Antique Phone Junction Box in a 8-Plex

[lerner]

I live in a historic 8-plex built in 1937. Sometimes I have a noisy line and the problem is in the junction box in the basement of the building. The phone company has no parts for this box. For 8 apartments it has 16 of these things that are about 5" long and a little bigger around than a pencil. I don't know if they are capacitors or what. They are held in the junction box with a nut on each end. If I tap on them or move them some it clears up the line. The phone company told me 8 years ago it's the buildings owner responsibility to replace this box. He won't do it since I am the only one that has problems with it. Sad but true I still use dial up and when there is noise on the line the internet won't work. Does anyone know this junction box i'm talking about? Can these things be bought? Thanks

[hallerb]

probably the carbon pile lightning arrestor

you could offer to pay the phone company directly to fix the problem, it will assure good workmanship and give you someone to complain too if the repair doesnt fix it

how much $ is it worth

[lerner]

Thanks for telling me what it probably is. The phone company came out about 6 years ago and said it couldn't be fixed. It lasted 6 years the last time I fixed it. Now it's acting up again.

[hallerb]

A creative SNEAKY solution:)

If DSL is available in your area get it, so much faster than dial up:) Plus talk on phone at same time. Around ghere its down to 20 bucks a month:)

Best is phone comany will do complete upgrade free!

They need service to work so you remain a subscriber

[lerner]

I know I should have DSL. It's about twice that expensive here for DSL.

[Herb Stein]

That fixture is (effectively) your network interface and that should be their problem. They haven't used that technology in 30 years. Lean on them to replace it.

-- herb [e-mail]

[lerner]

How do you get a small rodent or animal out of your A/C duct? Started hearing it last night and it stopped. Now I can hear it again and soon when it dies it will stink. We have C/A and you can hear it at the vent cover. My cat won't stay away from the vent. He knows. This is a bit off topic but since I have you here and you probably know whats involved in gaining access to this critter.

[pipedown]

The noise in the house wire will spoil the DSL speed anyway.

A telephone "punch board" is not much maybe $50 to 100 depending on how many lines it needs to handle but you don't need to rewire all 8 apartments. You only need to find your wire and bypass that POS telco box.

Have the phone company identify your line at the outside of the building. Cut it right there and splice in a wire directly leading to your jacks. Cut the other end of the abandoned wire inside your apartment leaving as little as possible remaining connected. Better yet, wire in a completely new jack connected to that wire only. Use quality wire and short run and you will see improvement right away.

If you buy the wireline protection on your phone bill (or whatever they call the inside wire service plan) then they will troubleshoot and fix your noise for free. Mind you, they will not replace the old telco box either (or do anything to the other 7 or more lines). They will take the easy and reliable method I just explained.

[Jim Redelfs]

The device is a protector dating to the early 1920s. That type was replaced by a newer model in the early 1940s. It certainly qualifies as an ANTIQUE protector. It is telco property. The protector is a grandfathered "demarc" (demarcation point) - *NOT* a SNID (Standard Network Interface Device).

That is a common issue when they are causing trouble or about to go open.

Nonsense. It is the PHONE COMPANY's responsibility to repair your line. Harass them until they do. After x-period of time with no satisfaction, file a complaint with your state's public utility commission. Inform your telco that you have done so. They'll fix it then.

No. The outdated protector should be replaced and an official Network Interface installed. Keep at them and/or complain to the P.U.C. Good luck!

[hallerb]

did you try pricing DSL from another company? Like AOL has deals with local phone companies for low cost DSL bundled with AOL.

you might try shopping around a bit.

since its been 8 years the phone companys policies may have changed in regards to the interface.

around here every service call gets a new NID, so they can troubleshoot your service when your not home

[Pete C.]

It's likely that the fixture *used* to be their network interface and they cheated and installed a new NI on the exterior of the building effectively orphaning their old crap and calling it "inside wiring". Find the new NI outside and rewire your circuit directly to it bypassing the abandoned junk.

Pete C.

[w_tom]

Is this what you have described?

If so, this 30+ year old (obsolete) technology should be removed. Best is to run a clean Cat5 wire from their new Network Interface Device (NID) to a junction inside where all existing phone lines can connect. Or even better, where possible, run a new Cat 5 wire to that phone wall jack.

