Telephone line static

[Roger Taylor]

Sounds like the upstairs wiring circuit is the problem. Most likely places to look are bad telephone (swap phones) connections, line running too close to electric lines, or transformers, rodent activity, cut-thru by staples, etc. You could disconnect the dsl feed just to chk for noise from that, but I doubt that is the prob. I either solder-gun all connections, or use pliers-activated gel splice connectors (Google for Images of telephone gel connectors ). Either of these methods makes a quieter connection than screw posts or terminal strips. If the noise is fixed by tightening the connections, then just substitute an improved connector. If the connections are not the problem, and you have checked for staple cut thrus, then rewire, but don't use a stapler - that is asking for trouble, unless you use one of the expensive ones the tel. companies use.. I use hand hammered insulated stables suited to the guage of the wire. The final test of the existing wire would be to just run an unattached wire thru the house up to the phone, and try it before you rewire the whole route.

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[Charlie S.]

I've had intermittent static on the upstairs phone line for years. I don't use these phones very often. One reason being is that they are very annoying. I installed the lines myself. Maybe that is part of the problem.

Finally, after all these years I'm looking to rectify the problem. I'm not sure where to begin. Part of the problem could be that I have DSL service... although I'm don't think that is the entire problem because the phones downstairs don't have any static. The computers actually share a jack with two phones downstairs.

I'm looking at various options...if you could think of something else please let me know.

1. I thought I would unscrew the wire connections in each of the jacks and try to re-attach more cleanly.

If that didn't cure the problem then, I would

1. Re-wire the whole upstairs. This would be quite a chore as I have to run the wires from the cellar. Lots of stapling involved and running wires through walls. I'd buy new jacks too. Who knows where the problem is coming from.

1. I guess I could try to get new filters from Verizon. That may be a wise first choice. Maybe the newer filters are better.

I have a feeling I am picking up radio interference from somewhere. Maybe one of the staples penetrated the wires and now the wire picks up a signal from some place outside the house. Can't say for sure... it's just a guess. I've tried to see if there is a correlation to computer use or hairdryers, etc. Doesn't seem to be any.

Is there anyway of testing the lines to find out where the static might be coming from?

[Joseph Meehan]

I would start by trying a different phone on that line. It may be the phone.

Next I would check all the connections, removing the wires, one at a time, and reconnecting them making sure they are clean and tight.

[SQLit]

There are lots of tools to test phone and communication lines. Are you interested in spending close to a $1000 dollars? If so check Fluke. You might be able to get by spending half that amount.

You might try a VOM meter on the pairs and check the terminal box first with your wiring connected and then again with out. Same thing up stairs. Check voltage first then check ohms to ground and to each pair. Any reading to ground is bad. Did you use telecom rated wire?

[TKM]

If by static you mean a random crackling noise on the line, the cause is likely a poor connection or moisture partially shorting out the conductors. As others have suggested, isolate the problem to your inside wiring or the lines coming into your house by using a hard-wired telephone plugged into the telco box.

I had two lines coming into my house. One of them had static; the other was fine. A check indicated the outside wiring was at fault. The telco guy finally found the problem -- ants in the junction box at the pole. They built a nest on the connections where the house line tapped into the street cable. The moisture in the nest caused the static.

It's very unlikely that your DSL service including the filters is at fault particularly if the filters are relatively new and the DSL is working O.K.

TKM