Install a New Phone Jack

By Dave Donovan

Adding a second line to your home is an easy task that even the least experienced do-it-yourselfer can do without costly interference from a telephone technician. In Part 1, we discussed how to hook up your second phone line to existing telephone jacks. But what do you do if you have a room with no phone jacks, and that's where you want the service? It's not as hard to do as you may think.

You will need a few tools to complete the job:

• Screwdrivers - Phillips and straight
• Wall fish, or a metal hanger that's straightened out may suffice
• Drill with 3/8" diameter phone installer's drill bit
• 1/2" spade drill bit
• Phone wire connectors (butt-type)
• Phone wire
• Drop cloth
• Cable stapler with 9/16" staples
• Wire strippers
• Surface mounted phone jack

1. Find a phone jack in the room next to the one where you need to add a jack, preferably on the same wall. We'll call this room with the old jack Room 1. Place your drop cloth under the phone jack. Disconnect the phone from the jack, if there is one, and unscrew the plate from the wall. Disconnect the wires from the phone jack.

2. With the 1/2" drill bit installed on the drill, drill a hole in the bottom of the box. If the existing wire is coming into the box from the bottom, you may not need to do this step; there may be enough room for another line to use the same hole.

3. With the 3/8" bit, drill a hole in the wall directly below the phone jack, right above the baseboard. Drop the phone cable through the hole in the box and use the hanger to snag it and pull it through the lower hole.

4. With the same drill bit, drill a hole about 6" from where the phone line is coming out of the wall. Drill it all the way through into the room the new jack is being installed in (Room 2). It's important to keep the bit straight!

5. Once that is done, head on over into Room 2 with the wall fish or hanger. Push the hanger or fish through the hole so it goes into the Room 1. Return to Room 1 and tape the phone cable to the hanger or fish. Go back to Room 2 to pull the phone cable through.

6. Take the cover off of the surface mounted wall jack. Secure the back of the jack to the wall (screwing it into the baseboard gives it a better hold). Strip the phone cable back to reveal the four wires. Again, if this is for the second line only, you'll want to hook up the yellow and black lines to the jack and wrap and tape the red and green ones. Screw the cover back on and use the cable stapler to secure the wire to the wall.

7. Back in Room 1, continue stapling the wire for neatness. In the box, cut away the excess wire, strip the wire back and use the butt-type phone wire connectors to connect the black to black and the yellow to yellow wires. There's no need to connect the red and green if it's a one-line room.

8. Screw the wall jack back into place and clean up the drop cloth. You can use a small amount of caulk to seal the holes in both rooms. All that's left is to plug a phone into the new jack and listen for the dial tone.

That's all there is to it. You already pay enough to the phone company for service; don't give them additional money for an easy do-it-yourself job that can be completed in about an hour. It's as easy as Christmas trees and bumble bees!

< Back to Part 1: Hooking Up a Second Telephone Line

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Dave Donovan is a freelance copywriter living in Atco, N.J. An electrician for 15 years, an injury forced him to pursue his true passion - writing.

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