Hi,
Know it's a very good idea to cover all electrical outlets with those Kiddy-safe blank plugs when you have a toddler around, but is it also necessary for unused phone jacks ?
BTW: what's the max. voltage out of these things ?
guess it is also different "normally," and when a call is being received. True ? What's the volt. then ?
Do they sell blank plugs for phone wall/floor mounted outlet jacks ? Have never seen any.
Thanks, Bob
The normal "on hook" talk battery voltage for a POTS line is 48 volts DC and it will drop to 6-12 volts DC "off hook". The current of this DC voltage is limited and not necessarily dangerous but the ringing voltage is a nominal 90 volts AC at 20 cycles. The talk battery voltage can sting an adult and the ring voltage can give an adult a bite but the current of the voltages found on a POTS line is not very high. A toddler might experience a great deal of pain if he sticks his tiny finger in a phone jack when the phone line gets ringing voltage but it's not going to stop his heart. I you are really worried, you can buy a small package of the plugs you see on the end of phone cords and slip them into the unused jacks. The plugs are available almost everywhere at any hardware store. You will need some tweezers or needle nose pliers to get the plug out when you wish to use the phone jack again. When I was a toddler, I didn't mess around. I got under my mother's Singer Sewing Machine, unplugged the female end of the power cord from underneath the machine and proceeded to stick it into my mouth to find out what it tasted like. I was told I turned blue and my diaper needed changing utilizing a shovel. I'm sure that's the reason I have such an electric personality. ^_^
Worry about power cords that plug into the back of computers and many appliances these days. I'm sure a toddler would think they were very tasty. ^_^
TDD
It's been a while since I researched this, but the voltages are about 48 VDC "on hook", or idle. "off hook" is about 5 VDC (talking on the phone). Ring is about 100 VAC. Only really dangerous when ringing. Never seen a blank plug, but it's a good idea.
I have never heard of a real problem with this as the current is very limited, but it can be quite a surprise to be in contact with a phone line when it rings. Anyway, I have never seen a blank plug designed for the purpose of protection. However, any standard crimp-on plug will work. You (the OP) can buy bags of them at radio shack for a few dollars. These are meant to be crimped on the end of a phone cord with a crimping tool, but for this purpose, just plug in the blank plastic plug with no cable attached.
Pat
I have never heard of a real problem with this as the current is very limited, but it can be quite a surprise to be in contact with a phone line when it rings. Anyway, I have never seen a blank plug designed for the purpose of protection. However, any standard crimp-on plug will work. You (the OP) can buy bags of them at radio shack for a few dollars. These are meant to be crimped on the end of a phone cord with a crimping tool, but for this purpose, just plug in the blank plastic plug with no cable attached.
Pat
This brings back memories. In WWll on Okinawa doing electric repairs in US Navy Sea Bees. A large monkey would get into our Quonset hut shop and chew through wiring. So one day he was on the metal hut and I wrapped a phone hot wire onto a metal file with a wood handle. Shook it at the monkey and he grabbed it. The wire have ring voltage on. 90 volts 20 CPS. That was the last I ever saw of the monkey again. Also as a 2 year old my dad carried me into the butcher shop to purchase some meat. in those days fresh meat was displayed in glass show cases that had line voltage lighting. The lamps were under a open bottomed cover. As dad was holding me I ran my hand under the cover came to a socket that did not have a bulb in it. Stuck my finger into it and got a good shock. However this I thought was funny and did it again. I never was hurt on line voltage. WW
Lim Time!
There once was a man from Woonsocket, Who stuck his big c*ck in a socket. His wife was a bitch, And flipped on the switch, Which made him take off like a rocket.
Re using a crimp on plug, I wouldn't put it past toddlers to be able to figure out how to press on the latch and remove it pretty quickly.
But as others have implied, the chances of receiving serious injury are slim, particularly if there's nothing grounded around that the kid could be in contact with while sticking his little finger into the phone jack.
As I read the original thread this morning I considered the likelihood of the toddler receiving a shock from a phone jack vs. the potential of working that little plug out of the socket, putting it in his mouth and perhaps choking on it.
My thought is that the latter presents a much greater danger than the former.
Anyone else?
The ring voltage used to be 90v when they had the mechanical ringers on the old style phones. With the 'party line' hookup the ring voltage was prese nt at the same time at all houses on the party line loop. Since all phones are now electronic the ring voltage has been reduced to 48v and only goes t o one house. (Per the ATT repairman a few weeks ago.)
Phone systems were one of the things I did for a living before I became very ill and I still help my roommate with his data/telecom business. I have equipment to measure the voltages on phone lines and even with more VoIP systems going in, the POTS line standards haven't changed. You can still hook up a 1948 model rotary dial Western Electric phone to a modern POTS line and the vintage phone will work perfectly. It's not unusual for guys in a technical field to tell a civilian a story which amounts to a hot steaming pile of male bovine droppings. It can be very amusing. ^_^
TDD
Pat formulated on Thursday :
A Crimp plug, RJ11 style, would be more dangerous than leaving the socket open.The hole is VERY SMALL and the plug is small enough for a child to swallow :-?
Phone jack is not the term. Telephone or RJ style jack. Those plugs are pretty hard to get out sometimes, so a blank plug would probably work, as well as DUCT TAPE. The local Internet outlet should be safe.
Phone plug can be a telephone plug for switch operators of old, looks like a 1/4 inch headphone plug. Used mostly in audio. Sometimes also amplifier outputs, speaker inputs.
Phono plug is another, for phonographs.
Greg
Usually referred to as an RCA jack Greg, by us old timers.
Jeff
Or "phono jack/plug". ^_^
TDD
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