I am getting major static on my telephone line. I noticed a pattern.
It happens right after a rainstorm. Then in a few days it resumes
normal functioning.

I called the telephone company and they informed me that if they find
it is on their end they will fix it for free. But they also warned
that if it is on my end, that they will charge outrageous rates.

I did the test of plugging a phone into the outside box. The static
wasn't there. I plugged it inside my house and the static was there.
That leads me to believe that the problem is with my lines.

So, before I spend the outrageous money to call the telephone compamy
out, can anyone tell me if there is something else I can try. And,
what will they do (besides charge a lot) once they come out to fix it?
Replace all my internal wiring?

"Senin" wrote in message

So, before I spend the outrageous money to call the telephone compamy
out, can anyone tell me if there is something else I can try. And,
what will they do (besides charge a lot) once they come out to fix it?
Replace all my internal wiring?

Chances are it is moisture getting into something, perhaps on of the
connector boxes (jacks). No, they won't replace the wiring, but may replace
one of the boxes.

Do you get the static on all the jacks/phones? After doing your test, did
it improve after disconnecting and reconnecting the plug outside? Do you
have multiple phones? If so, disconnect them one at a time and see if the
problem goes away. It may be that phone or connection. Are there any wires
that are spliced with tape? Any wires that were cut and just left hanging?
Exposed jacks that are subject to moisture, especially in a basement area

unplug all cordless phones, answering machines etc and try testing with
a wired phone only

cordless phones are a major source of wierd line noise


beyond that look for any place rain might be getting to phone lines

unplug all cordless phones, answering machines etc and try testing with
a wired phone only

cordless phones are a major source of wierd line noise


beyond that look for any place rain might be getting to phone lines

unplug all cordless phones, answering machines etc and try testing with
a wired phone only

cordless phones are a major source of wierd line noise


beyond that look for any place rain might be getting to phone lines

I went through this a few weeks ago, did the same test, but luckily for
me noise was still there; it was telco equipment and they took care of
it. Moisture affecting incoming line near access point. You're going to
have to do some detective work, as these guys suggest.

who: buffalo bill
what: fixing your static in the interior house phone line. [maybe
dampness in an outside wall and wire insulation failure causing a high
resistance short?]
whe buffalo ny
when: now
why: to save money and fix problem yourself
how: bypass it:
run a very long male by female modular extension line to your outdoor
jack. test each device to this wire for static and remove from service
any bad equipment or wire colors or shorted jacks you find.
now fix it:
only the center red and green are used for your first line. it only
takes one problem to affect all your wiring. disconnected, the pair
will show no resistance. if the pair shows any resistance test the
other colors black and yellow for resistance. changing colors to an
unshorted pair will be necessary. it is possible to have a high
resistance short above the ohm limits of your inexpensive meter.
a short will cause an incoming call it to ring busy, but resistance
across the line or a poor connection will cause static. ten years ago,
a repair by us was needed for dampness in an outside wall and wire
insulation failure causing a high resistance short. most recently,
somebody yanked on unstapled wire and caused the wires to short at the
jack causing a busy.
if it's a bad connection, eyeball all the jacks and connectors for
debris or corrosion.
then if your meter shows no resistance across all disconnected pairs
and you don't have a 90 megohm meter for further testing, try replacing
the red with yellow at both ends. replacing green with black at both
ends.
you only need any two wires for the phone to work. test the phone by
connecting your system with extension male by female cords.
if you have no digital multimeter it's time to buy that $25 meter to
save an $82 telephone company visit.
dial tone around 45vdc
ring voltage superimposed 90vac

"Senin" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am getting major static on my telephone line. I noticed a pattern.
It happens right after a rainstorm. Then in a few days it resumes
normal functioning.

I called the telephone company and they informed me that if they find
it is on their end they will fix it for free. But they also warned
that if it is on my end, that they will charge outrageous rates.

I did the test of plugging a phone into the outside box. The static
wasn't there. I plugged it inside my house and the static was there.
That leads me to believe that the problem is with my lines.

So, before I spend the outrageous money to call the telephone compamy
out, can anyone tell me if there is something else I can try. And,
what will they do (besides charge a lot) once they come out to fix it?
Replace all my internal wiring?

