Telephone rings, then silence but connection still there

[Spark123]

Firstly I'd try unplugging all phones, sky box etc and plug them back in one at a time to see if one device is causing the fault.

 

[simonpolly]

It could be a intermittent fault in the network but from my experience rectified loops are 9 times out of 10 in the house or very near,if you get a rectified loop in the U.G network its is normally accompanied with some other fault conditions namely battery or earth faults where a joint gets wet and it picks up voltage and earth from another line.Just a thought are you over head fed or U.G ?,if u.g have a look behind the grey capping where the U.G cable comes up the outside of your house,this is where the U.G cable is crimped to the internal,you can quite often get a rectified loop there due to the crimps getting wet and corroding and going to earth

We are overhead fed. I will look outside tomorrow and advise exactly where the phone lines come in to the house.

..... but the problem could be underground a mile away !

It could be but i`m making a guess based on the symptoms given me and my experience faulting on the openreach network,if i could see his line test results or test his line myself i could tell him for definite

 

[punchy]

line breaking down the insulation of a cable that's suffered water damage

I'd stake money there is a damaged cable outside somewhere.

I would agree with above. Is it possible your overhead line goes through trees? The BT test only tests at a low frequency for the main socket it does not see the ringtrip fault. I would get a neighbours phone, disconnect all of yours including sky and all filters. Use your neighbours to test. Use 17070 option 1 for a test ring its free.

Our overhead line does go through trees. I will give the neighbour's phone a test.

I do appreciate all the posts. I am on a steep learning curve here and I am convinced I am going to solve this!

I phoned 17070 and the ring back was just the same one little ring that I have been getting when people phone.

If you took the front plate off the main socket (NTE5) when this was attempted and it still tripped (rang once) then it is a BT problem (openreach) so call your provider BT sky talk talk etc and report it. You have no need to worry about Ug or overhead faults that's up to your SP to woorry about. Just ensure that you have checked this at the main (1st) socket (follow the wire from where it bounces on to the house, does it go into your bathroom first (most older ones in Scotland do, it mat be wet in the JB in there (NTP) you will get charged if its wet in a JB so check this out). Also Scotland is the only place where all but a few of the poles are in the back gardens. The bathrooms where used when we they needed an earth on your line for older technology lines (party lines + earth calling) dependent on the exchange).

 

[DIYJEE]

line breaking down the insulation of a cable that's suffered water damage

I'd stake money there is a damaged cable outside somewhere.

I would agree with above. Is it possible your overhead line goes through trees? The BT test only tests at a low frequency for the main socket it does not see the ringtrip fault. I would get a neighbours phone, disconnect all of yours including sky and all filters. Use your neighbours to test. Use 17070 option 1 for a test ring its free.

Our overhead line does go through trees. I will give the neighbour's phone a test.

I do appreciate all the posts. I am on a steep learning curve here and I am convinced I am going to solve this!

I phoned 17070 and the ring back was just the same one little ring that I have been getting when people phone.

If you took the front plate off the main socket (NTE5) when this was attempted and it still tripped (rang once) then it is a BT problem (openreach) so call your provider BT sky talk talk etc and report it. You have no need to worry about Ug or overhead faults that's up to your SP to woorry about. Just ensure that you have checked this at the main (1st) socket (follow the wire from where it bounces on to the house, does it go into your bathroom first (most older ones in Scotland do, it mat be wet in the JB in there (NTP) you will get charged if its wet in a JB so check this out). Also Scotland is the only place where all but a few of the poles are in the back gardens. The bathrooms where used when we they needed an earth on your line for older technology lines (party lines + earth calling) dependent on the exchange).

Does not come in via the bathroom. It comes in a fresh air inlet (vent) runs under the house and then pops up in a cupboard under the stairs. Not sure what the JB is. Because this cupboard houses our hoover I thought the NTE5 had been knocked but there is no visible damage and all wires intact inside. When I removed the lower plate of the NET5 and plugged into the test socket the phone worked perfectly. I now have a friend of a friend of a friend coming on Monday hopefully to have a wee look. I will report back. On the plus side everyone has been most helpful - how many realise they are dealing with a female OAP here!!!! Not the sitting down knitting socks for me - I have done everything except climb the telegraph pole in the garden.

 

[punchy]

line breaking down the insulation of a cable that's suffered water damage

On the plus side everyone has been most helpful - how many realise they are dealing with a female OAP here!!!! Not the sitting down knitting socks for me - I have done everything except climb the telegraph pole in the garden.

