If you need to change a telephone jack, you have come to the right place. The following article will guide you
The above picture shows common telephone jacks used today in the home and business. The two line jack has four colored wires, red, green, yellow and black. The three line jack has six colored wires, green, red, yellow, black, blue and red. For a single telephone number we only need to know that the wires from telephone central will connect to the green red wires in the jack. All the other colored wires in the jack are not used when only a single line is required. If there is a second telephone number added onto the jack, it will be connected to the yellow black wires in the jack.
Telephone Wire Colors
Older Three Conductor Wires
Red - (Ring) - first line
Green - (Tip) -first line
Yellow - was used for ground with a party line
Older Two Pair Conductor Wires
Green -(tip) - first line
Red - (ring) - first line
Yellow - (tip) - second line
Black - (ring - second line
Four Pair Conductor Wires
White Blue- (tip) - first line
White Orange (tip) - second line
White Green - (tip) - third line
White Brown - spare
Brown - spare
Locating Sources Of Telephone Troubles
What Causes Static In Telephone Wires
Static in telephone wires is caused by loose connections or corrosion. Check in the telephone jack that the wires are tightened down firmly.
The connections at the protector box on the side of the house also need to be checked and any cross-connect box between there and your telephone set. Try picking up the receiver on your telephone and first dial a digit to remove the dial tone, then while listening wiggle the set cord near the telephone jack; if there is a poor connection, you will hear static. Do the same with the handset cord at both ends. Any bad connection between your house and the telephone company exchange will also produce static on the line.
What Causes Hum In Telephone Wires
A hum in the telephone line is usually caused by a grounded wire or AC Hydro power. Normally the telephone lines are in balance and any hum is removed before it reaches the telephone set. Poor grounding in the telephone company electrical systems can produce a hum. If you live in a rural area, a hum is more apt to happen. Usually when the telephone wires are out of balance, you will also pick up a strong radio signal. If the line cannot be corrected, a filter can be placed at your telephone set, to remove any hum.
Telephone Trouble Spots
Today’s telephone is a throw-away item. The drop in prices and because there are so many telephone models, it is just about impossible to locate any replacement parts. The cord end is the most likely part to break; the plastic retaining clips breaks and the mini-plug will not stay in the receptacle. The set cords can be replaced because the cord is universal to most telephones and they can be located at most dollar stores. If you are changing the cord, be aware that for a single line telephone, the cord only needs two gold bars in the mini plug, while in a two line telephone you need four gold bars in the mini plug. The handset cord is mostly universal also, but the color may not be as easily to locate; a dollar store is worth a try.
To check if one of the cords is causing static; wiggle the cords while listening in the receiver, do one at a time, especially near the receiver and the base of the telephone.
The carbon in the microphone of older telephones sometimes can cause static. Try banging the receiver on a table a few times; this shakes up the carbon in the microphone and may clear up the static for a while. Static is an indication of poor connections.
If there is a poor connection in any of the wires from the home, including all the wires right back to the telephone exchange, and this also includes electrical connections in the central office of the telephone company.
Telephone Protection Devices
Telephone protectors are in place to help prevent injury to people, damage to the telephone wire, jacks and telephone devices in your home, caused by voltage surges outside the home.
Locating a Problem Causing Telephone Noise
The type of repairs that you can do is more related to problems created with in the home. Electricity and water do not mix and this will cause corrosion, leading to telephone failure, line hums and noise. Corrosion at the telephone jack can cause problems which are very difficult to locate. As the moisture causing the corrosion dry up, a diode affect takes place. Only when voltage is applied does the problem show up such as when someone calls you, a higher voltage is applied to your line to ring the bells on your phones. The corrosion not only causes hum, but can trip the ring, you may hear one ring or no rings at all. Mysteriously you may still be able to dial out, but not able to receive calls.
It is the leakage of voltage from either the ring or tip side of the wires to ground which causes the problems. If the leakage is from the tip side to ground, this will produce a hum but will not interfere with the working of the service. If the leakage is from the ring side to ground, this will case a hum also, but if it is severe enough, it will cause your telephone service to fail. A leakage from ring to tip (a short) will also cause a hum and if also severe, it can also cause your telephone service to fail.
Water Corrosion and The Telephone
How does water get into your telephone jack in the home? Telephone surface mounted jacks are located low on the wall and are susceptible to water damage when rugs are steam cleaned or when other cleaning actions are taking. The worst cause of telephone jack corrosion is caused when people hang wall paper, the water and glue mixture is extremely damaging because the conductivity of the glue is very high.
Visual Test
To determine if you have this problem, simply unplug the telephone set cord from the telephone jack and have a look at the golden pins in the mini plug at the end of the cord. They should be shiny, golden with no black or green present. If they show corrosion, the problem originated firstly from the jack. Take a flash light and have a look into the telephone jack, if it has corrosion, the telephone jack will have to be replaced. The telephone cord can no longer be used, so throw it away, so no one else will re-use it and cause the problem to repeat. The new telephone jack would also be re-infected by a bad telephone cord. Pick up a new telephone jack and set cord at a dollar store. Take note of how the wires are attached in the telephone jack, so you will be able to attach them in the same order in the new jack.
Telephone Protection Device
Telephone protection units, called Prots by telephone repair persons, come in various sizes and shapes. They have progressed in design over the years. These devices are situated where the telephone wires enter the house and are there to protect you and your phone equipment. If a large current comes down the telephone line, its purpose is to direct the voltage spike to ground.
Shocks From Telephone Wires
Can you get a shock when you touch the wires? Yes you can get a major shock when the telephone is ringing as the voltage is higher then. At standby the voltage is 48 volts, still shockable, but while the bells are ringing, the voltage goes up to around 110 volts.
You can wear rubber or dry leather gloves to avoid shocks. Be aware that any type of shock can upset a pacemaker's operation. If you are standing on a dry floor or rubber mat, there is less change to get a shock. Obviously, if you are working on telephone wires in a damp basement, crawl space or under a trailer, there is more of a chance to get between the voltage and ground and get a major shock.
