dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
uniqs
20

retiredqwest
join:2005-04-01
Spokane, WA

retiredqwest to HunterZ

Member

to HunterZ

Re: [Signals] Just moved and need some advice

quote:
1. A copper wire (I think; it's covered in stupid house paint too) with green plastic shielding/insulation that appears to come out of the ground and is not connected to anything on the end I can see. It looks like this could be it; since I don't want to use an exterior coax splitter, should I instead purchase and install a coax ground block between the splice point and attach the green wire to it? Can I verify that the green wire is grounded by touching an ohmmeter to it and to, say, my electrical mains conduit or what I think may be the ground rod?

That is probably the ground wire that may have been attached to the coax ground block. Telco and CATV use a #6 wire w/green insulation for that purpose.

Using a Multimeter, set it on AC Voltage FIRST and test the wire. Then test it using the ohms scale.
quote:
2. A twisted steel cable of the type I've often seen attached to ground rods with a clamp/electrode. It comes from the ground near the green wire and immediately disappears up under the siding. I suspect this may run to the breaker box in the garage or something.

That is probably the power ground to the breaker panel.
quote:
3. A metal rod (possibly zinc or steel, although it looks a bit rusted on the very top) protruding just a couple inches from the ground, with no electrode/clamp attached. Could this be the ground rod, with everything connecting underground? It does look like the green wire and twisted steel cable come out of the ground just a few inches away, on the house side of the rod.
That is a 6-8' ground rod, if you dig down there should be 3 connections attached to it. CATV, Power, and Telco attach to it to make a 'common' ground.
quote:
4. The natural gas meter conduit on the opposite end of the wall has some wires attached to it that come out of the ground right next to it.

Those are used to attach a cable locator, since the pipe below the ground is plastic to the street.

IMO, you should make Comcast come out and fix that mess. You really shouldn't have to fix things and legally they are responsible to make sure that the coax has adequate grounding at your premises.

You may also want to consider rewiring the entire house. Ya, I saw you mentioned a crawl space..... If you wire the house and do what we call a 'home run' with each outlet you could probably eliminate most of the splitters you have now and maybe even the AMP. It all depends if you have the time and how long you think you are going to stay in that house if you want to make the effort.

HunterZ
join:2003-07-16
Kent, WA

HunterZ

Member

Thanks, I'll contact Comcast about having a grounding block installed on the tap.

I'm not a huge fan of crawlspaces (especially ones that previously had mice in them), but I think I should really run a new 25-30 foot cable from the outside of the house down into the crawlspace and over to the family room. Are there any good options for having someone else do this without paying an arm and a leg?

I also really don't want to re-wire the whole house at this time; I just want to have both the TV and Internet service in the family room (I already have wifi and HomePlug AV equipment to distribute the LAN/WAN throughout the house), and we currently have no plans to use TVs anywhere else in the house.

retiredqwest
join:2005-04-01
Spokane, WA

retiredqwest

Member

I think you might be hard pressed to find someone willing to do the crawlspace thing on the cheap. Especially concerning mice and Hanta Virus.

The Comcast tech will more than likely not be interested in doing it either... but it won't hurt to ask how much to install the line.

He might be willing to provide the RG6 cable for free. So, if you get the cable placed they will come back and install the connectors for free.

Is it possible to get close enough to the family room on the outside of the house?

On Craigslist, there's some guy in Kirkland who will install coax for a $1 a foot....8)

HunterZ
join:2003-07-16
Kent, WA

1 edit

HunterZ

Member

I'm actually a bit confused about where the current line to the family room is installed; it goes into a hole in the garage wall and then disappears, but my understanding is that it's not likely that there is crawlspace under the concrete-floored 3-car garage. I think there's a vent in the foundation on that side of the house, though, so I guess there must be a space under it?

Going around the outside wouldn't work too well, but I have been thinking of an alternative: the built-in entertainment center shares a wall with the garage, so I could drill into the garage by going right through the back of the existing cable hole. I could then tack up RG6 around the garage to where the existing cable comes in. This would involve going over a door and behind the tankless water heater and furnace, but I don't think any of that would be too dicey.