Telephone junction block

[Jim Elbrecht]

Am I just using the wrong terminology or am I looking for something that doesn't exist anymore?

My phone line comes into the house then splits off in 6 directions.

Originally all the red/green wires were on a single pair of posts in a terminal block.

Then I tried wrapping, soldering, and b-connectors. Last go around was with one of these

"Leviton C0219-I ivory telephone wire junction block"

The problem with the last was disconnecting one line to troubleshoot.

Looking around I see some that are "punch down" blocks- but it appears that I would need a special tool to attach the wires- and It doesn't look like they make detaching a single line easy.

Something like a phone jack but with 16-20 posts seems to me to be what I want.

Isn't there a terminal block that makes troubleshooting problems easy? [I seem to have more than my share of telephone- partly because of the maze of wires throughout the house- and partly because I haven't stopped construction here for 20 yrs.]

Is it time to just wire one up on a piece of plexi or can I buy one?

[Going wireless isn't a viable option. Cell phone service is poor in the house- and I've tried a half dozen different cordless phone systems without being real happy with any of them.]

Thanks Jim

[LouB]

"Leviton C0219-I ivory telephone wire junction block"

If you are lucky and live in the right place your local flea market will have a "phone guy" who may have answers and stuff.

Lou

[professorpaul]

I had this problem in an older house I owned once. I put the wires from each circuit to spade lugs. Then, I could easily slip one off of the binding post screws for testing. I also had a spare jack screwed on to the mounting board that was connected to the outgoing phone line. Easy to break out a circuit and test things. The newer service box allows you to disconnect each circuit, more or less, which addresses this problem nicely. A trip to Rat Shack??

[Phil Again]

a variety of problems appears to be caused by the old lug post telephone connections. Including noise, and intermittent connections. Long story short, the days of the lug posts will be less and less as time goes on. The rule was once that no more than 2 or 3 wires were to be attached to any post. But that 'rule' lasted only until the rule was printed. Then the rule was each wire was to be separated by a brass washer, yeah, right, that rule was followed yes-sir!

I have heard of people taking a hint from the electricians: run a short wire to the post, and on the other end joining several wires with a small speed nut. The problem there was stranded wire, as speed nuts works best with solid copper.

Radio Shack at one time sold a small box where your line into you home from the DeMark was attached by screw lug, and all the lines in your home was connected by an RJ11 connectors on the side of this box. Do a search at Lowe's web site for a "phone outlet extension strip"

However, you had to purchase a crimp tool and attach a RJ11 connector to each of your runs for phone line. This DYI crimping was at best a phone line problem waiting to happen; the crimping was usually not properly done on *all* the wires. The crimping could be done by a DIY-er, but the proper crimp tool was way more expensive than the cheap in-effective one sold at the BORG.

The punch-down block technology is over 40 years old and has been very successful.

BTW: it takes less than 5 minutes to demonstrate how to make connections with the punch-down tool. Another 10 minutes of workshop practice using the punch down tool. Plus maybe another 5 minutes to learn how to create several (or many) connections to a single line in. (aside: to be good at this however, takes time, training, and skill, which few homeowner have the leisure time to invest.)

[Mikepier]

You need whats called a 66 block with bridging clips. You can isolate each line easily by opening up the clips. Although you do need a special punch down tool, you can get away with using a small flatblade screwdriver.

[HeyBub]

"Leviton C0219-I ivory telephone wire junction block"

You can buy all manner of punch-blocks on Ebay. Get the tool for the punch-block you use.

Example:

Casual use of a screwdriver to punch down the wires causes an almost impossible problem to find. The screwdriver spreads the teeth of the punch-block gripper such that it no longer makes good contact with the wire. This results in intermittent (or nonexistent) connections.

[Colbyt]

"Leviton C0219-I ivory telephone wire junction block"

I used one of these:

to clean up the mess in my basement a few years back.

Is that what you are looking for?

Colbyt

[Steve Barker DLT]

Actually that may be his best solution. Use one of these for green and one for red, jumper all the way across the top row of each, then use the bottom row to hook the individual runs ...

s

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

That's exactly what I had in mind! Thanks.

Wish the kids at the Radio Shack I went to yesterday had heard of them. I ought to go back there as the online store says they have them in stock. But I think I'll go to a different store.

Jim

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

Yep- Radio Shack still has them. About twice as much as the one at Lowe's.

The tool was $40 at RS. The manager said 'buy it and return it when you're done'. While I was thinking about it I talked myself out of trying to make decent RJ11 connections my first time out. I also didn't like the idea of all those contacts holding up in my basement. I'm more comfortable with ancient technology done right than the new stuff done by a clueless one.

I had almost become a convert- Glad I got a link to this-

Agree. I'm sure I would be able to do it. I've seen tools for a little as $10. But whether I would be able to do it well wouldn't be known until some dark night when I wanted a phone it wouldn't work.

Thanks for your insight.

Jim

[Mikepier]

That terminal block is good, but the 66 block has bridging clips which is useful when you want to isolate aech seperate line in case there's a problem. With the terminal block, you have to physically disconnect each wire to troubleshoot.

[J. Clarke]

>

The screw block may seem to be simpler than a punchdown block, but it's really not.

Use a punchdown block once and you'll never want to go back.

[Colbyt]

Some of us old guys would rather screw than strip. And we can always find a screwdriver.

Colbyt

[Steve Barker DLT]

can't unhook and rehook wires like he was saying he wanted to with a punch down. not eaisly anyway.

s

[Andy]

You don't say what the telephone problem is that you are trying to solve....

Note that normal service is for an REN number of 5.

If you have 16 phones on a single line, that number might be exceeded and stuff won't work right...phones won't ring.

If this is your problem, -- the phones don't ring -- then go google " telephone REN" to read up on what I am talking about....

If my post is redundant, please accept my apology...

Andy in Eureka, Texas

[George]

But you don't need to remove wires from a punch block to troubleshoot. You just lift the clip. Thats one reason why they are so commonly used.

[Jim Redelfs]

Well, yeah, with YEARS of experience performing such a hink occasionally because one had forgotten his punch-down (Impact Insertion tool) and had only ONE connection to make.

If you're going to the expense and work of a properly-wired 66M150 block, (25-pair connecting/66 block, open down the middle, uses bridging clips across each connection from left to right), you should acquire and use the proper insertion tool. The small-bladed screwdriver approach is a hink, a kludge and easily done improperly at the peril of the block itself.

I installed four 66M150 blocks to interconnect the 1600-ft of 6-pair homeruns I installed to ~23 locations through my home when it was built in 1991.

We don need no steenkin' binding posts!

[Jim Redelfs]

Well, that about covers it ALL!

[Jim Elbrecht]

Taken out of context that *is* pretty funny. In the original post I didn't feel the need to put the qualifier; 'never had a problem with too many ringers'.

Jim

[Jim Redelfs]

Boy, *I* sure did once...

To my home with WELL over five working phones/ringers, I brought another five Western Electric sets and connected them.

I was sitting by one of the grandfathered sets reading when we received an incoming call.

It wasn't until the second or third barely audible "groan" from the telephone base that I suspected something was amiss. I picked-up the handset, put it to my ear and, instead of a dial tone, I heard the breathing or muttering (probably muttering by that time) of the calling party.

I physically disconnected five ringers around the house and things were ringing normally in no time.

Now, with my three daughters grown, married and with kids of their own, I have FAR more phones than I will ever use. Indeed, their "teenline" (AFH/second line) has only one phone connected to it now and is virtually never used. That's in stark contrast to its heyday when three, young teenage girls used it.

It's ringer is shut off but I still check it occasionally to ensure the line is still good.