phone line / water issue .. recommendations / help needed

[selondonman]

hello, in a rental property we have. the tenant has told us that the internet stopped working so called in BT, there was water in the socket, unit replaced. 6 months later the issue reappeared again ..
we had damp proofing course done 10 years ago .. company gone bust so no warranty .aahhhh
before i go ahead with new damp course etc is there a way i can take the box out of the wall , paint the area in anti damp paint / sealant and then put the box back into the wall ?

thanks

 

[telectrix]

if it's a flush mounted socket, you could convert it to surface by fitting a patress. that might keep the damp out. and most damp course installers offer an insurance backed warranty. check if you have it.

 

[selondonman]

aptress is a good idea .. re warranty had a look at the so called warranty certificate but no mention of a warranty guarantee .. it was a big company we used so surprised that it went under ...

 

[Squid]

Unless the warranty is underwritten then its not worth the paper its printed on.

Damp/rising damp in a contentious issue and its like snake oil, what I would do it move the socket further up the wall and place it on the surface then check to see where the water ingress is coming from and what is on the outside of the wall.

I had a rental, the tenants complained about damp but if you dry your clothes on radiators in the winter on leave the windows shut what do you expect, like banging your head against the wall as it would not get through to them and they looked at me as a kitten killer for suggesting they lose the heat they pay for out of the window.

Sorry rant over..........

 

[Strima]

How does the BT line come into the property, underground or from above?

If from above water may be tracking down the cable into the box, this can be easily rectified by BT as it's their property.

 

[selondonman]

line comes in from cable but goes into another room on another floor so unfortunately not bt's fault .. re the patress box ... are their patress boxes which are waterproof ?
then i am worried about the build up of water in the box behind ... can i take out the metal box in the wall and paint damp paint in there

 

[telectrix]

take the metal back box out. reconnect phone socket hanging loose. see if the wall dries out or find the cause of the problem. then you can paint in the hole. fill in after. when dry, then refit phone socket onto a surface mount pattress.

 

[selondonman]

thanks for promt reply telectrix .. i asusme i have to cut the wires to remove them from the front plate and then use a krone tool to put them back in .. i was thinking as this is an auxillary phone line .. if i tapped up the ends of the lines .. add the patress and then a blanking plate should the rest of the telephone lines work ... trying to cut down the agro for new tenants bu just stop the use of this point ... are telephone lines a loop ? cheers

 

[Squid]

Telephone lines are radial one after the other you may need to connect to point 3 to stop ring back.

To be honest, remove the socket move the master to somewhere safe and just give them wireless phones. If its a BTL then it comes off your tax bill and less messing around means less cost.