Help with a BT phone master socket?

Question

I have just moved into the house I have been renovating for the last 6 months, during which time the main BT phone line master socket got smashed off the wall!

I have rang BT and they want £125 to come out and put a new one on! I am reluctant to pay that much for what is about 10 minutes work, so have ordered a master socket online and an electrician mate of mine said he can 'probably' fit it.

Is this likely to work? Do you need special tools and/or setup equipment to fit it and activate it etc?

Cheers.

Answer 1

go to maplins they sell the boxs and it is easy 2 wire up comes with instructions and a tool to put wires in

Answer 2

You should be ok, the master is two wire working and tends to be s***w down connectors on the exchange side. If you have extensions running off this to other boxes its be insertion type connectors but you can get these tools from Maplins. If all else fails get a independant tech in for about £60.

Answer 3

If you have maintained the line, i.e. have been paying line rental then BT would charge if you wanted them to fix it. In this case I would just grab a NTE5A off eBay about £10 or flag down the next Openreach van you see driving around and ask if you could have one. Get your mate to wire it up. If your house is an over head feed then it should be on White/Orange if its an under ground feed could be White/Orange (older style cable 2 pair) or White/Blue (New 5 pair) No skill required just a set of cutters and X head s***w driver. If the line does not work after this report it as a fault and play dumb, BT are required to repair the fault to your first socket i.e. the one you have just stuck to the wall, at no charge to you.

If you have not been paying the line rental then it’s a simple reconnection and this should be free as long as you have evidence of prior service. This can be anything from an old wire hanging out of the wall or even an old BT bracket on your wall outside. BT maintains records of historic connections and should be able to tell if this is the case.