# extending/splicing phone line



## spinninwheels (Oct 28, 2012)

I was at a client's a couple of weeks ago doing a disconnect/reconnect while they were limbing and falling some big trees. After that was done, he directed me to something that he wanted fixed.

In the last year, an electrical shed has built. The power and telephone lines come in overhead to their respective POA.

As it stands right now there is no tel demarc box, and the telephone line just snakes down the shed structure to the ground, where the termination is made to the tel cable, which only emerges a foot or two out of the ground.

I guess they never really planned on the length available for the phone line that feeds the house, when placing the shed.

Anyway, I want to properly sleeve the cable emerging from grade with PVC and bring it into a tel/demarc box.

What are my best options for extending this line coming out from the ground?

Just some IDCs and a piece of cat5e?


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

It sounds like someone destroyed the original demarc? If so, the right thing to do is replace the NID. I'd just call the telco and have them do the repair, they'll charge you, but it's really their ball game the way the rules work here. 

A NID is made with a telco-access side and a customer-access side, they're suitable for outdoor installation, and they have a quick and easy means of disconnecting customer-side wiring for testing. Testing at the demarc with inside wiring disconnected at a telco-supplied NID definitively determines whether the customer wiring is at fault, or the telco service, which they have to repair and maintain for free. I personally prefer having the NID outside for residential so the telco can do their work without somebody home to let them in. 

If you decide to just splice the wire anyway, the scotchlock type IDC connectors which are flooded with gel are very good, but they are made to be inside a box. Alternately you could bring both wires inside into a simple RJ11 jack with screw terminals, that will work fine, and you can use a phone in the shed if you ever wanted to. I'd still give the screw terminals a wipe with silicone grease in unconditioned space, just for good measure. 




spinninwheels said:


> I was at a client's a couple of weeks ago doing a disconnect/reconnect while they were limbing and falling some big trees. After that was done, he directed me to something that he wanted fixed.
> 
> In the last year, an electrical shed has built. The power and telephone lines come in overhead to their respective POA.
> 
> ...


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## spinninwheels (Oct 28, 2012)

I'm not sure what transpired, but the electrician who patched this, should retire.

I guess I could bring it into a single gang scepter box around grade, and extend from there to the NID.


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

I agree with splatz about the NID, but if you do it yourself do it right and put in telco style lightning protection to the nearest ground rod (don't know what they call those little buggers but they work) (and/or add a telco style ground rod if none present (ie 6'?))


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## volleyball (Sep 14, 2011)

How difficult to replace the entire line? How long do they expect to use land lines?
A quick patch will last years. 

I lost the wire to my house over a decade ago and I don't miss it.


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