BTW, you wire must enter building within something like six inches of the NID. Don't forget to create a drip loop before enters building.

This above obsolete device earths a phone line for transient protection. That function (using superior technology) is now inside the NID. Furthermore, this obsolete device will make DSL not possible.

Nothing magic about that obsolete protector. As it fails, it will even create noise on POTS phones. Cut it out. Bypass it with new Cat5 wires that are even sold in Home Depot and Lowes).

Anything inside a building up to where your wire plugs into customer side of that NID is your responsibility. And new wires must be Cat5 or better. That obsolete transient protector is your responsibility.

[Herb Stein]

I think I've already mentioned that. The phone company has the responsibility to replace it.

-- Herb [e-mail]

[ameijers]

It is a RENTAL. The wires don't belong to the OP. He needs to lean on landlord to get it replaced. Sounds like all the inside phone wiring needs to get replace. Yeah, likely telco has placed a new demarc box on an outside wall, and is just using the old inside demarc as a junction panel.

aem sends...

[noname87]

[w_tom]

The telephone company 'provided for free' surge protector is inside a grey box call an NID or Network Interface. One side of that box is labeled customer interface. Interior wire that plugs into that side of box and all wires inside the house are responsibility of the home owner. Phone company will do nothing to those wires except if hired to fix or modify those wires for maybe $70 per call. Or if telco has been paid a monthly service contract.

Anything after that NID is responsibility of the homeowner. FCC Part

68 defines this demarcation point - a point that should be no more than 30 cm beyond where interior wire exits the building.

An obsolete protector that is creat> Good advice. It is the telephone company problem. Do not bypass this

[Jim Redelfs]

This is incorrect. Telco protectors are the responsibility of the telco.

This is also incorrect and potentially dangerous. Without circuit protection, the phone line and any equipment connected to it are vulnerable to voltage surge damage and/or destruction.

If manipulating the obsolete protector "cleared-up" his trouble temporarily, it has NOT been replaced - it is still being used.

If/when the telco replaces the old protector, they should install a Standard Network Interface Device that usually includes a NEW protector. At that time, the old, abandoned equipment SHOULD (note "should") be removed. Some less-than-enthusiastic technicians simply abandon the old stuff "in place". (They leave it mounted but it is disconnected.)

[Jim Redelfs]

Every service call? I can assure you that does NOT happen, particularly if there ALREADY IS one.

On "every" service call where a NID is NOT present, we are SUPPOSED to install one. Compliance with this requirement is sometimes poor, particularly if there is no trouble with the old protector, the customer subscribes to an inside wire maintenance plan (no charge for any visit) and/or the wind chill is -40F.

[Jim Redelfs]

Only if there is protection elsewhere.

Assuming a NID exists, and there are HUNDREDS of thousands of "grandfathered" services that have not been upgraded, this is good advice.

This is incorrect. Any wire leaving a NID is CUSTOMER property. You can use bailing wire and coat hangars if you like - and run it in ANY manner you like.

Good advice. If drilling IN from the outside, slant the bit UPWARDS to prevent water from following the wire.

Nonsense. A properly functioning, old protector works PERFECTLY with DSL.

This is EXTREMELY rare. Virtually ALL protectors cause NO trouble and quite literally DO NOTHING until they close to ground with a large surge.

Ensure there is protection elsewhere if you do.

Wrong. You can run POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) and DSL (Digital Subscriber Line possibly slightly degraded) on bailing wire and coat hangars, provided they are properly connected and insulated from each other and a ground source.

I have always marveled that much new construction installs Category 5e Cable to the phone jacks for POTS use. Cat 5 wire connected to a "Cat 2-1/2" network is overkill. Cat 5 wire is NOT required for POTS - its for data. Old phone wire works just fine for DSL, too. You'll notice DSL travels over a flat phone cord that runs between the telephone outlet and the DSL modem. It does NOT need data-rated cable.

Wrong. It belongs to, and is the responsibility of, the telco.

[Jim Redelfs]

The telco considers their customer to be the "owner" of the wire. If there is billable trouble with the wire in the rental, the CUSTOMER is billed - NOT the landlord. It would be up to the customer to be reimbursed by the landlord for any charges incurred.

It's VERY likely that the landlord will tell his tenant to "pound sand" and to take care of the problem himself by dealing with the telco.