After we closed on our new house, we noticed that several phone jacks were very
shoddily installed -- the previous owners had essentially cut a ragged circular
hole in the drywall, pulled wire through (without a junction box), connected it
to the jack, and tried to screw the jack plate back into the drywall with the
normal screws. Needless to say, one good slam of the door and they fall off the
wall.

In addition, there are a couple that don't work at all.

My questions:

1) I did pay for inside wire service from Verizon to start out with, under the
logic that I want the phone company to fix anything that I find in the first
couple of months in the new house. Will they generally fix botched installations
for free under this kind of plan?

2) If not, any suggestions for fixing these jacks, preferably without butchering
the drywall around them (since the painters are there starting today)?

Thanks,

Mike

1) I did pay for inside wire service from Verizon to start out with, under
the
logic that I want the phone company to fix anything that I find in the
first
couple of months in the new house. Will they generally fix botched
installations
for free under this kind of plan?

Call them and find out. I'd guess 'No' but I've never had an inside wiring
plan.

2) If not, any suggestions for fixing these jacks, preferably without
butchering
the drywall around them (since the painters are there starting today)?

If the holes aren't bigger than a normal junction box opening you should be
able to go to Home Depot and get some plastic junction boxes that have screw
tabs so that after you insert them into the wall and turn the screws some
tabs fly out on behind the dry wall and lock it all securely in place. All
you have to do after that is to fix the connections on the plate and screw
it to the junction box and your done. I recommend unplugging your inside
wiring from the phone service out at your service box outside your house so
that you don't get surprised by a phone call coming in and get a possible
shock.

Brad

wrote:

After we closed on our new house, we noticed that several phone jacks were very
shoddily installed -- the previous owners had essentially cut a ragged circular
hole in the drywall, pulled wire through (without a junction box), connected it
to the jack, and tried to screw the jack plate back into the drywall with the
normal screws. Needless to say, one good slam of the door and they fall off the
wall.

In addition, there are a couple that don't work at all.

My questions:

1) I did pay for inside wire service from Verizon to start out with, under the
logic that I want the phone company to fix anything that I find in the first
couple of months in the new house. Will they generally fix botched installations
for free under this kind of plan?

2) If not, any suggestions for fixing these jacks, preferably without butchering
the drywall around them (since the painters are there starting today)?

No clue about #1...never had an inside wiring contract. "Call and ask" is the
best advice I can give ya.

As to #2, you should be able to pick up "old work" junction boxes at any
hardware store, and at least clean up that aspect of the installation. Fixing
the "dead" drops will be a bit harder. If they're truly dead (no voltage on
any of the wires), then a "hound and fox" kit (a little RF transmitter that
attaches to the wire, and a matching receiver) can be used to trace the wires.
A bit spendy, 'tho. Probably easier to just abandon the wires in place and
just run some CAT5 back to the service entrance. Depends on the layout of the
house, of course.

wrote:
After we closed on our new house, we noticed that several phone jacks
were very shoddily installed -- the previous owners had essentially
cut a ragged circular hole in the drywall, pulled wire through
(without a junction box), connected it to the jack, and tried to
screw the jack plate back into the drywall with the normal screws.
Needless to say, one good slam of the door and they fall off the wall.

In addition, there are a couple that don't work at all.

My questions:

1) I did pay for inside wire service from Verizon to start out with,
under the logic that I want the phone company to fix anything that I
find in the first couple of months in the new house. Will they
generally fix botched installations for free under this kind of plan?

2) If not, any suggestions for fixing these jacks, preferably without
butchering the drywall around them (since the painters are there
starting today)?

Thanks,

Mike

You might be pleasantly surprised at Verizon's reaction; I had a client
who was in your situation and Verizon proceeded to rewire every jack
(!). They even pulled new wire because the tech didn't like the old
stuff. So give them a call, and be verry, verry, nice to the tech when
s/he shows up.