Steps in Wiring a Phone Socket

Phone lines are beneficial in homes and business in many ways. Companies who offer phone line services are slowly turning their backs to hassle tasks of installing wirings in a customer's home.

Today, we’re modernising our communication from the perspective of using phone sockets rather than the traditional way of installing lengthy wires.

Phone sockets are electrical connectors for connecting a phone set or other telecommunications apparatus to the phone wiring inside a building — establishing a connection to a telephone network. Furthermore, installing a phone socket is a simple task that you can do on your own, or you can also hire a qualified electrician for a safe installation to be done.

Inside a Phone Cable

The old installation of phone cables in your home contains four wires: red, green, yellow and black. They are used in pairs for each phone line you have at home.  

However, if you are aiming to stretch phone lines to other rooms of your home, a multi-wire cable like Category 3 or 5 is applicable. These cables have 4 pairs with 8 coloured wires. These category cables work just as good as the old phone service cable, and it works even better for data connecting to  DSL internet.

Necessary Tools to Use

In every repair or instalment, tools are always necessary for fast and convenient wiring jobs. The tools are always used in the wiring process of  phone sockets are wire strippers, screwdrivers and needle-nose pliers, while the materials are phone socket and wood screws or drywall screws.

Outer Sheath Stripping

To wire your phone socket, you can begin by stripping 2 to 3 inches of the outer sheath using the wire strippers. Then, slowly rotate the strippers to cut the outer sheathing, but be cautious of not cutting the insulated wires inside the cable. After that, cut the sheathing piece off the cable end to expose the wires inside.

Additionally, there are also some phone cables with a pull cord inside the sheathing that strips as you pull it back. In this case, you can strip a small amount of the sheathing using wire strippers then use the pull cord to cut the sheathing 2 to 3 inches back. Trim off the cut sheathing portion using stripper cutters or cutting pliers.

Strip off Individual Wires and Disentangle

In this step, you have to disentangle first the individual wires from each other in the cable. From those wires, strip 1/2 to 3/4 inch of insulation using the 20- or 22-gauge slot on the wire strippers. 

Mostly, if you want to install a regular one-line residential phone line, you’ll need to strip only two of the wires. But if you are installing a second line, like a fax line or a second voice-phone line, the second pair of wires must be stripped as well. After stripping, identify the individual wires that you will use:

Old four-wire cable:

• • Line 1 (primary phone line): red and green
  • Line 2 (secondary line): black and yellow

Cat-3 or cat-5 cable: 

• • Line 1 (primary phone line): blue and white-with-blue-stripe 
  • Line 2 (secondary line): orange and white-with-orange-stripe

Install the Mounting Plate

After dealing with the phone cables, installing the mounting plate will be the next step. In installing, you have to eliminate the cover from the front of the phone socket to reveal the holes in the mounting plate and the screw gaps. 

When the phone cable is run inside the wall, thread it through the plate opening as you position the plate over the access hole against the wall. When the phone cable is placed on the wall, such as on the front of a baseboard, the cable is usually inserted into the side of the phone socket through a notch.

Use a screwdriver, small wood screws or drywall screws to mount the plate onto the wall, moulding, or other structure. Most phone sockets may have self-adhesive strips to connect the plate to the wall, but if the type of socket still has screw openings, securing the mount with screws will be a good help.

Connecting the Wires

In connecting the wires, you have to use the following colour combinations to connect the stripped wires from the phone cable to the corresponding screw terminals on the socket. The colour of the wire pre-attached to it identifies each socket terminal:

Old four-wire cable: 

• • Line 1 (primary phone line): red wire to a red terminal; green wire to the green terminal
  • Line 2 (secondary line): black wire to a black terminal; yellow wire to the yellow terminal

Cat-3 or cat-5 cable: 

• • Line 1 (primary phone line): blue wire to a red terminal; white-with-blue-stripe wire to the green terminal
  • Line 2 (secondary line): orange wire to a yellow terminal; white-with-orange-stripe wire to the black terminal 

After attaching the wires, loosen each terminal screw with a screwdriver to make the connections to the wire. In a clockwise direction, use needle-nose pliers to wrap the ends of bare copper wires around the screw then tighten the screws to secure the wires. Wire insulation should attach the terminal of the screw, and there should be no excess bare wire extending out from the screw.

Reattach the Cover

After following all the steps above, look and review the wirings and the screws if all are connected and tighten correctly. Once secured, you can now attach the cover back to the mounting plate of the socket then plug a phone line to it to ensure the line is functioning properly.

Conclusion

Wiring a phone socket is just an easy process. As long as you know the process and you have the right tools, you can be an instant electrician on your own. But if you’re hesitant about the installation of your phone socket, you simply don’t have time or you want an extension, you can consult and hire the experts to do the job. 

Sydney Eastern Suburb Electrician is here to help you for the installation and repair of your phone sockets. With the expertise of our level 2 electricians, you can guarantee a rapid response towards your electrical emergencies and a service of quality workmanship. Call us at (02) 8378 2827 to get a free quote today.