By all means, troubleshoot the system as people have described.
I hooked up a second line and started getting static on my phone. I assumed
I did something wrong, and spent hours and hours on it. Finally I gave up
and called the phone company. It was pure coincidence; the problem was
theirs.
Another time I called them and it turned out it was my fault, but they
didn't charge me.
The moral is that I will call them much more quickly next time, after
looking for something obvious.

In addition to what others said about disconnecting all phones except one,
you may want to consider temporarily getting a maintenance plan (if
available) that covers wiring inside the home. Verizon's 'Optional Wire
Maintenance Plan' "provides diagnostic and repair service on standard
telephone wiring and jacks on the customer side of the Network Interface".
Note, it does not cover your telephones, so make sure the problem is NOT
being caused by one of your phones (some electronic phones are very touchy).
Verizon wants $3.45 per month, but I don't know if there's a signup fee
and/or minimum amount of months.
Telephone voltage is different, in that it's usually 48VDC, but (according
to a Verizon tech I was talking to), switches to about 85VAC when a call is
connected. Does the static happen when you just lift the receiver, or does
it happen only after a call is connected?


"Senin" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am getting major static on my telephone line. I noticed a pattern.
It happens right after a rainstorm. Then in a few days it resumes
normal functioning.

I called the telephone company and they informed me that if they find
it is on their end they will fix it for free. But they also warned
that if it is on my end, that they will charge outrageous rates.

I did the test of plugging a phone into the outside box. The static
wasn't there. I plugged it inside my house and the static was there.
That leads me to believe that the problem is with my lines.

So, before I spend the outrageous money to call the telephone compamy
out, can anyone tell me if there is something else I can try. And,
what will they do (besides charge a lot) once they come out to fix it?
Replace all my internal wiring?

"Senin" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am getting major static on my telephone line. I noticed a pattern.
It happens right after a rainstorm. Then in a few days it resumes
normal functioning.

I called the telephone company and they informed me that if they find
it is on their end they will fix it for free. But they also warned
that if it is on my end, that they will charge outrageous rates.

I did the test of plugging a phone into the outside box. The static
wasn't there. I plugged it inside my house and the static was there.
That leads me to believe that the problem is with my lines.

So, before I spend the outrageous money to call the telephone compamy
out, can anyone tell me if there is something else I can try. And,
what will they do (besides charge a lot) once they come out to fix it?
Replace all my internal wiring?

I once had a similar situation. Turned out to be bugs/spiders had made egg
sacks between termininals inside the connection box. My box was cracked open
so when it rained, water would seep in and get the bug stuff wet and cause
static until things dried out.
Open the door to the box on the customer side (behind the test plug) and
make sure all the connections are tight and clean.
Also check the ground wire from the box to wherever it goes.
Kevin

I had wierd troubles one time that verizon blamed on my interior
wiring.

so I plugged everything into the box on side of house, disconnecting
everything inside, ran extension cables thru window.

the problem was still there and I demoed it for the verizon tech.

the problem was at their end.

if in doubt run a temporary service

On 20 Jan 2006 19:25:13 -0800, "Senin" wrote:

I am getting major static on my telephone line. I noticed a pattern.
It happens right after a rainstorm. Then in a few days it resumes
normal functioning.

I called the telephone company and they informed me that if they find
it is on their end they will fix it for free. But they also warned
that if it is on my end, that they will charge outrageous rates.

I did the test of plugging a phone into the outside box. The static
wasn't there. I plugged it inside my house and the static was there.
That leads me to believe that the problem is with my lines.

So, before I spend the outrageous money to call the telephone compamy
out, can anyone tell me if there is something else I can try. And,
what will they do (besides charge a lot) once they come out to fix it?
Replace all my internal wiring?


BTDT with the exact same problem. They claimed to find nothing. I
bitched until they replaced the line coming to the house from the
pole. Problem solved. Repairman said the covering on the line was
cracked and that the likely cause was water getting in. That was at
least 10 years ago and it's still working fine.

I had the same problem. Everytime it rained, my phone service went out.
By the time the phone company came out to look, it stopped raining and
my service came back. It took about 3-4 times of bothering the phone
company before they found the problem. As it turned out, some wires in
the line coming into the house were corroded and failed during
rainstorms. They repaired it free of charge since it was outside the
house.

Thanks guys. You have great suggestions. I am busy getting to work on
them.

