Help with BT socket

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Hi folks

recently our home phone has stopped receiving calls (outgoing and internet are fine)

we traced the fault back to when we had an intercom fitted by our housing association (intercom is directly above the phone socket and was installed using the same cavity which our phone cables enter the house)

we called BT and they are sending an engineer out (£130).

I opened up our socket and found this.

I can only guess, but it looks like when the intercom was installed, someone managed to tug on our phone cable, and pull out what looks like 4 wires (2 on left & 2 on right side).

Is their anyway I can fix this or, should I leave it to BT. (happy to have a tinker, but unsure if their is any current running through...)

TIA

 

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their are 4 extensions (hence the mess of cables), and iirc i had disconnected the ring wire a few years ago

 

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Is it that you aren't receiving calls or is it that the phone isn't ringing. If it's the latter then it could be ringer in the socket(can't remember what it's called, the big cylinder thing thats bust).

the phone doesnt ring at all, can make outgoing. If i call the house from my mobile, it wont ring, but if i pick up the receiver, it works fine

 

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Reconnect #3 (orange wire).

i see 4 orange/white wires, and 2 had already been removed to improve my adsl years ago (on #3 iirc)

 

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Sure its not an issue with the handset? Pretty certain only 2 and 5 are used these days!

Maybe try another phone on the socket?

bought a cheap one from the supermarket to test (didnt work either)

 

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Cant you plug into the test socket on the back of the faceplate to test if its am internal or external issue?

I just read by using the test socket its a direct connection with the exchange ignoring any wiring faults in the house extensions.

its an old phone, no test socket

 

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Does the phone ring on any of the extensions?

From the line in you'll have a blue and white/blue pair that connect to 2 and 5 at the master.

From there you'll then run your extension from 2 (blue), 3 (orange) (ring wire) and 5 (white/blue) and so on to the next extensions...

Trace the wires back to the beginning and disconnect 1 and 4 on all sockets as they aren't needed.

I'm hoping you're not star wired as that's a right pig.

tried all other extensions, same result, can call out but wont ring

 

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Test socket is on the lower half of the wall plate normally, not on the phone.

no test socket, i'd guess its pre internet, probably fitted in the 80's or early 90's

every socket looks like this

 

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so, the phone should work with nothing connected to #3 (ring wire), this leaves two cables (seen left of image) both look white with a little brown. where should these go, and any ideas on how to reconnect them?

 

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The white socket on the back of the faceplate above the big cylinder thing. It's shown in your first picture.

thats where the phone plugs in from the front, no?

 

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Yes

Sorry .

so the phone can be connected from the front of the plate, or from the reverse when the plate is open?

 

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The ring wire isn't really required on modern phones as they're powered by mains. In fact, some people see a more stable line with it disconnected and pushed out the way. For just the phone line, you just need 2 and 5 connected.

1 - Green/White
2 - Blue/White (Blue with white dashes/lines)
3 - Orange/White
4 - White/Orange
5 - White/Blue (White with blue dashes/line)
6 - White/Green

ok, so from the image at top, it looks like (on the left) their are 2 white/orange cables (these should be pushed back into #4), do i need a special tool, or anything i could use to get the job done?

 

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You should use a punch down tool, but a flathead screw driver should do fine

ok, will give it a go, before i blow myself up their's no current running through this?

 

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Not anything to worry about. Just don't go shorting them willy-nilly.

ok, thanks

 

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He'll still charge £120.

£130 now, unfortunately