When I had some building work done the electrician moved my phone socket and wired a new one to the outside junction box. I have realised that the socket he fitted is not a Master Socket - but a normal one. Does it matter
- I am not planning any extensions to the wiring. If necessary I can refit the master socket - but it won't match the style of the adjacent plug sockets. The system is Virgin Media.
The line should come in from outside, and then enter the back of a master socket, and then any additional sockets should be wired to this master, using the separate terminals on that socket, on the removable face plate.
Is it possible it has been wired like this, only via the external box?
If you have two sockets wired from the incoming pair, then this could cause issues with (older, usually) phones not ringing.
"Brian Gaff" wrote in news:l7n8oj$bvc$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:
I still have the Vigin Socket somewhere (and a previous BT). I might clean it up - just in case - but I sense there is no advantage in using it if I am not wanting to connect extensions.
Underground lines are only slightly less likely to be hit than overground lines. Lightning doesn't stop when it hits the surface of the ground. It very often goes down to a cable or metallic pipe, and if it doesn't find either, it can run for many metres before the arc is dissipated.
The underground flash melts the soil or rock, which resolidifies back into a glass tube called a fulgurite. The longest one excavated so far is 17' with a 16' branch. There are millions of them which have never been found, so there will almost certainly be some much longer. Short ones are sometimes found when replacing faulty cables, running from the ground surface down to the faulty cable.
The black component is the MOV lightning arrestor which has the same function as the white gas discharge version more commonly seen.
You are OK, it may be that the external box, if bigger than the older BT one, is the new "external master socket". These are liked because they enable the line supplier, in case of a fault, to check all their wiring without requiring access to the house.
Ahhh at last...
There are essential three types of socket:
NTE, normally with the removeable lower half of the face plate with the "test" socket behind it and connections on the remavble bit for extension wiring. Inside the rear of the unit there will be the ringing capacitor, out of service resistor and some form of surge/spike protection probably a gas disharge device. This is also the demarcation point between the network and customer wiring.
Master, just a face plate with ringing capacitor and out of service resistor. Wouldn't normally be used in a domestic situation. Normal use is on PABX "extensions".
Slave, just a face plate no components. What should be used for domestic extension sockets.
Usually called a "PBX Master", remember BT used to fit a fixed "Master" which wasn't the split faceplate "NTE" style and those had the surge suppressor, but no test point.
Or more commonly,"Secondary".
service
Normal
True but they didn't fit non NTE type units for long, maybe a couple of years? I guess they found out the hard way that a well defined demarcation point is required.
Aye, 'twas late after a long day. B-)
I thought it was most of the 80's for the old style, and the new ones came in during the early 90's but this site says 1986.
I know sometime in early 86 I had a one of the old style fitted.
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