Verizon Guy Showed Up, But

[Charlie Bress]

If you got a good signal from the interface box, the problem is on the house side of the box not on the outside Verizon lines. The next time it rains and things get noisy, unplug everything that is inside. This includes cordless base units, fax machines and modems. Plug one phone in and check. If it is noisy try another phone in the same jack. Still noisy? It's a wiring problem. Good signal? Add instruments one at a time and check at each position. If it turns out to be a phone, go shopping for a replacement. If it is everywhere with any phone, call Verizon back, show them what you have done and recorded on paper and tell the repair guy to fix it. If you have the plan that pays for inside repair, you are in god position. If you have to pay for wiring service you might try to locate the problem yourself or enlist a savvy friend.

Good luck!

Charlie

[JW]

ISSUE: Moderate to severe static on rainy or even very humid days. parties on both sides have difficulty hearing. Also, unable to connect to Internet. When things dry out everything is OK.

Verizon guy tested jacks and inside wiring and said they're OK. He found minor "short" problems on the three phones, readings of 10, 10, and 20.

His diagnosis: Phone units with minor faults when weather is dry become severely problematic in wet weather. In other words, the problem lies with the phones, not with any wiring or jacks.

However, he was unable to answer these questions:

1) Are you saying that moisture and humidity get into the phone units?

2) If so, how come there was no static when we tested the phones during the rain, using the interface box on the side of the house? Testing revealed a nice, clear dial tone. Static occurred only inside.

He shrugged his shoulders and left.

[CC]

Another way to try to isolate an inside wiring problem when you have multiple runs connected to the nid (Network Interface Device) is to remove them one at a time and listen on the ones still working to see if you have lost the static. If your line is now clear, reconnect the bad one and check the phone or equipment on the end of it to see if that is causing the problem, if equipment, replace, if the telephone wiring, calla them back to replace if you have a warrenty plan, or replace yourself. If it is not connected to any working e quipment, just leave it disconnected. Many time in older installations, there is wiring that went to old jacks that are no longer in use, sometimes to ends that have been cut off somewhere and now just getting wet, or that have previously gone bad and still connected. CC

[David Bridgeman]

I had the exact same problem. For me it turned out to be the line between the house and the pole. It was as old as the house (30 years at the time). Verizon diagnosed it properly and replaced it the next day. All good now.

Dave

[CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert]

could be both. short on line, plus so many phones overloading the line and causing statis. Without the presence of both the short & several phones it may not show up. So it could still be an external problem.

[CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert]

I have noticed some phones load the line even when they are on the hook. Plus he said the verizon dude found the phones were kinda bad or something to that effect.

[Doug Miller]

This is _absolute_proof_ that the problem is either with your wiring, or your phones, and not in *their* wiring. The Verizon guy was right to shrug his shoulders and leave: not his problem, no reason he should know how to fix it. Or try.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Yes, there is. In the original post, the OP said he has a maintenance agreement for the inside wiring. It is an option with most phone companies for a couple of bucks a month.

[Doug Miller]

Ahhh, missed that. My apologies. Thanks for the correction.

[Tom Horne]

The multiple phones would have to be off hook in order to load the line unless you are thinking about the ringer capacitors creating a load for the AC noise.

-- Tom Horne

[Beachcomber]

Possible, but unlikely... Phone lines typically can power 3-4 "Bells" or B equivalents. (These are real bells for those old enough to remember).

The solid state ringers on most of today's phones only take a fraction of the current needed to ring 1 Bell.

Beachcomber