for a land line for six months. But I would
>>like to move the jacks into the wall which is not a big deal just need to
>>get a small box and some drywall patching is all that is necessary.
>>However, I wonder if these two jacks mean there are two separate lines.
>>Is
>>there a way to tell?
> I would take the covers off and see how the wires are connected. Maybe
> you can see that the big white wire goes from one box to the next, and
> that the connections to the two boxes are in parallel. Or maybe
> you'll see red and green to one, and black and yellow to the other, or
> some such. That would probably mean two lines.
> Right now they have single boxes with two jacks, but I don't know if
> they had that when the style here was the most popular. (Although I
> think maybe you can still get these.)
> Here or in cases where all the wires are in the walls, you can also
> use an ohmmeter(sp?) to see what the resistance is between the L1 of
> one box and the L1 of the other, the L2's, the L1/L2 and L2/L1, and
> any other combination. I suggest more than the minimum measurements
> because people can come up with wierd ways to wire things. (I do,
> although there is always a good reason. :) )
> And finally, I'd find where all the phone lines are connected and see
> how it is done and where the wires go from there. My house has never
> had more than one line, and the connection place has 4 "clip-strips"
> that are used and each wire atttached is attached to all four. So I
> know nothing fancy is going on.
>>Thanks,
>>MC

>> On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 01:25:03 -0400, "MiamiCuse"

>> And finally, I'd find where all the phone lines are connected and see
>> how it is done and where the wires go from there. My house has never
>> had more than one line, and the connection place has 4 "clip-strips"
>> that are used and each wire atttached is attached to all four. So I
>> know nothing fancy is going on.
>>>Thanks,
>>>MC
> Thanks! I will take it off and see what is going on. Just that I have 10
> projects going at the same time now, and it seems its never going to end.

> >> On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 01:25:03 -0400, "MiamiCuse"
> (snip)
> >> And finally, I'd find where all the phone lines are connected and see
> >> how it is done and where the wires go from there. My house has never
> >> had more than one line, and the connection place has 4 "clip-strips"
> >> that are used and each wire atttached is attached to all four. So I
> >> know nothing fancy is going on.
> >>>Thanks,
> >>>MC
> > Thanks! I will take it off and see what is going on. Just that I have 10
> > projects going at the same time now, and it seems its never going to end.
> Let me add an 11th- if you will be opening and patching walls anyway, and
> the house is empty, this is the best chance you will ever have to upgrade
> the phone wires to cat 5e or cat6, and a home-run or star topology, vs. the
> point-to-point or tree style it probably has now. From your photo, I'd
> almost bet 2nd jack is on 2nd pair of RGYB old-style premises wire.
> Business/kids/fax line, a non-ma-bell DSL hookup, or something.
> aem sends...- Hide quoted text -
> - Show quoted text -

> > >> On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 01:25:03 -0400, "MiamiCuse"
> > (snip)
> > >> And finally, I'd find where all the phone lines are connected and see
> > >> how it is done and where the wires go from there. =A0 My house has n=

> > >> had more than one line, and the connection place has 4 "clip-strips"
> > >> that are used and each wire atttached is attached to all four. =A0So=
> > >> know nothing fancy is going on.
> > >>>Thanks,
> > >>>MC
> > > Thanks! =A0I will take it off and see what is going on. =A0Just that =

> > > projects going at the same time now, and it seems its never going to =

> > Let me add an 11th- if you will be opening and patching walls anyway, a=
> > the house is empty, this is the best chance you will ever have to upgra=
> > the phone wires to cat 5e or cat6, and a home-run or star topology, vs.=

> > point-to-point or tree style it probably has now. From your photo, I'd
> > almost bet 2nd jack is on 2nd pair of RGYB old-style premises wire.
> > Business/kids/fax line, a non-ma-bell DSL hookup, or something.
> > aem sends...- Hide quoted text -
> > - Show quoted text -
> I have a related question: wondering how the wires should be handled
> if one simply wants to remove a phone jack from the center of a wall
> and drywall over the opening? =A0Does one need to do anything special or
> can they be dropped in behind the drywall.
> Thanks.- Hide quoted text -
> - Show quoted text -

>> > > >> On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 01:25:03 -0400, "MiamiCuse"
>> > > (snip)
>> > > >> And finally, I'd find where all the phone lines are connected and
>> > > >> see
>> > > >> how it is done and where the wires go from there. ? My house has
>> > > >> never
>> > > >> had more than one line, and the connection place has 4
>> > > >> "clip-strips"
>> > > >> that are used and each wire atttached is attached to all four. ?So
>> > > >> I
>> > > >> know nothing fancy is going on.
>> > > >>>Thanks,
>> > > >>>MC
>> > > > Thanks! ?I will take it off and see what is going on. ?Just that I
>> > > > have 10
>> > > > projects going at the same time now, and it seems its never going
>> > > > to end.
>> > > Let me add an 11th- if you will be opening and patching walls anyway,
>> > > and
>> > > the house is empty, this is the best chance you will ever have to
>> > > upgrade
>> > > the phone wires to cat 5e or cat6, and a home-run or star topology,
>> > > vs. the
>> > > point-to-point or tree style it probably has now. From your photo,
>> > > I'd
>> > > almost bet 2nd jack is on 2nd pair of RGYB old-style premises wire.
>> > > Business/kids/fax line, a non-ma-bell DSL hookup, or something.
>> > > aem sends...- Hide quoted text -
>> > > - Show quoted text -
>> > I have a related question: wondering how the wires should be handled
>> > if one simply wants to remove a phone jack from the center of a wall
>> > and drywall over the opening? ?Does one need to do anything special or
>> > can they be dropped in behind the drywall.
>> > Thanks.- Hide quoted text -
>> > - Show quoted text -
>> although no dial tone its very possible they are still electricall
>> live.
>> unplug at the NID if your going to use a ohmmeter.
>> I got a suprising shock off a home with no service:(
> those look like demark boxes, they aren't usually used in rooms, but
> where the telco first enters the premises. Look around the premises
> exterior and see if you can detect where the phone lines enter the
> house, then go inside to where they go throught the exterior wall.
> it's typically in the basement, and frequently near the electric
> service panel. You will probably see a terminal block the incoming
> phone line, and one or more branch circuits. Some of us refer to this
> as the demark, although, the demark might be a gray plastic box on the
> exterior of the premises as well. It depends on the age of the
> installation and I suppose where in the U.S. you are. This block might
> be an overcurrent/surge device, or not. You might very well find there
> is 60 Volts present across the line, with enough current to cause
> injury, so be careful and use a voltmeter.
> Each line (phone number) requires a pair of wires, but any number of
> branch circuits can be tapped of a pair.
> I think the previous poster who figured your pix was a jack for the
> phone and a jack for the fax is correct. each of those boxes has a
> pair, and they are wired in parrallel either right at that location,
> or at the real demark. The spring flap boxes, wire staples and shoddy
> installation are clues that it was installed by a phone company
> employee at some point in time. You can use this wire as a drag line
> if you want to upgrade to a home network, or central sound system, or
> an alarm system or whatever. so think before destroying it, and if you
> still want to hide it and spackle over it, I'd be sure it didn't have
> voltage on the wires.
> hope this info helps