Jim Redelfs wrote:

In article , "Pete C."
wrote:

It's definitely *not* the original cable, those color codes are much
newer than 1974.

I respectfully disagree. 5-pair buried drop (blue, orange, green, brown,
slate) was most certainly in use in 1974. I ran a plow and buried plenty of
it. The color code was developed in the early 1940s.

Never seen it in any old residential installation anywhere.


that is called "flooded" cable

Uh, "filled" cable. (icky pic)

We call it flooded in the cable biz.


and the gel inside helps keep out moisture.

...and it works GREAT - until someone chops it in half.

It still keep moisture out of the cable, just doesn't do much for the
cut ends.

On Nov 19, 10:11 pm, Jim Redelfs
wrote:
In article ,
Art Todesco wrote:

What I would do, although I did 31 years
in the Telco business, is to go
to Lowes or Menards, etc. and get some
splice beanies. These beanies
have a place to push the 2 ends of the
broken wire, same color. You then
squeeze the beanie and it cuts the
insulation and connects the 2 together.
Some even have some silicon goo to make
it more waterproof. They also
have cylinders where you shove the
spliced wires and apply a sealant.

It'll fail.

All the silicon goo/caulk/sealant/whatever isn't even CLOSE to the encapsulant
used for "official" buried splices.

In 34 years I've lost count of all the DIY buried splices I've dug up. Sorry.
--

JR

The line has already been patched (by telco) in the middle of its 1
furlong run one time from when the elec co. broke the phone line. I
couldn't be there to see what he used, too bad. It was only about 4
years ago.

Surely this encapsulant can be purchased somewhere. Its a large city
here.

Thanks

phil

ps thanks everyone for all the input.

In article , "Pete C."
wrote:

Or he can just get cable modem service, go VOIP, port his current number
and ditch the evil TELCO forever...

Heh! He wouldn't be the first - or last.
--

JR

In article
,
wrote:

The line has already been patched (by telco) in the middle of its 1
furlong run one time from when the elec co. broke the phone line.

If I know there already exists one (or more) buried splices in a single run of
buried drop, I usually have the line replaced. Given their assured, eventual
failure, more than one or two buried splices further reduces the usable life
of the line.

Surely this encapsulant can be purchased somewhere. Its a large city
here.

Graybar Electric comes to mind, but you didn't hear it from me.
--

JR

On Nov 19, 9:59 pm, Jim Redelfs wrote:
In article
,

Pat wrote:
For you, the OP, and everyone else -- don't forget to put down the
safety tape before you fill the trench back in.

Safety tape? For (low voltage) communication cable? That's new.
--

JR

something like this
http://www.goodmart.com/products/958016.htm
http://www.goodmart.com/products/958692.htm
http://www.goodmart.com/products/83875.htm

I don't know this company, it's just a google search.

In article , "Pete C."
wrote:

Still are the Mean, Evil Bell System... reforming rather like that
terminator thing...

Good point, Pete.

Even now I encounter the occasional "attitude" displayed by a coworker.
Oddly, they weren't around when The Bell System existed. I suppose we're no
more immune than any other company when it comes to employing folks with lousy
customer service skills.

....and the neckties wonder why we aren't competing any more effectively than
we are with the competition.
--
sigh
JR

In article , "Pete C."
wrote:

Never seen it in any old residential installation anywhere.

5-pair buried drop was pretty new in 1974 and rarely used except for running
to small businesses and residential mansions.

Of course, it all depends on the telco and part of the country.

that is called "flooded" cable

Uh, "filled" cable. (icky pic)

We call it flooded in the cable biz.

Oops. Thanks for the correction. (sorry)

and the gel inside helps keep out moisture.

...and it works GREAT - until someone chops it in half.

It still keep moisture out of the cable, just doesn't do much for the
cut ends.

Ain't it the truth. ...and it softens yours hands so nicely!

Did/do you work in cable draw or what? We have (had) a HUGE Western Electric
plant in Omaha - the Omaha Cable Works. It's called "Connectivity Solutions"
this week.

Only yesterday I encountered more, brand new, GARBAGE (inside) phone wire
(cable). It was purchased at Menards, made in China and marketed under the
Southwestern Bell banner.

Three pairs (I love this: red/green, yellow/black, white/blue) and absolutely
NO twist.

I activated a second line to the SNI of a customer who wanted BOTH lines at
the new location - prewired with this garbage wire.

I put my butt set on one pair and my toner on another pair. When the toner
was switched on, it was as if I had the phone connected DIRECTLY to the toner
- there was THAT much inductive cross.

This trash was UL listed (and what a joke THAT is) and classified CMX on the
jacket.

