phone box query

[beatts]

Hi

Inside my main telephone box (the main cable comes directly into this box) started playing up tonight. Ringing BT I was told it would be £65 callout, £65 per hour and £35 for the box installation

anyway I discovered the problem was just a broken wire.

Two cables come into the box from outside. (one of these cables is broken)
These two cables then enter into two small terminal crimps (in an opaque round plastic type unit).

A different cable leaves each of these crimps, then is terminated in a screw terminal on the PCB.


My question is this, can the entry and exit cables be simply joined and soldered together or does this little round opaque device contain some sort of filter??

I'd hate to pay BT £150 just to fix a broken wire.

thanks

Beatts

 

[RF Lighting]

Was it one of these little fellars?

 

[beatts]

yeah thats the fella!

does it have anything in it?

 

[RF Lighting]

No, all it is is a jelly filled joint. These are used to join wires as they prevent the joint from failing due to ingress of moisture etc.

There are no components in it, so soldering should be fine.

Which bit of Yorks are you in? I can let you have one if you really want!

 

[beatts]

cool, thanks for the help. I should be ok without needing one thanks, I will just join the wires together as there is no moisture or anything.

i'll solder them and stick some heat shrink on just to be sure.

Your help is much appreciated

p.s am based just south of Middlesbrough, so just inside North Yorks really.

 

[bernardgreen]

Strictly speaking as the break is in the BT wire before the master box it is their responsibility to repair it as it is the wire is their property.

You may find soldering the wire to be less than easy as the wire may not take soldering. If there is any evidence of soldering and you still have to get BT out then you will get a bill for sure.

NOTE when soldering the wires have a 50 volt DC supply via resistances at the exchange. Grounding one of the wires WILL affect equipment at the exchange and MAY set a fault flag on your line ( depends on the type of exchange ). The soldering iron, if earthed, will ground the the wire as you solder it.

 

[JOHNBOY42]

another crimp will be fine,or even soldering it would be ok ,,,earthing it will not flag up a fault ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,quick service and a few quid saved as well

 

[beatts]

Hi

Thanks for all the help.

You were right Bernard, the wire did not take solder at all. In fact it had a black coating (I assume to be some sort of oxidisation or secondary insulation). I rubbed this off and twisted the wires together before applying a blob of solder which seems to have done the trick.