Tracing a dead telephone extension cable

[empty_vessel]

I have recently moved into a house and in the (downstairs) lounge next to the satellite point there is a telephone extension socket, I wish to connect a Sky+ box to this point (so I cannot use a wireless socket extender) and I do not wish to have an unsightly cable run across the floor from the master or along the top of the skirting board.

Unfortunately the socket is dead and I cannot find where the cable comes out (I have spent a good deal of time on my hands and knees in the loft looking!). I know that the cable does not go into the back of my BT Master NTE5 socket as it is not connected to the extension point.

Is there a good way of tracing cables within the walls? The room is downstairs but I am unable to access the upstairs underfloor to see if the cable comes out there, perhaps there is a 'standard' way of routing extension cables? My eventual plan is to find the cable an via a long a circuitous route attach it to the extension point on the Master socket, is ther a limit to the length of an extension cable or should I just use good quality cable and hope for the best?

Any help offered is gratefully accepted.

 

[breezer]

i once met a bt engineer who said this " I spent an hour and a half tracing a fault on a cable, it took me 45 minutes to run a new one"

enough said?

 

[lvsystems]

There's a gadget called a tone generator that will identify the cable but it's about 100 quid not really worth it for one use. Perhaps the simplest idea is to just run another cable from the master socket ? Im guessing there is no voltage at the socket ? More detailed info will probably get a better response.

Breezer ! Got there before me

 

[empty_vessel]

Yep, no voltage whatsoever, I did see those tone generators online but I thought they were a bit steep too! I will probably end up routing a new cable, all I need to do is find the opening into the conduit at the top of the wall then (probably easier said than done).

I'm a complete novice, so any ideas about getting cable down an existing conduit without it getting stuck?

 

[breezer]

what conduit?

any way who cares.

if there is a cable already in it, tie new one to old one and pull, you will need some one at other end to feed it.

if empty push new cable down (straiten it first)

 

[lvsystems]

Yeah providing it's run in conduit ! Would it not be easier to route a cable low level under the carpet ? If it is in conduit then buy yourself a draw tape few quid from B and Q or wholesaler. Basically a glorified piece of plastic wire but weill bend round any corners or bend in the conduit. Still struggling to visualise your setup there. Is the telephone socket high or low level , flush or surface mounted, brick or plasterboard wall ?

 

[bernardgreen]

If there is conduit and no wire left in it and you need to get a draw cord through this method MAY work. May be the only one that does if there are bends in the conduit.

Use a vacuum cleaner sucking at one end of the conduit and from the other end feed a small ball of cotton wool tied on the end of thin lightweight nylon fishing line.

 

[plugwash]

i once met a bt engineer who said this " I spent an hour and a half tracing a fault on a cable, it took me 45 minutes to run a new one"

Sure the BT guy has the cable to hand to make a new run. Its not his house and he is working for a monopoly telco so he isn't going to bother to hide it.

If you won't tollerate surface cabling or wrecked decor then running cable beomes much harder.

 

[breezer]

but its still quicker, the op has already spen considerable fruitless time with no joy, its still quicker to run a new cable

 

[empty_vessel]

More details - its a low level flush mounted socket into a galvanised box from what I can see there is a void above the box that may/may not be a conduit running up through the wall in what I presume is a channel in the brickwork / plastering. From basic guesswork I think the conduit runs straight up.

I wouldn't mind running a cable under carpet, unfortunately its a varnished wooden floor so that one is out! In an old property of mine the BT engineer solution is to run along the top of the skirting fixing every foot with staples, fine if you're a student not fine if you've just spent 2 hours caulking along the top of all the boards to make sure there are no gaps!

I'm probably going to lift the carpet above and look for the cable/conduit in there but that is going to be a proper pain in the bum. When I give the current cable a bit of a pull it seems solid so it must be attached to something I'm just intrigued what that is because it certainly isn't the phone master socket! Its strange because the lounge is a relatively new extension that seems to post date the BT Master socket so really not sure what is going on there!

 

[lvsystems]

Just thinking is it possible that it runs to somewhere other than the master socket ? Perhaps to another socket somewhere else in the house. You could check in every other socket it only takes one wire to have come loose and you'll see no voltage on the pair. If still no luck then take the conduit option. As for surface cabling I quite agree tis the bane of my life and I avoid it like the plague

 

[JOHNBOY42]

As you say it would be better to utilise this existing cable as long as its fault free, but to try and locate it would be quite expensive for the equipment you need and BT engineers have it, I suggest asking if one of these guys will do you a FAVOUR .........the best way would be to measure it using a TDR or mole this will tell you how far the break or short is from the end of the cable ti within 1m and then use a tone and amp to trace it,but a a n other stated it may not be going back to the master socket .it could be a spur off another extension,,,,,,,,,,have you got a cable company feed??

 

[breezer]

nice idea, but that will be some favour

 

[AlanB27]

Get some external white downlead, and take the cable from the extension socket out the wall (if possible) and neatly up to whereever the NTE is, then in to there and terminate on the front plate of the NTE.

Applicable only if you are happy with white cable on your walls (if your walls are also white) and also if the 2 sockets are on facing the outside walls.

 

[lvsystems]

Mmmm that ll look lovely !