I'm in the process of building a new house, and noticed that in two places (one upstairs and one downstairs), the phone wire has been zig-zagged back and forth 4 or 5 times between two studs, and then the un-terminated end of the wire is just stapled to one of the studs. I'm curious as to why this is done. There must be some specific reason for it. Some type of termination scheme? What purpose does it serve? I'm sure someone in here knows.
Thanks,
Doug D.
I'd guess it was just that the builder put it in there while the putting was easy, to give you some extra wire, if you ever need to put a phone in that location. No termination scheme that I know if needs to do that for plain old telephone wire. Pretty considerate builder, really.
Hope they just did not cut it off leaving the exposed wires touching each other. You'll have a problem if they are.
I have known that the phone company in the 60s and 70s promoted pre-wiring of houses, the phone company would string cable throughout the house and in spots that in the future may need an outlet they would zig-zag the cable between the studs so that it could be located under the drywall and have enough slack to make the connection. In this area they gave up doing this in the early 70s, requiring the builder to do it, or not bother according to their whim.
termination
It might just be there until someone decides where the phone jack is going to be installed, or, maybe the one that strung the wire through the wall is not the one that will install the phone jack. Here is a suggestion for you since it is your house and the walls are open. Find out when the sheetrockers are supposed to come, and on the day or night before, take a video camera and walk through your entire house, taking videos of all walls and ceilings (you can even narrate while you shoot). Take special note of wiring and plumbing locations, and construction around doors and windows. Take close ups of complicated looking stuff. I did this with my house 20 years ago when it was being built and I have had to view it a few times when I was going to do some renovations or repair, and had to know where things were behind the sheetrock.
Except how the hell would anyone know they are there after the walls are closed up? I've seen builders do this type of thing for their own benefit, not the homeowner. Like a spec builder offering lighting options in a difficult location my just run some wire in before sheet rocking. He knows that most buyers will want the extra lights installed and will pay his list price to get them. So, later he can put those lights in easily.
In this case, since they are visible, sounds like the dry wall isn't in yet? If that's the case then the wires are there waiting for a phone jack. As to why they would zig-zag as opposed to run straight down a stud, I've never seen that before.
Eliminates the need to precisely locate the hole for the phone jack -- get it anywhere close and you'll be able to grab one of the runs of wire and have enough there to hook up the jack.
Well, that's what I thought at first, too, except that I went through with the installer ahead of time and told him where to put every phone, cable, and Cat5 (ethernet) outlet. In all of these locations they installed a metal bracket which will provide the means to attache the cover plate after the drywall is up. The places where these "zig-zags" are were not anywhere that I can imagine anyone ever wanting a phone outlet (e.g., in the wall between the mud hall and laudry room). And, where they did install the brackets (where I know there will be outlets), there is no zig-zagging. Well, I guess I'm going to call them and ask them.
Are you sure they are telephone wires? Could they be prewire for intercom stations, alarm keypads, alarm motion detectors, garage door opener switches?
Where I live it is common to prewire for future alarm keypad locations. They prewire knowing that they will SELL some additional keypad locations. Common locations are near the; exterior doors, in the master bedroom, in the study, .... and other places that are not included in the standard trim-out package.
The zigzag makes it easier to snag the wire through a small hole in the drywall if an additional xxxx is sold.
That is the antennae for the system. Don't mess with it.
You know what....I bet you're exactly right. I do remember now that they said they were going to pre-wire for an alarm, and the locations of these wires are just inside the entrance from the house, and upstairs in the master bedroom.....two ideal locations for alarm keypads.
I think mystery solved. Thanks.
-DD
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