O/T Any Phone Repair Guys?

Our phone has been out for two days. We lost our electricity Wednesday but that has been restored. We have internet access through the phone line but no dial tone on the phone. We've reported our outage twice but haven't heard or seen anyone. Any thoughts on what the problem might be? We tried a different phone but that didn't do anything.

Larry

Do you have DSL filters on your phones? If just 1 of them gets popped, your phones will not work. Disconnect all of your phones and try one at a time.

If you have an old basic telephone set, take it outside to your phone box where your phone line comes into the house. Its called a Demarc. It should be a box containing a junction where the phone company's line connects to your house wiring. You should be able to disconnect your house wiring and plug the phone into a jack connecting the phone directly to the phone company service to see if you get dial tone there. If you still get no dial tone, call the phone company and tell them you get no dial tone at the demarc. This should get some action from them. If you do get dial tone there, then you have a problem with your house line, or your phones. You will have to correct that, or they will charge you if they fix it for you.

newer network interface boxes have a phone jack in them where the house is wired to. you should be able to upplug the house and plug a phone there to see if you have dial tone to the house. if you have dt there then it is a problem with the inside wiring. If not then it is a phone company problem

Make sure ALL phones are unplugged, then plug one int to test.

One thing that always helped restore a dialtone to an otherwise good line was to call it. Just grab your cell phone and call the number in question. If it rings then the problem is likely fixed. I have had this clear up issues many times.

(quoted from post at 04:45:49 07/12/13) Our phone has been out for two days. We lost our electricity Wednesday but that has been restored. We have internet access through the phone line but no dial tone on the phone. We've reported our outage twice but haven't heard or seen anyone. Any thoughts on what the problem might be? We tried a different phone but that didn't do anything.

Larry

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there could be any number of things going on with the phone, easiest thing is take an older style corded set and go to the network interfacebox usually gray on the side of your house if its a new style box there should be a side you can open with either a phillips or reg screwdriver. once you got that open you should see either 1,2, or more test jacks depending on how many lines you have in the house then unplug the test jack which should have a short phone cord then plug the set into the test jack if you have dialtone then the problem is in your house if you have nothing the trouble is most likely outside. from your post it sounds like you have dsl and that is still working? if you have a dial tone to your test jack at the side of the house as far as trouble shooting without a test meter for the inside wiring go unplug all of your phones then you can plug each one back in 1 at a time until you lose dial tone once you lose dialtone that phone you last plugged in would be the bad phone. since you lost power it sounds like maybe a thunderstorm or power surge may have caused a short in one of the phones or outside line may have a short or possibly grounded out the protectors in your network interface or in a terminal on the pole out on the street somewhere. if you need anymore help i can try my best to help out from the computer pictures always help too send me a pm i worked for at&t for almost 15yrs as a install repairman and cable splicer

(quoted from post at 06:45:49 07/12/13) Our phone has been out for two days. We lost our electricity Wednesday but that has been restored. We have internet access through the phone line but no dial tone on the phone. Larry

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About a month ago we had a nearby lightning strike. Afterward out phone line was continually busy. We only had the cordless phone base and fax/printer connected through a surge suppressor. The surge suppressor had shorted. The strange thing is we're on fiber not copper.

Your house wiring, both AC and Telephone is copper, the surge comes in through the AC and the surge protector takes the hit, clamping the phone circuit. Not through the fiber service.

(quoted from post at 16:34:33 07/12/13)
Your house wiring, both AC and Telephone is copper, the surge comes in through the AC and the surge protector takes the hit, clamping the phone circuit. Not through the fiber service.

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It was a suppressor on the phone line not the AC. The fiber demarc is powered with a UPS. The cordless phone base and Fax are both on a surge suppressor. So, how could an AC spike get to the isolated phone suppressor? Nothing else in the house was affected. Computers, TVs, digital controls on fridge/oven/microwave, etc. I now have a whole house suppressor in the Square D breaker panel and a new APC "SurgeArrest" on the Ethernet and phone.

Pretty freaky like some hits I have had. My last one took out my access point power supply, TV RF Power Booster, and knocked the crap outa the desk phone. (I don't know where that all could find common paths...) I removed batteries and power on the phone, brought it back up and it came back, but I had to buy those other 2 items. I think the jacket on the fiber conduit has a ground that is terminated end to end. That could bring a surge I would think.........I'm no fiber expert though. No expert on anything come to think of it.....Oh well I guess I'll go bale some more of this dry dusty hay........

When I worked for Bellsouth people would ask me after a thunder storm, why don't y'all stop that lightning? I always told them we didn't make it so we couldn't stop it. We just tried to slow it down and prevent as much damage as possible.

(quoted from post at 17:35:46 07/12/13) Pretty freaky like some hits I have had. My last one took out my access point power supply, TV RF Power Booster, and knocked the crap outa the desk phone. I think the jacket on the fiber conduit has a ground that is terminated end to end.

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All the equipment that you lost is my point. Why did it take out a surge suppressor and nothing else (I'm not complaining though). The demarc has a lug on the bottom that is not connected to earth ground at the house. I connected my DMM between that lug and the earth ground at the meter and there was no continuity. I "supervised" the fiber switch over and the techs did not make a cross connection. It is common practice, now, to have a wire in the jacket so it can be located. Since fiber is not susceptible to electrical interference it's use is expanding to other fields, including military avionics. I wonder when it's going to get to farm equipment?

There was another thread about plastic pipe for propane. I hope there is a wire either buried with the pipe or embedded in the pipe so it may be located without hearing a hissing sound.

Cat Shipper with his comment below is correct. Happened to me after a storm one time.

(quoted from post at 17:57:56 07/12/13)

(quoted from post at 16:34:33 07/12/13)
Your house wiring, both AC and Telephone is copper, the surge comes in through the AC and the surge protector takes the hit, clamping the phone circuit. Not through the fiber service.

Click to expand...

It was a suppressor on the phone line not the AC. The fiber demarc is powered with a UPS. The cordless phone base and Fax are both on a surge suppressor. So, how could an AC spike get to the isolated phone suppressor? Nothing else in the house was affected. Computers, TVs, digital controls on fridge/oven/microwave, etc. I now have a whole house suppressor in the Square D breaker panel and a new APC "SurgeArrest" on the Ethernet and phone.

Click to expand...

othing is isolated from lightening! see any wires in the sky? It might come into house via power lines, antenna, guy wire, or just a bolt through the roof. Once in, it can & does jump from one to another & some items are hit harder than others & some take less to destroy than others. Most will say that car/truck electronics are lightening safe, quoting the Faraday shield defense, but there is case history disputing that!

you have a short or one side of the pair is open DSL will work in either case. The short could be inside or out. The other posters are correct to plug a phone into the box outside. My guess is that you could have got a power surge frying some equipment.

Hope this helps,
Phone man Phil