antimatter47
join:2002-12-02
Portland, OR
| Relocating old drop. Will quest put new NID in basement?
Hi everyone,
Sorry for the long post.
Here's the situation:
The house (my dad's) was built in 1908, and it has an ancient wire that goes from the pole across the street to the opposite side of the house than the electrical service and cable drop. It runs directly into the basement, where it connects to an old-style demarc/protector. We are doing some work on the house, and are going to build a wiring closet for structured wiring in the basement next to where the electrical and cable enter the house (on the opposite side from where the phone service currently enters the house). My dad is also going to sign up for DSL very soon.
I'd like to move the phone drop to the other side of the house, because it looks tacky to have wires going to both sides of the house, and because it would be convenient for it to enter directly into the new wiring closet. It would also be nice to have a new drop wire and NID.
My question:
I'd like to make the phone line more tamper-resistant, so what I want to do is put in a piece of metal conduit with a weather head on top that goes down the side of the house and into the basement (like an electrical service entrance but without the meter). I'd then get Qwest to run the new phone drop through the conduit, and put the NID in the basement in the wiring closet. Can I get Qwest to do this? Are they willing to install a new NID in the basement if the customer requests it? If not, is there some kind of tamper-proof box that could connect to the conduit and secure the NID on the outside of the house, but that Qwest could still get in to? Do they have a tamper-proof or heavy duty NID?
I'd appreciate any thoughts/ideas/experience you have.
Thanks! |
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djweis
join:2006-04-02
West Des Moines, IA | Generally they won't. They did in the distant past but it's a pain for almost everyone that has to service it. |
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christcorp
Premium
join:2001-05-21
Cheyenne, WY
 ·Bresnan Online
 ·VOIPo
| reply to antimatter47
As DJ mentioned, 99.9% of the time, Qwest won't put the NI inside of a residential house. There are exceptions, but very rare. Also, by Qwest standards, in conjunction with NEC code, they will generally put the NI within about 10 feet of the power electrical ground. Which is usually in close proximity of the power meter. It is very important that the NI and power be bonded to the same ground. Because of some old houses, getting it tied to the same ground point isn't always practical. This too can be waivered. Undesirable however.
Many times, if the portion of drop wire physically going into the house is in good shape, they will cut that wire on the outside of the house and use that portion going into the house as part of the inside wiring. They will then connect a new drop to the new NI on the house at that point. Again, the electrical ground will dictate a lot of where the NI will go. Most utilities and services agree that bonding all the grounds at the same point is the best method. That is why most times you will see the phone, cable tv, and electric all mounted on the wall at the same spot. Later... Mike.... |
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BillRadio
join:2007-01-08
Aurora, CO
| reply to antimatter47
How much are you willing to pay? There are other alternatives, including having the cable buried, and it should not be difficult to bring the wire up from underground through conduit. Qwest would want the NI accessable (outside & unlocked), but the wiring can be protected.
You might want to consult with an electrical contractor who does these things every day, but you'll pay. Qwest has no obligation to you other than replace the old demarc with a state of the art NI. Otherwise, they won't do much else without charging. |
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no_one
| reply to antimatter47
They probably would move it to the electrical side for free or very cheap just to properly ground it. If you ran a new conduit they would at fairly cheap regulated rates pull in a new drop and place a sni.
You can lock a sni up no problem. But if you report a problem you just have to make sure there is access. |
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christcorp
Premium
join:2001-05-21
Cheyenne, WY
·Bresnan Online
·VOIPo
| Actually, if you run a conduit, qwest will indeed run the drop through it and won't charge you. They will put the NI where the electrical ground is, and won't charge you. You can lock the box and don't have to worry about Qwest getting into it, because it's a split box. You can pad lock it, and Qwest can still open the portion they need to. Later... Mike... |
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bmaasjr320
join:2006-03-14
Vancouver, WA
1 edit | reply to antimatter47
The only place were I have seen NID box inside a house. Is in the garage area of newly constructed homes. Other than that all NID boxes are placed outside. Always nears other utility services like electrical and cable. |
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