Sharing a cable - digital phone 1

[FCPuma]

I'm helping some people move from one office to a new one, specifically relocating a small AT&T switch. The old office is a commercial building with all the phone lines home run to the patch blocks.

The new place was a residence, with 6 pair telephone wire daisy chained from room to room. The owners want to spare the expense of pulling new wire, so we're trying out using one 6 pair for up to 3 extensions.

We're getting quite a bit of noise on the extension lines, sometimes. It's intermittent. Not a hum, just real dirty. Also, from time to time, a line from the switch will look busy on a phoneset, with an alternating click noise when you pickup.

I'm wondering if all these new problems could be caused by having multiple extensions, 2 pair per extension, co-existing side by side in the same cable.

Or ... another possiblility is the daisy chaining. I've made sure that the pairs in use at any one jack aren't attached to another jack, but you still have the stripped back loops at each jack that are wrapped back out of the way.

There's a lot of splicing into the house wiring, as well as the outer cable covering missing at each of the original boxes.

When I put a toner probe next to the house wiring, there's noticeable noise.

Any thoughts on how I could identify or eliminate causes.

Thanks
BillP

 

[franklin97355]

For starters make sure all wires are taped or otherwise insulated from each other and ground. make sure the wires at the end of the runs are insulated and make sure all wires are physically and electrically tight. Sounds like you have a ground somewhere in the system by your description.

 

[skip555]

Any thoughts on how I could identify or eliminate causes.



I would just do it right and run the new cable I think in the long run it would be more cost effective than trying to constantly troulbeshoot.

 

[Bobg1]

I have to agree with skip
Best to do it right. The cost shouldn't be that much.

 

[OldPhoneGuy]

Better off with home runs for each phone. Digital phones get unhappy with looped cable (bridge tap).

 

[mikeydidit]

I agree. You are trying to straighten out a mess from the sounds of it. It might cost a little to replace the cables and make then all home runs, but how much will disruption of their phone service cost them. Patching is something that you "WILL" have to come and fix again. Talk them into doing it right and they will not have these same type problems in the future.

If you find any mistakes, please consider that they are there for a purpose. And everyone needs a purpose.
Mikey

 

[skip555]

one thing I wanted to add here
I have lost cusomers by doing it they cheap way they wanted rather than the right way
when you have continios problems the customer forgets that you suggested the correct way and he insisted on making do
they just look at the problems they are having and your inablity to fix them and decide they need someone who can make it work
no more
I quote them on whats needed to do the job right if they dont want to pay it they can go elsewhere .....better for both of us in the long run
(I have had customers reject my quote get someone else in to do it cheap and then call me back in a few months to "Straigthen this mess out,PLEASE !!!"