Don't buy phone wire at Menards, folks. Get Cat 5e at Home Depot or Lowes and
be sure. Wotta mess.
--

JR

Jim Redelfs wrote:

In article , "Pete C."
wrote:

Never seen it in any old residential installation anywhere.

5-pair buried drop was pretty new in 1974 and rarely used except for running
to small businesses and residential mansions.

Of course, it all depends on the telco and part of the country.

that is called "flooded" cable

Uh, "filled" cable. (icky pic)

We call it flooded in the cable biz.

Oops. Thanks for the correction. (sorry)

and the gel inside helps keep out moisture.

...and it works GREAT - until someone chops it in half.

It still keep moisture out of the cable, just doesn't do much for the
cut ends.

Ain't it the truth. ...and it softens yours hands so nicely!

Did/do you work in cable draw or what? We have (had) a HUGE Western Electric
plant in Omaha - the Omaha Cable Works. It's called "Connectivity Solutions"
this week.

CATV cable, not wire / cable manufacture.


Only yesterday I encountered more, brand new, GARBAGE (inside) phone wire
(cable). It was purchased at Menards, made in China and marketed under the
Southwestern Bell banner.

Three pairs (I love this: red/green, yellow/black, white/blue) and absolutely
NO twist.

I activated a second line to the SNI of a customer who wanted BOTH lines at
the new location - prewired with this garbage wire.

I put my butt set on one pair and my toner on another pair. When the toner
was switched on, it was as if I had the phone connected DIRECTLY to the toner
- there was THAT much inductive cross.

This trash was UL listed (and what a joke THAT is) and classified CMX on the
jacket.

UL only cares about safety, and that garbage wire probably won't kill
anyone. Of course the jacket PVC probably has a high lead content like
most everything made in China seems to have...


Don't buy phone wire at Menards, folks. Get Cat 5e at Home Depot or Lowes and
be sure. Wotta mess.
--

JR

Jim Redelfs wrote:


Buried splices are like light bulbs and hard-disk drives: It's not IF - it's
WHEN.

Left undisturbed, buried cable/drop will outlast the house. Put a "hole" in
it and you can set your timer:

Even the best buried splice, done properly by a telco technician will
eventually fail.

What causes a "proper" splice to fail. Not disagreeing, just curious.

--
bud--

bud-- wrote:
Jim Redelfs wrote:


Buried splices are like light bulbs and hard-disk drives: It's not IF
- it's WHEN.

Left undisturbed, buried cable/drop will outlast the house. Put a
"hole" in it and you can set your timer:

Even the best buried splice, done properly by a telco technician will
eventually fail.

What causes a "proper" splice to fail. Not disagreeing, just curious.

Water ingress is normally the problem. "Proper" would, of course,
prevent that in theory...getting a permanent watertight seal in field
installation doesn't always happen.

--

"bud--" wrote in message
...
Jim Redelfs wrote:


Buried splices are like light bulbs and hard-disk drives: It's not IF -
it's WHEN.

Left undisturbed, buried cable/drop will outlast the house. Put a "hole"
in it and you can set your timer:

Even the best buried splice, done properly by a telco technician will
eventually fail.

What causes a "proper" splice to fail. Not disagreeing, just curious.

--
bud--

Water, and maybe soil that's heaving (shifting) due to freezing & thawing.
Some wire is below the frost line, but maybe not where it enters the house.

Pat wrote:

Safety tape? For (low voltage) communication cable? That's new.
--

JR


something like this
http://www.goodmart.com/products/958016.htm
http://www.goodmart.com/products/958692.htm
http://www.goodmart.com/products/83875.htm

I don't know this company, it's just a google search.

Wow, thats a big minimum size roll for Harry Homeowner.

Might be a market out there for 100 foot as opposed to 1000 foot rolls
of the phone stuff.

In article
,
Pat wrote:

For you, the OP, and everyone else -- don't forget to put
down the safety tape before you fill the trench back in.

Safety tape? For (low voltage) communication cable? That's new.

something like this
http://www.goodmart.com/products/958016.htm
http://www.goodmart.com/products/958692.htm
http://www.goodmart.com/products/83875.htm

I don't know this company, it's just a google search.

Thanks for posting the interesting links.

When it comes to "safety tape", I can't say I've ever seen it "protecting"
non-hazardous, buried plant. That doesn't mean I think it doesn't happen or
gets placed, just that I've never seen it in the field.

Usually, the way a brain-dead digger knows that something is amiss are the
short lengths of fine, colored wire coming up with their spoils. Either that
or when the convoy of telco trucks show up.

Safety tape is probably never placed for a buried phone "drop". It might have
helped in the OP's case, though.

