Help with BT socket

point decay · 28 Jul 2014 at 14:39

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

Turambar · 28 Jul 2014 at 14:49

Tinkering with your BT socket is verboten.

Hyburnate · 28 Jul 2014 at 14:51

That's a right mess. When I rewired ours it was like 4 cables :confused:

Gammawolf · 28 Jul 2014 at 14:51

Difficult to tell, but afaik terminals 3 and 4 are for the ring wires, which are no longer used. You only need terminals 2 and 5 for internet access/modern day phone systems.
Could be wrong though, this was back from the days when removing the ring wire helped adsl speeds depending on how bad your internal wiring was.

Mynight · 28 Jul 2014 at 14:53

I assume due to being two wires you have a second socket somewhere in the house?

If my above assumption is correct wiki has a wiring diagram here;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_telephone_sockets#mediaviewer/File:Six_Wire_Conected.jpg

If all those are connected then the reds may be superfluous.

point decay · 28 Jul 2014 at 14:54

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

wordy · 28 Jul 2014 at 14:54

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).

point decay · 28 Jul 2014 at 14:56

wordy said:
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

peterattheboro · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:01

Reconnect #3 (orange wire).

Mynight · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:02

wordy said:
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).

Ringing capacitor

I didnt think it was used in modern phones though :confused:

well depending on the country.

Svack · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:03

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?

point decay · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:05

peterattheboro said:
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)

point decay · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:06

Svack said:
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)

peterattheboro · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:14

r3d zombie said:
i see 4 orange/white wires, and 2 had already been removed to improve my adsl years ago (on #3 iirc)

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.

Mynight · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:20

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.

point decay · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:23

Mynight said:
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

point decay · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:24

peterattheboro said:
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

Luke · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:25

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

point decay · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:28

Luke said:
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

Mynight · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:29

r3d zombie said:
its an old phone, no test socket

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