Installing a Phone Jack

TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-657 -- More Projects »
Handyman James Young shows how install a phone jack.

Installing a new phone jack is surprisingly easy because all of the wires are color-coded. Find out how below.

Materials:

surface-mount modular phone jack
found four-conductor phone wire
metal fork
crimper
screwdriver

Steps:

PHOTO

Figure A

  1. Go to the phone jack that is closest to the area in which you want to install the new jack. Remove the cover to expose the phone wires (figure A). Because the wire is low-voltage, it can be left exposed. You can also tuck it under the carpet, along a baseboard, or fish it through the wall.

  2. Mount the base of the new jack.

  3. Strip off about six inches of the outer insulation on the phone wire so that the red, green, black and yellow wires are visible.

  4. Strip off about an inch of the colored insulation on each wire.
PHOTO

Figure C
PHOTO

Figure B
  • Place a metal fork on each end of the colored wires and crimp (figure B) or wrap the wires around the matching terminals of the existing phone jack.

  • Loosen the terminal screws on the existing jack and wrap the wires around their matching terminals (figure C). You could also wrap the wires around forks and place the forks around the screws.

  • Use the crimper to crimp the wires onto the forks. Tighten the screws. Make sure the ends of the wires are not touching one another.

  • Place the cover back on the existing wall jack.
    • PHOTO

    Figure D
  • Run the phone wire through the slot of the existing phone-jack cover and run it along the baseboard (figure D) toward the new phone jack

  • Strip off the insulation on the phone wire at the other end of the wire, then wrap the wires around the matching terminals of the new phone jack.

  • Place the cover back on the new wall jack.

  • Plug in the phone.
    • Also in this Episode
    TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-657
    •Installing a Phone Jack
    •Cooking With Rosemary
    •Fire Safety at Home
    •Tip of the Day