[chopping on "tree root"] Oh, sh*t! It's a WIRE! Ethel! Call the power
company! What do you mean the phone's dead?
--

JR

In article ,
jJim McLaughlin wrote:

Wow, thats a big minimum size roll for Harry Homeowner.

Yeah, case of eight, no less. That's surely a ahem LIFETIME supply!
--

JR

In article ,
bud-- wrote:

What causes a "proper" splice to fail.

Moisture eventually breeches even the best encapsulant as the encapsulant ages.

Frost heave exacerbates the process, flexing the splice over time. Moisture
follows a little pinhole-size gap and infiltrates the splice. Eventually, the
moisture compromises the plastic insulation and the copper conductors contact
a ground source and each other. This is manifested by static, hum, buzz and
is worse during a wet season.

In the repair world there is a commonly-used acronym: ETIR.

Every Time It Rains.
--

JR

In article ,
wrote:

All that said I would suggest he fix it the best he can and hopefully
it will last until the scars of recent digging have cured. It it
starts acting up after that, call the telco and say your phone is
broke. They will test it and if they think the wire went bad they will
just run a new one, never digging out his splice of shame.

I can't argue with that especially since the OP said the power utility had
already cut the line elsewhere some time prior.
--

JR

Jim Redelfs wrote:

In article
,
Pat wrote:

For you, the OP, and everyone else -- don't forget to put
down the safety tape before you fill the trench back in.

Safety tape? For (low voltage) communication cable? That's new.

something like this
http://www.goodmart.com/products/958016.htm
http://www.goodmart.com/products/958692.htm
http://www.goodmart.com/products/83875.htm

I don't know this company, it's just a google search.

Thanks for posting the interesting links.

When it comes to "safety tape", I can't say I've ever seen it "protecting"
non-hazardous, buried plant. That doesn't mean I think it doesn't happen or
gets placed, just that I've never seen it in the field.

I've not done any digging to check, but I would presume along the routes
where they install the "buried fiber optic cable route" signs they also
install the marker tape.


Usually, the way a brain-dead digger knows that something is amiss are the
short lengths of fine, colored wire coming up with their spoils. Either that
or when the convoy of telco trucks show up.

That or the blinding blue flash from the hole...


Safety tape is probably never placed for a buried phone "drop". It might have
helped in the OP's case, though.

I would expect the marker tape is pretty much non existent for most
residential drops.


[chopping on "tree root"] Oh, sh*t! It's a WIRE! Ethel! Call the power
company! What do you mean the phone's dead?

I expect in many cases people don't even notice they chopped a wire and
don't figure out until they try to make a call or notice the phone
hasn't rung in a loooong time...

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:20:14 -0800, usethisone2007 wrote:

Scenario:

1) a 10 strand phone line (underground) was cut during a landscaping
project. About 4 feet from entry of the cable as it goes into the house
(into the basement).

2) The 'Digg' or 'OOps' number was not called first, it was obvious the
cable would have been in that vicinity.

3) Will the phone company fix this for free? (as someone has told me)

Thanks

Phil



Unless you know what you are doing, your best bet is to contact the phone
company and pay your dues. It's a mistake for sure and a lesson.

Count yourself lucky that it was not an electric supply line or a gas
feed. Had it been either, you most likely would have missed the
opportunity to post in this news group.

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:31:23 +0000, Jeff wrote:

Happened in my neighbor' s yard. The phone company guys must have spend
20 minutes taking photos before touching anything. I assume to charge
the guilty party. I could see the spray painted line painted by "Miss
Utility" was about a foot from where the dig was so I imagine someone
will be checking if the phone line was buried according to plans or
"Miss Utility" had sprayed off by a foot.



When I had cables marked, I was advised to work no closer than 18-24" to
the line. The paint and flags are only estimates. Best to stay clear or
to dig carefully to expose cables and then proceed.

On Nov 21, 6:52 am, franz frippl wrote:
On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:20:14 -0800,usethisone2007wrote:
Scenario:

1) a 10 strand phone line (underground) was cut during a landscaping
project. About 4 feet from entry of the cable as it goes into the house
(into the basement).

2) The 'Digg' or 'OOps' number was not called first, it was obvious the
cable would have been in that vicinity.

3) Will the phone company fix this for free? (as someone has told me)

Thanks

Phil

Unless you know what you are doing, your best bet is to contact the phone
company and pay your dues. It's a mistake for sure and a lesson.

Count yourself lucky that it was not an electric supply line or a gas
feed. Had it been either, you most likely would have missed the
opportunity to post in this news group.

No offense, but this isn't rocket science to splice a cable. I'm just
looking for the best parts.

phil