BT socket in the way

[HarrogateGas]

Hi folks, Hope there is someone out there who can help.

I live in a mid 80's semi and the main BT line comes in underground and the first I see of it is behind a master socket in the hall. The incoming wire for it dissappears into the plaster/wall. Im planning a porch/downstairs wc extension and this socket is right where Architect has drawn the the door into the extension (to be fair there is nowhere else for the door). I would therefore need to move the socket a few feet to be clear of the door.

If the line line was external i gather this would be a fairly easy job but given the line is buried and its route unknown how best is it to go about getting it moved? Will it move? Who can move it and how much should I budget on my build cost for doing so?


Thanks in advance


Chris

 

[EightyTwo]

If the wall is coming down there, you could always do some exploratary digging in the plaster to see where the cable goes. BT engineers were never known for doing things the pretty way if there was an easier route! Cables are usually stapled to the woodwork...

In reality, you should probably ask OpenReach (or BT) to move the socket. They get a bit touchy about other people messing with the wiring before the master socket.

 

[kbdiy]

A lot of houses built from the 70's onward had underground ducts installed by the builders for BT service. Moving the incoming point as you describe could involve considerable excavating to expose the duct and relocate. As already mentioned BT don't like anyone else tampering with their services so that could prove expensive.
Better, if you can, to leave the incoming point where it is and have it cabled to a more suitable location. The important thing to bear in mind is to make sure the original point is still accessible after all the works have been completed otherwise BT will refuse to do any fault-finding

 

[HarrogateGas]

Thanks for the help guys, leaving it where it is is impossible as it is right in the middle of where a doorway is going to be. I think the idea of some light excavation and moving the point one way or the other by a few feet sounds plausable. The other option is to go on to Virgin and make it a case of 'what BT socket'..............

 

[cajar]

If you do that, and ever want to move back to a provider that uses bt (read any that isnt virgin) then you'll be in for lots of expense and heartache trying to get bt to dig a new one in. Expose it back to source and leave it accessible somewhere else. Only sensible option.