Removed faceplate - telephone extensions not working -please help!

[rubberband]

hello everyone,

if anyone could help on this i will be very grateful.

i removed the lower faceplate from my NTE5 master socket so as to access the test socket when i was asked to do so by my former BB supplier. i was careful to be gentle when doing so and i am pretty sure that i didn't detach any wires or knock anything out of place.

anyway, i screwed the faceplate back in and ever since then all 3, (lounge, back room, bedroom), telephone extension sockets have no dial tone.

in the meantime i've switched over to sky talk and BB and bought a new NTE2000 filtered faceplate. i've connected the extension wiring up using a proper IDC tool but the extensions still just won't work...

i read somewhere that the cable should only have 4 wires coming out of it but there seem to be 6 coming out of mine in a variety of pretty colours. please someone tell me where they go

could somebody please please please have a look at the attached images and explain to me what i'm doing wrong! i've looked at instructions from around the Web but i'm just getting confused. it should be a simple job but nothing i'm doing (or connecting) is working.

the faceplate is working fine and there's a perfect phone and ADSL signal both from the test socket and through the faceplate.

help me out guys!

thanks.

[rubberband]

anyone have any ideas? if it helps i have posted a futher image which is a photo of the wiring in the extension socket in the back room.

thanks.

[AndyJG]

Looks like you've suffered at the hands of the inexperienced DIYer.

Working backwards one of the cables in your extension socket is not of standard telephone colours or Cat 5 so may be alarm cable which doesn't help ADSL signals.

These are insulation displacement connectors where the jaws of the connector cut through the insulation,bite into the core and the insulation seals the joint to stop corrosion.
Someone has stripped off the insulation before inserting the wires -- wrong.

Looking at your new faceplate the colours are correct but the insulation looks to be far too thick for standard phone cable.

I suspect that one of the wires (can't see the photo at the moment but think it is the right hand one) hasn't slid down the jaws and has just looped over the top.
Try punching it down again.

Practice first with the green pair of wires (which normally never have any use) to get the feel.
The wire should pass through the plastic jaws each side and the metal jaws in the middle in a straight line at the bottom of the slot.
It's possible the oversize insulation isn't allowing this.
Make sure you are using the IDC tool the right way round.Check it without a wire,it will only properly fit one way.

Historically when the socket system was designed it had a six pin connector with all pins connected by three pair (blue,orange,green) cable.
In most domestic situations the green pair was never used so to save costs two pair (blue/orange) cable can be used.

Reconnect the solid orange ring wire to terminal three of your faceplate.

People will tell you that it isn't needed with modern phones but with older ones it is.

I have five (*) not so modern phones in the house and they all require the separate ringwire feed.

Andy

[rubberband]

cheers for the reply Andy,

i've just had another go at it. i've redone the wires, made triple sure that the blue / orange / white wires are in the correct slots. i've tripled checked that they were fully pushed down with the IDC tool and made sure that there's a connection there through the insulation.

i've removed the ring wire and then tried it with the ring wire. i've flipped the wiring round and tried everything...

as i said earlier the faceplate is fine -there's phone and ADSL signal through the faceplate.

unfortunately i just CANNOT get a dial tone on the extension sockets. i've tried them with a corded phone and also the cordless base station phone.

there's just a slight hiss there instead of a dial tone and nothing seems to be able to bring it back!

i'm at a complete loss as to how me carefully removing the NTE5 faceplate can cause this... so i guess i'm looking at getting an engineer out. it's not something i can afford but...

anyone know who i call? i'm with sky for phone and BB. do i call them or is this something that has to be done thru openreach? any idea of costs?

[User05]

Any requests for Openreach work will go through your Communications Provider (Sky). You're probably looking at up to £160 for the work to be carried out through Openreach.

[Isitme]

Can you try refitting your old faceplate? It is unlikely but your new faceplate may be faulty.

[AndyJG]

You did make a note of the colours of the wires coming off the old faceplate didn't you?

It's just possible your DIYer used different pairs to standard colours.
Check all your extension sockets.

As Isitme says try your old faceplate just in case.

I have a feeling your problem is related to the fat insulation on the wires not allowing them seat properly.
It might explain why your extension socket has had the insulation stripped.

You should be able to find a local engineer who will do the job for a lot less than Openreach's minimum charge should you get stuck.

I should have made it clear that the ring wire only affects the bell/ringer side of the phone.
The voice side only needs the blue pair 2/5 to work.
Concentrate on them initially.

Andy

[RUNITDIRECT]

(1) Try the old faceplate, sounds like a wiring issue but you did say you had problems with the old faceplate too? Unlikely that both are faulty.

(2) To make sure 100% you have the correct pair you could remove the back plate and connect the extension cabling directly to the incoming pair on A & B. If it works then the faceplates are at fault, if it doesn't then you have the incorrect pair!

[rubberband]

thanks to everyone who has replied. unfortunately it's still not fully resolved and i'll probably get a local engineer in to sort it out.

just wanted to say thanks though to RUNITDIRECT. i purchased a NTE2000 faceplate from them and it was delivered next day by recorded first class post. they've been happy to help with the problem i've been having and the after-sales service by email has been excellent and fast.

[RUNITDIRECT]

Hi there, did you get our last email re:stripping the insulation back due to thin wires? Do both faceplates(old & new) work from the front when plugged into the test socket? Are you using a throw away IDC tool or pro? could you post a close up pics of the wiring on the IDC block? We WILL get this fixed for you!!