# How to cut phone cable and hide in wall



## hellohello

I have a few areas in my house where there are phone cables coming through the baseboards and into a phone jack. I'd like to remove these phone jacks. But then what do I do with the phone cable? Do I have to bug it up or tape it off any special way before I shove it into the hole in the wall/baseboard? I understand it's low voltage, but low voltage wires can still cause a small spark, and a spark can cause a fire, so I'd like to do it right.

So is there a "right" way to do this? What is YOUR method?


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## nap

Isolate each of the conductors and put some electrical tape on them. Not only could they cause a spark (while unlikely to actually cause a fire there is no sense in taking a risk that is so easily dealt with). If they short together, it could cause your phone to stop working.


But why would you eliminate a phone jack? Maybe install a low voltage ring in the wall above where the wire comes out of the baseboard and install a jack there. That way if you want to use a phone in that room later you actually can without re-installing the cable and jack.

The better way to treat the wire before stuffing it into the wall would be to determine that wire from wherever it feeds from. I would still tape it as somebody might reconnect it for some reason not knowing it goes nowhere.


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## joed

It depends on how they are wired. If they did like they normally do with phones the wires looped from jack to jack so you need to connect them together or the other jacks won't work.
I would not p ut connections inside a wall. If you ever have a problem you won't find it.


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## Oso954

How old is the phone wiring and how many jacks do you actually need now ?

Some times the easiest way to remove unwanted jacks is to run new phone wires from the existing demark point to the jacks you need. Then you can remove the unwanted jacks and abandon the existing wiring. 

Putting each jack on it's own home run to the demark makes a better system and the new cables will handle higher data speeds than the old stuff.


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## gregzoll

Just leave them alone if hooked up. It will not hurt anything. Now of course if it is one continuous run, where they stripped some of the insulation to place in the screw, cutting it will kill all downstream phone jacks.

If you want to cut the lines, just cut them and push in the wall. No need to tape them.


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## nap

gregzoll said:


> If you want to cut the lines, just cut them and push in the wall. No need to tape them.



so you have never had a phone line short out and cause the line to go dead? If the short is cleared the line will reset and all is well BUT if the short is not cleared, well good luck tracking down the short. 


and you don't think that constant 50 volts DC might be an issue? What about the 90 VAC ring voltage? While I admit it is not likely to be a problem, ignoring the possibility is not wise. 

Either tape them or disconnect them at the head end.


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## MT Stringer

I am thinking the OP wants to eliminate the phone lines altogether.

I did that a couple of years ago. We have cell phones so there is no need for a land line.


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## gregzoll

Nap with so many people going with Dry DSL for Internet/TV/Phone or CATV ISP's. Either those like myself who have unlimited talk time, use just Cellphones.

Those that use regular phones, just connect one to the eMTA and use remote base stations, leaving the phone line in the house alone.

When Dry DSL is installed. The telephone companies do not even bother with the old house phone wiring. They run a "Home Run" from the NID, to the Gateway with Cat-5e. Or run Fiber to the Fiber Optic NID, then run a Home Run for a single phone jack in the house and also one for the inside Access Point/Gateway.


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## gregzoll

MT Stringer said:


> I am thinking the OP wants to eliminate the phone lines altogether.
> 
> I did that a couple of years ago. We have cell phones so there is no need for a land line.


That is why I said to just leave well enough alone. We only had one phone jack in our house, when we moved in, same as CATV. They just drilled a hole in the wood floor and attached the phone jack to the baseboard, as has been done in the past 60 years.

Of course back in the day when my father did home installs in Peoria, IL. They used to fish a line up in the Kitchen or hall for the phone jack to be on the wall.

Cell phones is all my wife, son & I use. Even my mom uses just a cellphone. Comcast keeps trying to sell her home phone service. But she does not need it for her Med Alert or a home phone.

As my father has always stated. If it is not a problem. Leave well enough alone.


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## hellohello

MT Stringer said:


> I am thinking the OP wants to eliminate the phone lines altogether.
> 
> I did that a couple of years ago. We have cell phones so there is no need for a land line.


Yup, trying to get rid of all of the phone jacks. They are just unsightly anymore, and we all use cell phones now anyway. I ended up cutting them off and sticking the wires in the wall, and then also cutting them from where they enter the utility box on the outside of the house.


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## hellohello

And thank you everyone for your thoughts and replies.


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