DIYbanter - View Single Post - Safe Distance Between Phone Wiring and Power Breaker Panel?

wrote:
I would like to know the minimum distance between phone wiring
and
the power breaker panel.

The phone line and the power line all come to my house through
the
same location. Currently the phone distribution block is just
one
feet away from the power breaker panel. Many phone lines are
actually running parallel with power cables within inches
away. So
far, I haven't experienced any ill effect of the fact that the
phone
lines and power source are very close to each other. Having
said
that, I prefer to keep them separated, and I have the
opportunity to
do just that.

I am going to re-organize the phone distribution block for
some other
reasons, and I need to move the phone distribution block away
anyway. I want to use this opportunity to keep the phone lines
away
from any power source. I am wondering what is the safe
distance
between a phone distribution block and a power breaker panel.
Any idea?

Thanks.

Jay Chan

The existing is fine; in fact, the phone wires can be run
alongside metal sheathed or couduit, just not inside the same
enclosures in any way, which is really to prevent shorting
between phone/mains wiring. Being what's called twisted-pair,
phone wiring is pretty much immune to inductive products from
Mains wiring.

Where you might want to watch out is around floursecent ballasts;
getting too close to those can sometimes induce hum because of
the stronger magnetic fields (xfmr windings in the ballasts). A
transformer is a lot more likely to induce into a phone line
because of the wound shape; where Main wires are simple straight
wires, comparatively. So if you do get a hum on the lines,
suspect a xfmr with hight output voltages such as a flourescent
light fixture first. Twisted-pair phone wires are inherently
'immune' to a lot of transference, but there is a limit when
magnetic fields get close enough. Normal house wiring isn't much
of a problem though. A couple or so inches is surely more than
sufficient for wiring. Heck, I have mine wound around conduit in
the basement to make it easy to keep it from sagging, and the
lines are perfectly quiet. It's about 130' of wire from the
demarc to my computer and it shows line noise here as zero.
Makes for good modem connections g.

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