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jakdedert

wrote:
I just moved into a new house and have a problem with the phone system.
We get a dial tone and can make calls, but when someone tries to call
us they get a ring which then breaks into static; the phone doesn't
even ring at our house (This happens, by the way, if only one working
phone is plugged into a jack or even if no phones are plugged into any
jacks in the house, so it's not a problem with my phone.) I took a
phone outside and plugged it into the jack at the network interface and
was able to receive a cell phone call fine, so I'm guessing the problem
is in the house.

Last night I opened an access panel in the basement to check the phone
wiring coming into the house -- quite a tangle of wires! -- and, with
assistance from various websites on the Internet, was able to finally
make some sense of all the connections, though the problem wasn't
immediately apparent.

I'm hoping someone could tell me what might be causing this. Can a
problem at one of the jacks cause a problem with the whole system even
if no phone is plugged into that jack? Or is the problem more likely
to be with the wires coming into the house? Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for any insight or suggestions.

You've got a corroded wire somewhere shorting the line out when the ring
voltage is applied. Truth to tell, although you're getting a dial tone,
and able to dial out, the line probably has some noise on it, right?
Clicks, pops, static...that kind of thing?

I've had this happen a few times. The last time, some water got into
the Customer Interface box on the outside of the house. The proper
troubleshoot is to unhook the modular phone plug in that box and
substitute a working telephone. (On the newest boxes, the plug is
harder to find. You swing out a little terminal board to which the
lines are connected). If the phone needs to be plugged in to
electricity, this more complicated. Use a simpler phone, or run an
extension cord outside.

In any case, if the phone now rings when you call your number (from a
cell phone?), the issue is inside the house. One problem I've had is
forgotten phone jacks getting 'watered' along with the house plants.
Eventually the contact wires corrode and short out. Replacing the
offending jack is the only option in that case.

If you're comfortable doing so, disconnect all but one jack at the box
outside, and repeat your experiment (calling the number from another
phone). When the problem reappears, you've isolated the problem. It
can be tough to trace the wiring from the box to the jack, so it might
be easier to physically examine each phone jack inside.

jak