Like I said, I plugged a phone directly into the box outside and it was
clean as a bell. I returned to the indoor jack and i had static again.
But you are right, I need to check the other phones, etc.

I am thinking it has something to do with water getting into the box or
the line. Perfect example, last nite it stopped raining and the phones
became clear again. This morning we had a little bit of rain and I
have a little bit of static again. There is definitely a correlation.
I just have to find out where.

I appreciate all the suggestions.

On 21 Jan 2006 11:45:05 -0800, "Senin"
wrote:

Thanks guys. You have great suggestions. I am busy getting to work on
them.

Like I said, I plugged a phone directly into the box outside and it was
clean as a bell. I returned to the indoor jack and i had static again.
But you are right, I need to check the other phones, etc.

I am thinking it has something to do with water getting into the box or
the line. Perfect example, last nite it stopped raining and the phones
became clear again. This morning we had a little bit of rain and I
have a little bit of static again. There is definitely a correlation.
I just have to find out where.

I appreciate all the suggestions.


If there is any wiring on *your side* of the box where the
phone co's wire comes in, that is exposed on the outside of
the house, check for cracked or "checked" insulation. If
you see any cracking or "checking", replace it with
good-quality *exterior* telephone wire.
--
tbl

On 21 Jan 2006 11:45:05 -0800, "Senin" wrote:


Like I said, I plugged a phone directly into the box outside and it was
clean as a bell. I returned to the indoor jack and i had static again.
But you are right, I need to check the other phones, etc.

You might check all the jacks. I had to replace one in my basement
because of corrosion inside. It affected all the phones in the house.
Perhaps you have a similar situation exacerbated by high humidity.

We had a "static" problem because a tree limb had scraped off the
insulation from the top of the wire from the pole to the
connection at the house. The phone company crew replaced the line.


Senin wrote:
I am getting major static on my telephone line. I noticed a pattern.
It happens right after a rainstorm. Then in a few days it resumes
normal functioning.

I called the telephone company and they informed me that if they find
it is on their end they will fix it for free. But they also warned
that if it is on my end, that they will charge outrageous rates.

I did the test of plugging a phone into the outside box. The static
wasn't there. I plugged it inside my house and the static was there.
That leads me to believe that the problem is with my lines.

So, before I spend the outrageous money to call the telephone compamy
out, can anyone tell me if there is something else I can try. And,
what will they do (besides charge a lot) once they come out to fix it?
Replace all my internal wiring?

I have tried unplugging all the phones, then pluggin in one around the
house. I have checked jacks, they are okay. I can't see visible
damage to the wires. It has been dry a couple of days. This time the
static is sticking around. But it is strange. I seems to come and go.

Buffalo, I think your tips are beyond my capabilities.

Oh well, thanks guys. I think it might just be phone company time.

"Senin" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have tried unplugging all the phones, then pluggin in one around the
house. I have checked jacks, they are okay. I can't see visible
damage to the wires. It has been dry a couple of days. This time the
static is sticking around. But it is strange. I seems to come and go.

Buffalo, I think your tips are beyond my capabilities.

Oh well, thanks guys. I think it might just be phone company time.

Don't pay phone company prices. Look in your local ad paper for a retired
phone company guy or similar doing household phone wiring on his own. Around
here there are 3 or 4 of them, all working for around half of what Ma Bell
charges for the same work.

aem sends....

I had a lot of this kind of maintenance to do when I moved into the new
place!

Wires exposed to the atmosphere will start to corrode. Water can tend to
make it worse temporarily. I simply found all the dodgy phone wire
connections, sanded them back to copper, twisted em tight and taped them
up to exclude any more moisture. No more, snap crackles or pops!

A similar problem can of course occur in the street/exchange wiring but
they are usually a little more pedantic in doing a good job the first
time. It costs to make a unpaid maintenance call. Home owners tend to
take shortcuts so the problem is more likely in something they have
done! grin

Also had similar problems with CATV. Lack of good earthing connections
at plugs was more an issue than actual signal level. (ie the signal to
noise ratio was bad even though there was adequate signal strength)

Sorry for the waffle on...

Cheers Bob (Aussie in East texas)

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Senin" wrote in message

So, before I spend the outrageous money to call the telephone compamy
out, can anyone tell me if there is something else I can try. And,
what will they do (besides charge a lot) once they come out to fix it?
Replace all my internal wiring?