Phone Wiring

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jeff43222

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Minneapolis, Minnesota
I've just been hired to wire up a detached shack/office about 20' from the main house. HO wants a phone line run in addition to the UF, but I've never run phone lines underground. I'm assuming standard Cat-3 or Cat-5 wire isn't rated for direct burial. Is there something suitable I could use?
 
We got with the local phone company here and they gave us a small reel of gel filled direct burial 4 pair phone wire. Give yours a call and see if they can give/sell you 50ft or so.
 
Or you can actually buy DB phone cable @ the supply house. We use it all the time. Don't forget to buy some of the gel solvent while you're at it 'cause the gel is nasty stuff to clean off the cable and your hands.
 
For 20 feet, I'd opt with a two-piece cordless, the kind with one full-function base and one charge-only base. The main base handles the phone line for both handsets.

There's also a plug-in "wireless phone extender" available that uses the power line to carry phone signals from one plug-in module (phone line) to the other (remote).
 
Going cordless is not a good sustitute for hardwire if the HO will be connecting to internet over the phone line from the "shack/office". However, power-line ethernet would be an alternative remedy...
 
We install standard indoor phone wire (station wire) inside of pvc conduit and condulets. 3/4" should be large enough for your application.
 
thunder15j said:
We install standard indoor phone wire (station wire) inside of pvc conduit and condulets. 3/4" should be large enough for your application.
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Is that wire rated for wet locations?
 
jeff43222 said:
I've just been hired to wire up a detached shack/office about 20' from the main house. HO wants a phone line run in addition to the UF, but I've never run phone lines underground. I'm assuming standard Cat-3 or Cat-5 wire isn't rated for direct burial. Is there something suitable I could use?
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Home Depot and other such places sell phone cable for direct burial. I think the stuff I saw had four pair.
 
yep

yep

you can buy underground phone wire from the supply house -- we have it here where i work.

have your supplier look into it for you.

me personally, i would run it through some 1/2" pvc all by itself so no induction takes place.
 
usedandabused said:
run it through some 1/2" pvc all by itself so no induction takes place.
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Other than helping to maintain a minimal spacing, PVC will offer zero shield from magnetic fields that "induce" signal.

When the direct burial phone cable chosen has twisted pair, any induced signal in one half of a 360? twist cancels with the induced signal in the next half twist.

Many direct burial cables have a "gopher shield" that also offer a modicum of EMF shielding.
 
Probably the most expedient

Probably the most expedient

I'd just throw some 1/2 PVC in the ditch and pull in some CAT3. For such a short run it would'nt pay going to a DB type cable...
 
As luck would have it, I forgot to check where I could tap into the phone line, so I'm thinking I might have to tap it at the source and run it around the outside of the house. The house was built in 1890 and has the usual difficulties with running wiring internally.

I'm thinking regular Cat-3 might not be suitable for this. When I had an extra line put in, the local phone company used a black cable with two twisted pairs, and it looks a lot more durable than plain old Cat-3 station wire. It looks kinda like UF, and it doesn't have any nasty gel or anything in it.

Anyone familiar with this type of cable and where it can be purchased?
 
jeff43222 said:
I'm thinking regular Cat-3 might not be suitable for this. When I had an extra line put in, the local phone company used a black cable with two twisted pairs, and it looks a lot more durable than plain old Cat-3 station wire. It looks kinda like UF, and it doesn't have any nasty gel or anything in it.

Anyone familiar with this type of cable and where it can be purchased?
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If there's no gel in the cable, then the cable is designed for aerial use. There is (or probably was) a steel messenger attached in a separate but parallel jacket (like zip cord).

If you're going to use PVC tubing anyway, I would just go with the Cat3 or Cat5. A lot of the telco outside plant cable is still Cat1, so the Cat3 or Cat5 would give you superior performance, if you're concerned about crosstalk or induced signal.

Of course, don't forget that you'll need primary protection at both ends to meet code requirements, and should also consider a listed secondary protection. In my experience, protection is just as important (if not more so) with underground cable as with aerial cable.

Bob
 
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