I need to have an extra phone jack installed in my home. I was talking to a guy who installs them, and he said it has to be "within 3 feet of a wall receptacle." And he said something about this being in the NEC.
Has anyone heard of this? I can't see what one has to do with the other.
-- John
on 8/20/2007 8:10 AM John Ross said the following:
Cordless phones need an electrical outlet, but I don't know what the NEC says.
It's absolute nonsense.
Frankly it is a good idea, but I had not heard that it was code.
Most new homes are done like that, along with the network and cable tv drops to the same wall plate, same for central vacuum inlets, it's for convenience only. I never heard it was code. Municipalities dont care much about how the low voltage prewire is done, other than if you drilled holes in the fire stops that you did not re-caulk.
Why is it a good idea?
I should note that this is just for a modem, not an actual phone (although I don't think that came up in the conversation).
-- John
This is an older home. This subject came up after talking about different ways of doing it (i.e. going up to attic, down to crawlspace). I got the impression that somehow he was saying it would make it easier to do. I just can't see how that would be. It's not like he needs to connect the phone wires to the electrical wires.
In addition, the most likely option is just to go straight through the wall (it goes to a garage right near where the phone connectin to the house is). So, again I can't see how the receptacle would have any relevance.
I also extremely doubt this is a local code. But I have to give him credit---he is the ONLY person (aside from this NG) who has even mentioned "The NEC"--including electricians!!! Kinda had to give him credit for that, even though it still doesn't seem to make sense.
-- John
Your public library will have a copy of the local codes. But, I wouldn't bother. Just put the phone jacks where you want them. There is no logical reason to do otherwise.
You can install phone jack any bloody place you want on one of my phone lines I have 5 jacks all over house Tony
Why would you give him credit for mentioning the NEC when it wasn't relevant to the situation? If you didn't tell him it was a modem (which, BTW, *would* require a receptacle nearby, although not by code) then why would the NEC be something worth mentioning?
It's akin to someone mentioning OSHA regulations when talking to you about renovating a residential bathroom. Not only isn't it relevant, but I would *deduct* points if it came up in a discussion since it tells me the contractor doesn't know what (s)he is talking about.
Try to think ahead. You are doing the work, now so think about what might be needed next year or next month. Someone rearranges the furniture and now wants to use a cordless phone that needs to be pluged in at that location.
Bull
Only if you want a Princess Phone with lighted dial. They had a power supply to plug in.
I don't see this as a requirement, but recommended. My phone has an DC adapter to power the speakerphone and built-in answering machine. Never heard anyone say, "There are too many electrical outlets in this room!"
There were several in my parent's house in the early 70s. None had power supply plugs. And, I have a spare AT&T "princess" style phone whose display is illuminated. Bought it 5 years ago. No power supply plug.
No. There is virtually NO code for residential phone wiring.
It is almost rare that the ONLY cord a phone line-using device is the "base" cord. Many devices that plug into a telephone outlet (jack) also require an AC power supply, hence the value of placing the phone jack near an AC outlet.
Nevertheless, the dial lights were powered from an external power supply: A transformer was plugged-in SOMEWHERE in the house. Dial light current was supplied to Princess and early Trimline telephones using the secondary pair in the jack, usually the yellow/black conductors of the old "quad" wire. The current was distributed to every jack on the second pair - pair three if
3-pr cable was used.Many of these transformers are still plugged-in today, but doing virtually nothing since illuminated "dials" (buttons) have been "line powered" by the C.O. battery for years.
Yeah, and if it says "AT&T", it is not nearly old enough to have been powered by the above-enumerated technique. In those days, everything was made, and labeled as such, by Western Electric.
Well, there's no transformer in THIS house. It's been rewired completely, beginning at the outside terminal box.
I had three Trimline in my house, installed about 1966 or 67. Each had a power supply. Maybe newer designs eliminated it.
They did. But even on the early ones, if the Missus of the house objected to 'that ugly gray cube' taking up an outlet slot in the bedroom or wherever, a common trick was to break the second pair on the 4-color feed line in basement near that jack, and feed the juice to the phone that way. In fact, there is one of those cubes hanging from an abandoned line in my basement laundry room right now. Probably been there since the '60s. Good little transformers, like most WE hardware of the era, damn near impossible to kill.
aem sends...
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