BT Master socket woes

[pram13]

Hi
I'm currently putting up a new ceiling in my garage. The telephone cable (installed by the previous owner) is running under and over the joists of the ceiling. Doh!

I would like to run the cable through the middle of the joist as i'm in the process of installing a new plasterboard ceiling.

Can I disconnect the A and B wires from the BT master socket temporarily so I can feed the cables through the joists neatly? or Will BT send the hit squad around?

Are these cables a risk to cut?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Iggifer]

Is the BT master socket you refer to the first point in the installation? Where does the cable that's snaked over the garage beams come from? Is this where it enters the house?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Those cables may have been installed by the BT guys!

You'll be fine to disconnect and reconnect. Try and get them teh same way round as they are at the moment, although this doesnt really matter.

There's no dangerous voltages on there so you won't get a belt unless someone rings you while your fingers are connected to the copper ends!

And BT wont find out - but don't leave it disconnected for more than an hour or two. Auto test routines in the exchange may pick it up as a fault.

 

[pram13]

Socket1 (Hallway)
Main brown cable come in then white cable comes out which goes to Socket2 (in room above)

Socket2 (room above)
The white cable comes in and another cable goes out into socket3 (2nd bedroom)

Socket3 (2nd bedroom)
Main Socket containing single wire connected to A & B.

The extension front plate on the master socket is not connected to anything.

Is this the usual way of doing more than one extension on the usu house?

Brown cable from outside coming in

• pram13
• 21 Sep 2013
• 1

Brown cable from outside comes into the hallway socket then comes out (white) from the top and...

1st floor socket

• pram13
• 21 Sep 2013
• 1

Cable from the hallway comes in and another cable goes out into the other socket which has the A...

Master socket

• pram13
• 21 Sep 2013
• 1

Cable dangling

• pram13
• 21 Sep 2013
• 1

Cable going over and under

• pram13
• 21 Sep 2013
• 1

 

[Taylortwocities]

The usual APPROVED way is for the incoming line (A and B legs) go FIRST to the master socket.

ALL the additional internal wiring is then run from the removeable front of the NTE5 master socket.

This allows BT to disconnect the internal wiring and just isolate and test the line itself.

Best to engineer your wiring like that, if you are redoing things.


EDIT. And looking at your pictures, those additional sockets are both master sockets that have additional components. These should be changed to secondary sockets.
AND some numpty has wired it up using alarm cable rather than telephone cable, so good luck identifying those reds!

PS You'll need a punch down tool to terminate the wires.

There is more info in the wIKI at //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:telephones:socket and a very detailed guide at http://www.rob-r.co.uk/other/UKphonecatwiring.htm

 

[SimonH2]

As TTC says, it's all horlixed up. Best thing to do is put the master socket where the line comes in, and connect the two wires of the incoming line to the A&B terminals.
Then get some proper phone cable and secondary sockets and rewire everything else.

You can convert those master sockets to secondary by applying wire cutters the to the component legs - remove all three components (the large yellow capacitor, the small resistor, and the spark gap which is a short fat device with large metal caps on the ends.

Your extension wiring should connect to the terminals of the plug in front section on the master socket - that way they are disconnected by unplugging the front section which just leaves the master socket for testing.

 

[pram13]

Thank you all.
I'll heed your advice and check the sites too. Will attack it some time this week (hopefull will still have the connection when working from home).