My kitchen phone is dead
 

Okay I'VE GOT A GOOD ONE FOR ANY PHONE PEOPLE OUT THERE.

Here, in a nutshell is my problem.

I have 4 landlines in my house. All worked fine until this evening.

The one in the kitchen went dead.

Before it went dead, it had a dial tone, but I could not phone out. If I got a phone call and picked up one of the other phones in m house, and then I picked up the kitchen phone, I could have a conversation, it worked fine.

As soon as I hung up (no other phone was off the hook). I tried to see if I could make an outgoing call. Sure enough I got a dial tone, but when I pressed the numbers, it didn't sound like I was pressing any numbers. For example, if I pressed 1 718, all I heard was the dial tone.

So then I waited and all of a sudden I got NOTHING from the kitchen phone. It was completely dead.

So I did what the phone people would have told me to do. I tested other phones, NOTHING WORKED. I took the kitchen phone into another room, plugged it in and it worked fine. SO IT WAS NOT THE PHONE ITSELF.

I then changed all phone lines (don't know what you call the line that goes from the phone to the jack). Replaced it. Still did not work.

Oh, just to let you guys know, this is a wall jack with a Verizon DSL filter on it.

So seeing that anything I did was not making me even get a dial tone anymore, I went to all the other jacks in the house and unplugged ALL of them, and waited 5 minutes, then replugged them all in.

No change. ALL OTHER PHONES WORKED. NOT THE KITCHEN PHONE.

And here's the mystery. I took my cell phone and dialed my home number to see if the kitchen phone would ring.

IT RANG.

So how can a dead phone line make a phone ring. When the phone rang, I picked it up. Nothing. Dead phone line.

I then called Verizon. She told me "from what you are telling me, it might be the jack, and if we send someone it will cost you $91.00 blah blah, because you don't have the maintenace plan'. I thought I did.

Guess I'm wrong.

So then I tried to take off the VERIZON DSL FILTER that I had to put on the wall jack when we got the DSL installed in the house. All phones have filters.

But the wall phone has this plate (the filter), over the original thing. It's been fine for 4 years.

I tried to take off the filter to see what was up, BUT I CANNOT TAKE OFF THIS FILTER. Do I slide it up, snap it off. I have no idea.

Can anyone please tell me how a dead phone can ring? Can I go to the store tomorrow and buy a phone line tester to actually test my line?

I have other phones in the house so this is no emergency, but I would like to know why my kitchen phone went dead and still rings.

Any comments are welcome


P.S. I tried to find a message board about telephone repairs (because there are MESSAGE BOARDS FOR EVERY TOPIC).

Can't find one.

any ideas. puleeeeeze!!

Melody

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE.

Five minutes ago, I went over to the phone and I got a dial tone. From a phone that was dead for 2 hours. I got so excited I screamed. Then I tried to make a phone call. No luck. I press the buttons, no call is made. I took my cell phone, I gave it to husband to call the home phone. the kitchen phone rang, I picked it up, I then had a phone chat with my husband who was in the other room.

So how on earth can I receive a call from a phone in my kitchen and not make any calls out.

And I just AGAIN phoned the Verizon tech support guy who told me HE HAD NO CLUE HOW THIS IS HAPPENING, BUT HE COULD SEND A GUY TO MY HOUSE AND THEY WOULD BILL ME.

I don't think so!!

mel

From personal experience I know that one bad apple (phone) can spoil the whole bunch. Unhook all of them except one, and see if it works properly.

If you don't have success figuring out the problem that way, its possible it could be the actual phone line coming into the house. My dad finally had to get the phone people to come and inspect, and it turned out to be their problem (no charge to Dad). Good luck!

Did that. All the others work just fine. It's just the kitchen phone.

And if you saw my update, you'll see that now I get a dial tone, I can get phone calls, the phone rings, but I can't call out.

It's not the phone, the line works BECAUSE I CAN RECEIVE CALLS.

I think it's the verizon dsl wall filter. I can't take it off.

I got it ON years ago. HOW DO YOU TAKE IT OFF?

And I just called them again and I'm not paying anyone $91.00 just to come out to my house.

Oh my god.

lol

Melody

Can you that a picture of the wall dsl/phone filter?
or use your webcam to take a snapshot?

from what you describe -
i'm wondering if just one of the little wires inside the wall phone jack have come loose.
but to check it you have to figure out how to get the dsl filter off.

I'll search some images and see what I can find .

does it look like that flat square one?
http://z.hubpages.com/u/492508_f520.jpg

any screws on yours?

if not it must just be snapped on..

how brave are you LOL - what I would try is this -
if you can gently slip a flat screwdriver or dull knife along the edge and just try to see if it budges or opens any gap??
very easy so it doesn't crack or break..

