CenturyLink → [CenturyTel] Bad Landline noise and DSL drops during summer with CenturyLink

Hi all,

Been battling this for several years. During summer months Landline and DSL will really act up usually around noon till evening. Landline becomes unusable with horrible noise and DSL constantly loses sync rather can barely maintain sync. Outside of summer, zero problems. Line is clear and I run pretty much at 40Mb downstream.

I've gone through CL support a number of times and no luck there, Line tests don't show anything when I call (usually noise is gone). I've checked almost everything I could, swapped phones, removed devices, checked jacks etc. Recently, I read air conditioning units can create strong interference and it fits that my problem is only during summer and hotter days in CO. It's not my AC unit since I don't use mine and I don't believe the interference is from inside my apartment.

My question is, is there anything that CenturyLink or I can do ? Are there any other possibilities to explain this problem?

Thanks in advance!

When having a tech come out, are you getting one in the afternoon?

Also, be sure to keep your DSL Modem log and call from a cell phone while it's happening.

I had the same issue in AZ and ended up dropping the landline altogether since they could not rectify the issue, now that i'm on Dry Loop DSL the problem went away.

Where is your box from CL. In my apartment, the main terminal is a box outside where everything for my building runs to. I live in a 3 story building.
My best guess is water from the sprinkler system getting into the wiring.

I am in Thornton. Your city ?

It only takes one Good tech from Century Link to fix this. They should be there in the afternoon when the trouble is apparent. Sure sounds like it is temperature related so get the tech there when it is hot.

Hope a GOOD technician shows up rather than a lazy one. The fact that your phone line goes bad too is the key to getting it fixed. Make sure you specify that your phone is failing to work properly too. They are required to fix that while the DSL is an optional service and they can sort of ignore issues with it and get away with it. The chances are great that a fix of the phone line will fix your DSL too.

I had the same problem. Multiple calls and techs. Finally a very wise CL tech determined that the line from the pole to my house had been spliced and then taped. When the weather got warm, the tape would start to unravel and cause the problems you are describing. Once that splice was re-spliced with better materials my problems totally went away.

@brad152- I just checked my modem and sadly it doesn't keep any kind of useful log. Only bit of useful info is uptime. Doing a rough pen and paper log in the meantime.

@Ken1943- I'm in Denver and at a previous location I had problems with moisture as well. But currently not even the recent down pour we've had has bothered my landline/dsl. I've also watched for sprinklers and that doesn't seem to be in... could be wrong though.

@Chamb- Thanks for the tip, I'll report it as a landline problem. Been reporting dsl and that hasn't helped at all.

@Broadbandfan- Did you problem happen only during hot periods and what kind of climate are you in? I'm in Colorado and we get some pretty big temperature swings with winter -15F to summer 95F+. I would think if it was tape/splicing that cold periods would cause it to act up as well?

A friend had the issue you did and both hot or cold temps would cause it to act up. As far as I can tell only heat bothers it...hmmm

Just resolved a similar issue, except i was getting complete disconnects at times. Took 3 months to track the problem down because techs were never here when it would occur and the weather was moderate. Happened both cold and hot.

Supervisor gave me his cell number and assigned a line tech to respond it went out again, sure enough it did, and finally a tech showed up when issue was happening! My pair was grounding out. My signals have never been better.

Moisture can be a weird happening. Retired telephone tech , 47 years, and since I moved to Colorado, I haven't even checked my pair with a meter or test set for reference.
Your problem could be a bad connection anywhere which a "good" tech would check, but from what I have read, are few and far between. Copper pairs can be a bitch to find a problem with. Old days, noise, CO tester would put 600vdc on the pair at the CO which would "burn" the problem and then change the pair. Of course I would disconnect the pair before any equipment on site and keep fingers away from.
By the way, I repaired a cord switchboard that was rebuilt in 1943, the year I was born, in the 70's.