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ShootingEgg
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Any one here know if I'm thinking right. 

Just moved into a 30/40's built, and have the below installed in the front door frame. Getting a new door so need to move/remove it. To start I'm going to use a connector block so I have a phone line, then put a small hole though the outside wall so that I can feed the cable in and straight into a socket box for phone and router. I think it is a fuse block for houses that share elec on same pole as phone and areas at risk of lightning strike. 

IMG-20200119-WA0012.jpg

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Stick volt meter across the blue and orange

should be about. 50v DC if is still,in service BUT it could be disconnected at the exchange or local cabinet/DP

more chance of it being a ceased line if has the fuses in it though

 

 

EDIT put meter across the bottom side of the fuses orange white

Edited by Diver One
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This is a very old style connector block.

The orange and white wires are your telephone line feed(green & black are spare), 50volts.

No reason why you cant route these through the wall straight in to a master socket(if the cable is long enough)

BT will charge to move or reroute any cable if this is a working line.

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That is a really old connecting box, if I recall correctly it dates back to the days of open wires. The wiring that goes to the bottom of the fuses in your picture looks like the incoming drop wire from the pole. The top cable is the old 4-wire that goes to the phone and any other internal phone wiring you have. You can replace this connecting box with a BT80A box, but your 4-wire must connect to a master socket on the other end or else your phone line will have no protection.

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2 hours ago, mossy835 said:

im on bt and never seen a box like that, its very old. call bt and they should renew it.or see what they say. the orange and blue is the main feed.on the a and b leg.

I was on BT back in the eighties. We usually saw those boxes when we were taking out the old 232 and 332 phones and swapping them for something more “modern”.

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37 minutes ago, Sussexboy said:

I was on BT back in the eighties. We usually saw those boxes when we were taking out the old 232 and 332 phones and swapping them for something more “modern”.

This is a 30's built house, the elec feed to it is cut, I dropped it off wall this eve, have bypassed it so that the new front door can be installed tomorrow as it was drilled through the door frame.. Same as the mains elec supply that western power are coming out to move. 

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Looks more like a1/2 TRS ( tough rubber sheathed) black twin and earth cables to me fastened with 1960s style buckle clips.   Most like a private circuit and not Weatern Powers. But it's very hard to tell from the pic . What makes you think it's WPs?   Does it come from their pole outside?

just curious

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9 hours ago, Diver One said:

Looks more like a1/2 TRS ( tough rubber sheathed) black twin and earth cables to me fastened with 1960s style buckle clips.   Most like a private circuit and not Weatern Powers. But it's very hard to tell from the pic . What makes you think it's WPs?   Does it come from their pole outside?

just curious

Yeah it's come in from outside and off pole onto house, then one going back out to an outside light I believe 

Edited by ShootingEgg
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If it's rubber insulated power/lighting wiring, it should be replaced.  The rubber deteriorates and can be a hazard.  If the whole house is wired in rubber cable, this can be quite a big job, but I suspect will be required (I had to 100% rewire).  Rubber will be probably 40 years old or more.  Get it checked.

http://proman-electrical.co.uk/estimate-your-wiring-age/

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Historic_Mains_Cables

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4 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

If it's rubber insulated power/lighting wiring, it should be replaced.  The rubber deteriorates and can be a hazard.  If the whole house is wired in rubber cable, this can be quite a big job, but I suspect will be required (I had to 100% rewire).  Rubber will be probably 40 years old or more.  Get it checked.

http://proman-electrical.co.uk/estimate-your-wiring-age/

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Historic_Mains_Cables

Already on it, we did first fix this weekend so all new cables in, the rubber is screwed... Hoping WPD will replace the mains in as that will be as old. And brittle 

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Already on it, we did first fix this weekend so all new cables in, the rubber is screwed... Hoping WPD will replace the mains in as that will be as old. And brittle 

When mine was done Western Power (or at least their contractor) replaced everything from the underground cable to the meter and main fuse.  Everything after that was done by my contractor.

Most of my old rubber wire appeared in good condition, but a few parts where it had been near warm heating pipes was hardened.  Mine would have been installed originally in the late 1950s.

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2 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

When mine was done Western Power (or at least their contractor) replaced everything from the underground cable to the meter and main fuse.  Everything after that was done by my contractor.

Most of my old rubber wire appeared in good condition, but a few parts where it had been near warm heating pipes was hardened.  Mine would have been installed originally in the late 1950s.

Ive been told the house is 30's and also post war 1947 as its built on an old tank yard.. Would be interesting history if true. Going to do some goigling

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