Ha ha well done you!
I would guess that if anything is plugged was into that NTE i.e a phone or plug in extension it may have well taken a knock and damaged the inside. If not it is one of your extensions at fault. It is definitely your wiring and it would be BT's policy to disconnect the extension and still charge you. Id walk up to the next openreach van you see and offer the guy or lady £30 to repair it. At best its a faulty NTE at worst its a rewire of your extensions.

 

[DIYJEE]

line breaking down the insulation of a cable that's suffered water damage

On the plus side everyone has been most helpful - how many realise they are dealing with a female OAP here!!!! Not the sitting down knitting socks for me - I have done everything except climb the telegraph pole in the garden.

Ha ha well done you!
I would guess that if anything is plugged was into that NTE i.e a phone or plug in extension it may have well taken a knock and damaged the inside. If not it is one of your extensions at fault. It is definitely your wiring and it would be BT's policy to disconnect the extension and still charge you.

Id walk up to the next openreach van you see and

offer the guy or lady £30 to repair it.

At best its a faulty NTE at worst its a rewire of your extensions.

I am sure I will see three openreach vans round the corner once this is all over but lately they have been thin on the ground! Last night I plugged my very old Binatone phone in and over the course of the evening and all through the night it rang every 2 hours or so (no-one there) A decent ring. This morning I dialled 17070 and got a proper ring back. Then I plugged my normal phone in which is a phone/fax/answer machine and it worked. Logic completely escapes me here I have to say. The person who 'knows a bit about phones' is still going to have a look but at least it is ringing at both ends now.

Off to fix the wall light that is coming away from the wall now. I have a husband somewhere but he's not into DIY!

Thank you for all your help.

 

[simonpolly]

Well today i fixed a ring trip/rectified loop,it was 560m back from the end user where the dropwire was rubbing on a tree,when tested you could see a loop and earth fault(from tree)it would ring intermittently like yours this is caused by the earth fault.It was also intemittently noisy due to the dropwire being damaged.The only way of finding this type of fault is to break it down and test the line,the problem you have is if the line does not or has not tested faulty and you call out openreach you may be charged(will)

 

[DIYJEE]

Well today i fixed a ring trip/rectified loop,it was 560m back from the end user where the dropwire was rubbing on a tree,when tested you could see a loop and earth fault(from tree)it would ring intermittently like yours this is caused by the earth fault.It was also intemittently noisy due to the dropwire being damaged.The only way of finding this type of fault is to break it down and test the line,the problem you have is if the line does not or has not tested faulty and you call out openreach you may be charged(will)

The phone rings now but not the usual 'ring ring' as it used to but just a long 'ring'. I don't know how I got it to do that but it is preferable to the fairly perceptible ring previously. The drop wire does go behind a rambling rose but I did check for evidence of rubbing and could see none. I am going to check again inch by inch.

 

[punchy]

Well today i fixed a ring trip/rectified loop,it was 560m back from the end user where the dropwire was rubbing on a tree,when tested you could see a loop and earth fault(from tree)it would ring intermittently like yours this is caused by the earth fault.It was also intemittently noisy due to the dropwire being damaged.The only way of finding this type of fault is to break it down and test the line,the problem you have is if the line does not or has not tested faulty and you call out openreach you may be charged(will)

The phone rings now but not the usual 'ring ring' as it used to but just a long 'ring'. I don't know how I got it to do that but it is preferable to the fairly perceptible ring previously. The drop wire does go behind a rambling rose but I did check for evidence of rubbing and could see none. I am going to check again inch by inch.

As Simonpollly states above your fault does sound like it is in openreaches network and if you checked at the NTE with all disconnected then there is nothing more you can do. No matter what your SP says about charges you will not be liable for charges if the fault is outwith your property unless you damaged it. Even if your rose bush did do the damage which I very much doubt, you cannot be charged for it. The intermittent ring could be your line making and breaking in the wind this is very very common. Constant ring does sound like a faulty NTE which is wet or damp. Try changing it out first (£10 from a major DIY store master socket with an inserter tool) if it is still the same call BT. You may have a couple of days before your line goes disconnected if outside or permanently engaged if the fault is inside. If you end up having to call them out it is amazing what a cup of tea and a bit of friendly chat can do if chargeable. The Openreach tech sees not a penny of any charges and overtime is thin on the ground these days for these guys ;o) a tenner goes a long way!

 

[DIYJEE]

All you say makes sense. The NTE is not wet but I will get a new one to at least eliminate that as the problem. £10 is a small price to pay.