When I had some building work done the electrician moved my phone socket
and wired a new one to the outside junction box. I have realised that the
socket he fitted is not a Master Socket - but a normal one. Does it matter
- I am not planning any extensions to the wiring.
If necessary I can refit the master socket - but it won't match the style
of the adjacent plug sockets. The system is Virgin Media.

--

DerbyBorn

On 04/12/2013 11:05, DerbyBorn wrote:
When I had some building work done the electrician moved my phone socket
and wired a new one to the outside junction box. I have realised that the
socket he fitted is not a Master Socket - but a normal one. Does it matter
- I am not planning any extensions to the wiring.
If necessary I can refit the master socket - but it won't match the style
of the adjacent plug sockets. The system is Virgin Media.


The line should come in from outside, and then enter the back of a
master socket, and then any additional sockets should be wired to this
master, using the separate terminals on that socket, on the removable
face plate.

Is it possible it has been wired like this, only via the external box?

If you have two sockets wired from the incoming pair, then this could
cause issues with (older, usually) phones not ringing.


--
Toby...
Remove your pants to reply

Toby wrote in
:

On 04/12/2013 11:05, DerbyBorn wrote:
When I had some building work done the electrician moved my phone
socket and wired a new one to the outside junction box. I have
realised that the socket he fitted is not a Master Socket - but a
normal one. Does it matter - I am not planning any extensions to the
wiring. If necessary I can refit the master socket - but it won't
match the style of the adjacent plug sockets. The system is Virgin
Media.


The line should come in from outside, and then enter the back of a
master socket, and then any additional sockets should be wired to this
master, using the separate terminals on that socket, on the removable
face plate.

Is it possible it has been wired like this, only via the external box?

If you have two sockets wired from the incoming pair, then this could
cause issues with (older, usually) phones not ringing.



My wire comes in from the Virgin wall mounted box next to the
underground cable - straight in to a flush socket that does not have a
removable section.
Inside is a yellow capacitor and a black diode (I think).

I have just looked at the website for the manufacturer (Nexus) and found
it to be a 8BTM/1. I assume this is okay but I always thought Masters
had a removable front plate and other features - so I guess I am okay.

--

DerbyBorn

On Wed, 04 Dec 2013 12:09:07 GMT, DerbyBorn
wrote:

Toby wrote in
:

On 04/12/2013 11:05, DerbyBorn wrote:
When I had some building work done the electrician moved my phone
socket and wired a new one to the outside junction box. I have
realised that the socket he fitted is not a Master Socket - but a
normal one. Does it matter - I am not planning any extensions to the
wiring. If necessary I can refit the master socket - but it won't
match the style of the adjacent plug sockets. The system is Virgin
Media.


The line should come in from outside, and then enter the back of a
master socket, and then any additional sockets should be wired to this
master, using the separate terminals on that socket, on the removable
face plate.

Is it possible it has been wired like this, only via the external box?

If you have two sockets wired from the incoming pair, then this could
cause issues with (older, usually) phones not ringing.



My wire comes in from the Virgin wall mounted box next to the
underground cable - straight in to a flush socket that does not have a
removable section.
Inside is a yellow capacitor and a black diode (I think).

I have just looked at the website for the manufacturer (Nexus) and found
it to be a 8BTM/1. I assume this is okay but I always thought Masters
had a removable front plate and other features - so I guess I am okay.

What you have is a master socket.
What you don't have is the NTE5 master socket that Virgin would have
installed and might expect to see if they come to call.

I don't think Virgin are anything like as bad as BT in charging you to
rectify such anomalies.

I shouldn't worry about it.


--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

There also used to be some protection components in master sockets, but that
is probably not much of an issue with Virgin as they run underground mostly,
so not lily to get struck by lightning.
Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________


"Toby" wrote in message
...
On 04/12/2013 11:05, DerbyBorn wrote:
When I had some building work done the electrician moved my phone socket
and wired a new one to the outside junction box. I have realised that the
socket he fitted is not a Master Socket - but a normal one. Does it
matter
- I am not planning any extensions to the wiring.
If necessary I can refit the master socket - but it won't match the style
of the adjacent plug sockets. The system is Virgin Media.


The line should come in from outside, and then enter the back of a master
socket, and then any additional sockets should be wired to this master,
using the separate terminals on that socket, on the removable face plate.

Is it possible it has been wired like this, only via the external box?

If you have two sockets wired from the incoming pair, then this could
cause issues with (older, usually) phones not ringing.


