Don’t want to go off on a rant here, so I’ll leave out the details of how Verizon has consistently mis-managed the trouble report on my line for over two weeks. Having taken matters into my own hands (despite my monthly payment of their inside wire maintenance plan), I need expert opinions on whether or not my problem has been properly addressed.
So - the original problem was one of intermittent static on the line (it would work, but loud static accompanied every call), followed by intermittent periods of dead silence (no dial tone), followed by periods of clear, normal operation. Not necessarily in that order. Verizon says they have tested the line and all appears normal, and their technicians have verified the outside lines are in good working order.
I did my own part to ensure the problem was not with my telephone. I do have only one jack (small apartment), but I hooked up a spare phone to the jack and got the same symptoms. I even hooked up a brand new jack to the line with the same results.
So, yesterday, after another service call was lost in the system, I disassembled the jack, stripped the wires and re-connected everything.
Crystal clear dial tone. No static. No missed dial tones yet.
Could the condition of the wires themselves have been generating this type of problem? This is an old building, and the incoming wire has been here longer than I have (12+ years). Same for the original jack (though the symptoms did originally persist after I replaced the jack but before I stripped the wires down and re-connected).
So. Is it fixed, or should I still harp on Verizon to check the wires?
Sounds like you had an old loose connection and you solved the problem. Hopefully you have the type of jack that you wrap the wires around a screw and tighten it down and not the type where you stab the wires through a little “V” notch. The wires themselves don’t deteriorate just the connections.
Now that you know how to fix your own inside line problems, it would be a good time to drop the inside line maintenance charge on your monthly bill.
Complain about phone service, will ya? Boy are YOU in trouble now. You think a little static is bad? Just wait until…
Ha ha! Just Kidding
I’m a-bettin’ he’s got the standard punchdown blocks. Occasionally the contacts oxidize & need to be rejuvenated. It might also be the spring loaded contacts in the jack, and a very light spritzing of WD-40 will do wonders for that. Once sprayed, insert & remove the plug a dozen times or so, as if you are making some crude sexual suggestive motion.
I work for the data services part of verizon (not dial tone) but I see more than enough troubles with “bouncing” data lines where the RFO (reason for outage) is determined to be bad connections at the punch block.
Waituhminute… in an apartment, shouldn’t the landlord be held responsible for flaky utility connections? Do you also have a maintenance plan for leaky faucets?
The jack in question is the standard two-part piece of equipment (which I believe bare is referencing) consisting of a base holding four screws (which the color-coded wires are wrapped around) and a “shell” the outside of which is where the telephone plugs in and the inside of which has your matching four-color wire connectors that are matched to the screws on the base.
Attrayant, near as I can tell, the landlord is not responsible for maintaining the utility connections, at least as far as it concerns telephone and cable wires. My guess is water supply is different due to its status as a necessity.
Verizon’s maintenance plan covers problems with the inside wire up to and including the actual phone jack. Hell, they’re even supposed to provide a loaner phone if the tech determines your phone is the problem. In my case, there were no less than three different service appointments where the tech didn’t even attempt to check the inside wire after determining the outside wire was fine.
I’d consider dropping the service plan, but I’m afraid the age of the building and the wiring itself will at some point require some professional work, which will cost much more than the monthly charge. I was just annoyed that that I was (apparently) able to fix the problem myself even though I specifically requested service on the inside wire, for which I do pay a monthly fee.
But, hey, it’s working, so I’m cool with that. No worries, right Attrayant? [sub]No pranks, even?[/sub]
[q]I’m a-bettin’ he’s got the standard punchdown blocks. Occasionally the contacts oxidize & need to be rejuvenated. It might also be the spring loaded contacts in the jack, and a very light spritzing of WD-40 will do wonders for that. Once sprayed, insert & remove the plug a dozen times or so, as if you are making some crude sexual suggestive motion.[/q]
I think Verizon trains these guys to give bad advice.
If you do have one of those punch down blocks (at least now I know what they call 'em), cut the darn thing off and replace it with a “real” jack, with screws. You’ll never have to take the cover off again.
Oh Okay. You’re talking about the actual module where you personally plug in. I was thinking for some reason you went down into the basement & started checking all of the various points where the wires come into the building. That is where the punchdown block is. The modular jack in your home is just a jack (RJ-11, if you must know the boring details). But the wires can still become oxidized here as well.
If the steps you have taken seem to have exorcize the static demons, then I would say let sleeping dogs lie. Cleaning contacts & reterminating wires is a basic first step for static problems. Calling a tech back out might just inject new problems.
Obviously, you’ve never dealt with telephone wiring on a professional basis. Punchdown blocks are the ultimate wire connection device. “Strip-n-screw” (as I like to call them) blocks, when you have to do, say, 150 in a day are sheer hell to deal with. Later when you have to come back and find a bad connection, punchdown blocks make it much easier to R&R (remove & replace) the wire to renew the connection if corrosion is present (which happens just as easily to “stip-n-screw” terminals).
Of course, I own a punchdown tool with 66, 110, and BIX blades. For telecomm wiring work, it was the best $45 I ever spent. Without one of these, punchdown blocks can be a bit of trouble, but as the old saying goes “Use the right tool for the job”.
Every jack (CATV, phone, and Ethernet) in my home is a Leviton snap-in jack. I have never had one of these fail, ever, and I’ve been using them for about 7 years. You get a face plate with one or more square openeings in it, assemble the appropriate jack(s), and pop 'em in. They are 110-type punchdown and go together very quickly. They can even be asembled without a punchdown tool using the caps to press the wire into the block.
[sub]No pranks, even?[/sub]