Am I ok to fit a new telephone master socket?

[diy-newby]

I am wanting to replace the telephone master socket so it matches my new plug sockets and light switches etc. Do I need BT to do this or can I replace it?

[Martin Pentreath]

It's an easy job, but it's a breach of your agreement with BT if you do it yourself, and they might get cross. You're supposed to get BT in. However, they will charge you handsomely (I think about =A3150?) for fifteen minutes work. And anyway, they won't fit any nice looking socket to match your others, they just fit standard white ones.

Personally I would do it myself and then put the BT one back if ever I had a BT engineer round for any purpose, but then I'm the sort of reckless fool who crosses the road even though the red man is showing. It is a master socket you have isn't it, and not a secondary?

Solution 2 for those who obey little red men: keep the BT master as it is, disguise it somehow and fit your fancy socket as an extension from it, which you're quite at liberty to do.

Cheers!

Martin

[diy-newby]

Thanks. Yes it is the master socket. About to buy the following from Screwfix

are replacing all our sockets with this style. Don't really want to replace every other socket / switch and leave the old BT white socket in.

I notice that the master socket (in link above) looks just like the slave socket which SF are also selling.

[diy-newby]

Is there only 2 wires to connect for the master socket?

[Terry D]

The incoming line (two wires) is connected to terminals 2 & 5 in the master socket. Colour codes should be: terminal 2 - blue /white stripe, terminal

5 - white/ blue stripe, terminal 3 - orange /white stripe. For secondary sockets, connect terminals 2, 3 & 5 from the master socket to terminals 2, 3 & 5 on all secondary sockets. Additional sockets can be simply be connected in parallel from the secondary socket. Two pair cable is required for connection and you will need an I.D.C tool for making satisfactory connections (obtainable from any phone shop or via the internet - from 99p upwards depending on the quality).

Terry D.

[mogga]

When we needed our phone line moving they said it'd be an arm and a leg and a 3 week wait - but we could get anyone we wanted to move it....

When the phone didn't work (this was before that) she wanted me to take a screwdriver to the phone socket in the hall to do something or other (It passed her by that my phone line didn't work so I wasn't at home ringing them)... but it turned out we didn't have one of the socket things she thought we did anyway...

I'd say move it yourself and if they ever ask say it's always been like that, or a bloke out the paper did it for you...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I think strictly speaking you're only allowed to add sockets that don't involve direct wiring to the BT master.

[The Natural Philosopher]

You don't *need* them, no.

strictly its their responsibility tho.

And you may not be able to get a proper BT style master to match anyway.

However, they can if you ask terminate onto a Krone type box, and then you can fit whatever you like.

[The Natural Philosopher]

That is not strictly legals as a BT master.. You should install that downstream of a proper socket, or krone termination.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think in actuality, what BT want to see is one box somewhere in the house that is installed by them (or checked by them) that represents where their responsiblity is.

So that when they engineer comes around, he unplugs the rest of the installation from it tests is and says 'its not our problem' or 'its our problem'

I said that can be a standard BT master where the faceplate unscrews,to disconnect all other wiring, or a Krone strip in a box. Where the onward stuff can be lifted off.

To be honest BT do not really care that much these days as long as there is a defined point where their kit ends and yours begins.

However a decorative faceplate - master or not, hooked onto their downleads is not it. For a start the IDC connectors are not suitable really for reliable termination of their incoming wires if these are overhead types.

[David Hansen]

On Thu, 8 Nov 2007 12:20:22 -0000 someone who may be "diy-newby" wrote this:-

The two may look just like each other, but the master has a handful of components in it which the slave does not.

Personally I would do what has been suggested and replace it, while keeping the original one for suitable occasions. However, remember not to use too high a standard of workmanship if you do restore the original one.

The legalistic answer is that the master socket is not yours to fiddle with. It marks the demarcation point between your installation and theirs. The exception to this is that if it is an NTE5

then you may remove the lower bit and connect your installation to the terminals at the rear of the lower bit, provided you only use some of the cable entry holes in the box. You are not allowed to remove the rest of it, though some people do (alarm company staff are particular offenders).

[John Rumm]

Actually the incoming wires connect to terminals usually marked A & B on the master socket. Pins 2 and 5 are indeed then derived from these, but after the surge suppressor etc.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

that is designed to be connected direct to the outside line. They usually suppose that outside line has been joined to internal cabling elsewhere. The IPC connectors can't really cope with two sizes of conductors. If it had screw terminals it would be ok, though, I suppose.

[Frank Erskine]

That's because they're supplied as "PBX" masters, intended for, well, PBXs where the "line" comes in as 0.5mm (6¼ lb) wire.

For a "real" NTE5-type socket you'd have to go to a professional firm such as Comtec.

No connection (no pun intended either!) with Comtec...