--
Toby...
Remove your pants to reply

"Brian Gaff" wrote in
:

There also used to be some protection components in master sockets,
but that is probably not much of an issue with Virgin as they run
underground mostly, so not lily to get struck by lightning.
Brian


I still have the Vigin Socket somewhere (and a previous BT). I might clean
it up - just in case - but I sense there is no advantage in using it if I
am not wanting to connect extensions.

--

DerbyBorn

In article ,
"Brian Gaff" writes:
There also used to be some protection components in master sockets, but that
is probably not much of an issue with Virgin as they run underground mostly,
so not lily to get struck by lightning.

Underground lines are only slightly less likely to be hit than
overground lines. Lightning doesn't stop when it hits the surface
of the ground. It very often goes down to a cable or metallic pipe,
and if it doesn't find either, it can run for many metres before
the arc is dissipated.

The underground flash melts the soil or rock, which resolidifies
back into a glass tube called a fulgurite. The longest one
excavated so far is 17' with a 16' branch. There are millions
of them which have never been found, so there will almost
certainly be some much longer. Short ones are sometimes found
when replacing faulty cables, running from the ground surface
down to the faulty cable.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Wed, 04 Dec 2013 12:09:07 GMT, DerbyBorn
wrote:


My wire comes in from the Virgin wall mounted box next to the
underground cable - straight in to a flush socket that does not have a
removable section.
Inside is a yellow capacitor and a black diode (I think).

The black component is the MOV lightning arrestor which has the same
function as the white gas discharge version more commonly seen.

I have just looked at the website for the manufacturer (Nexus) and found
it to be a 8BTM/1. I assume this is okay but I always thought Masters
had a removable front plate and other features - so I guess I am okay.

You are OK, it may be that the external box, if bigger than the older
BT one, is the new "external master socket". These are liked because
they enable the line supplier, in case of a fault, to check all their
wiring without requiring access to the house.

On Wed, 04 Dec 2013 12:42:38 +0000, Graham. wrote:

What you have is a master socket.
What you don't have is the NTE5 master socket that Virgin would have
installed and might expect to see if they come to call.

Ahhh at last...

There are essential three types of socket:

NTE, normally with the removeable lower half of the face plate with
the "test" socket behind it and connections on the remavble bit for
extension wiring. Inside the rear of the unit there will be the
ringing capacitor, out of service resistor and some form of
surge/spike protection probably a gas disharge device. This is also
the demarcation point between the network and customer wiring.

Master, just a face plate with ringing capacitor and out of service
resistor. Wouldn't normally be used in a domestic situation. Normal
use is on PABX "extensions".

Slave, just a face plate no components. What should be used for
domestic extension sockets.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Dave Liquorice wrote:

There are essential three types of socket:

NTE, normally with the removeable lower half of the face plate with
the "test" socket behind it and connections on the remavble bit for
extension wiring. Inside the rear of the unit there will be the
ringing capacitor, out of service resistor and some form of
surge/spike protection probably a gas disharge device. This is also
the demarcation point between the network and customer wiring.

Master, just a face plate with ringing capacitor and out of service
resistor. Wouldn't normally be used in a domestic situation. Normal
use is on PABX "extensions".

Usually called a "PBX Master", remember BT used to fit a fixed "Master"
which wasn't the split faceplate "NTE" style and those had the surge
suppressor, but no test point.

Slave, just a face plate no components. What should be used for
domestic extension sockets.

Or more commonly,"Secondary".

On Thu, 05 Dec 2013 05:02:52 +0000, Andy Burns wrote:

Master, just a face plate with ringing capacitor and out of
service
resistor. Wouldn't normally be used in a domestic situation.
Normal
use is on PABX "extensions".

Usually called a "PBX Master", remember BT used to fit a fixed "Master"
which wasn't the split faceplate "NTE" style and those had the surge
suppressor, but no test point.

True but they didn't fit non NTE type units for long, maybe a couple
of years? I guess they found out the hard way that a well defined
demarcation point is required.

Slave, just a face plate no components. What should be used for
domestic extension sockets.

Or more commonly,"Secondary".

Aye, 'twas late after a long day. B-)

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Thu, 05 Dec 2013 09:35:27 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Thu, 05 Dec 2013 05:02:52 +0000, Andy Burns wrote:


Usually called a "PBX Master", remember BT used to fit a fixed "Master"
which wasn't the split faceplate "NTE" style and those had the surge
suppressor, but no test point.

True but they didn't fit non NTE type units for long, maybe a couple
of years? I guess they found out the hard way that a well defined
demarcation point is required.

I thought it was most of the 80's for the old style, and the new ones came in
during the early 90's but this site says 1986.

http://www.adslnation.com/support/extensions.php

I know sometime in early 86 I had a one of the old style fitted.

--