I'll keep looking for more pictures/info

silly me the next row had the Verizon wall mount-
http://www22.verizon.com/residential...sone/88280.htm


[Mount the filter by aligning the slots on the filter with the mounting pegs on the wall jack, and press down gently to secure it.]

it must be a snap on - so do the opposite to remove it..

IT LOOKS ALMOST IDENTICAL.

The screws are there to slip on the phone. I unscrewed the screws (just to see if anything happened). the stupid thing feels like it's cemented to the wall jack.

It's probably held on by sliding it on the original wall jack and snapping downward. But how does a person remove this thing?

Oh, and this is interesting. The bottom of the filter says "2 wire DSL FILTER, for 2 line wall mounted phones"

I have never had a two line phone on this wall. Only one line. Never had a problem in 4 years or so.

JUST HELP ME GET THIS DARN FILTER OFF.

lol

Melody
P.S. I found a verizon message board (everyone hates verizon by the way). hates their customer service. I WONDER WHY!!

lol

P.S. The webcam does not go into the kitchen. Sorry

If you can get the filter off - here are some wiring diagrams for phone jacks-
http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...-8&sa=N&tab=wi
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/i...e/inftel1.html

or maybe the filter went bad

you could try a test with a regular dsl filter to see if the phone works normal then.

but you'd still have to get the wall filter off first

no little slots or ridges to pry it up ?

there has to be a way to get it off - because the repair guys would have to do it sometimes too.

Well, as of last night, I GOT THE DIAL TONE BACK. I can pick it up, if someone calls me, but I can't make any phone calls out.

Want to know what I think? There are two parts to the phone that are crucial. The speaker part (for outgoing), and the incoming part (for hearing people). (I"m just making this simple so my brain can understand the point I'm making) lol lol

I think the wire that controls the INCOMING calls is working. I think the wire that controls the OUTGOING PART, has become loose, or is shorted out.

I can' find this out (and i have already gone on the internet and you can find tutorials on youtube about changing wall jacks, etc.

BUT THERE ARE NO TUTORIALS, OR VIDEOS ON HOW TO REMOVE A WALL DSL FILTER.

Today I am going to call the Broadband part of Verizon.

Maybe I'll get a compassionate DSL person who has instructed people on how to INSTALL THE FILTERS. If he did that, HE HAS TO KNOW HOW TO TAKE IT OFF.

I should make a video of me doing this.

If only the darn webcam stretched into my kitchen.

I shall update.

And thanks for all the info.

At least my other phones work just fine. FOR NOW.

LOL LOL LOL

Melody

Okay, I just went over to it and took another look. There is no OBVIOUS way to remove this thing. I tried sliding it UP, sliding it DOWN, and prying it OFF.

it doesn't budge.

So what should I do? I'm afraid if I just take my hand, get a good grip and pry it off, I might damage the wall or something.

Good Lord.

all this grief over a darn phone filter.

I'm going to go and make soup. That always calms me down.

lol

Melody

maybe call Verizon and ask how to take it off - don't say anything about the phone problem - if they ask why just say you are moving it to another wall jack or something... remodeling/ rearranging furniture ...something like that.

I think if you mention any phone problem they will want to send a technician out:rolleyes:

I would not pay the 91 bucks if I could help it either.

only as a last resort ;)

Because I've already called two times, I am in their computer. Even the time and date of when I called. Take for example last night, when I called the second time. Before I even opened my mouth the guy said "Oh I see that you called earlier about your kitchen phone".

See?? Can't even keep that a secret.

Right now, I'm not calling anyone. It's raining cats and dogs ouside, Alan just left for a meeting of the Neuropathy Association in NYC and I couldn't go because I HATE COLD WEATHER, I DON'T TRAVEL WELL ON TRAINS, and so I packed him a hot thermos full of my tomato cabbage soup, a sprout sandwich and I made all of them a big batch of my blueberry muffins.

They'll all be in blueberry heaven at that PN support group meeting.

I'll let you know what happens to this phone.

Take care and thanks much

Melody

Well, YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS ONE!!!

After switching every phone in the house, AND NONE OF THEM WORKED anymore, and I really thought it was the filter that was plugged into the jack (and I couldn't get the filter off no matter how hard), well, I had given up, bought a cordless phone, and used it when I was in my kitchen.

So I just found an old landline, (without the caller ID feature). And guess what. THE STUPID THING WORKS FINE in the kitchen. So why the heck could I NOT use any other phone (and they all work on all my other jacks). But not in the kitchen. Only now, some old phone that I had in the house. Well, it works. So I really didn't have to buy the cordless phone but who on earth cares. I WANT TO KNOW WHY MY STUPID KITCHEN PHONE NOW WORKS FINE? Only I can't get it to ring. but who cares? The other phones ring so I know I can pick it up and answer a call or I can make a call.

To me, this sounds like an episode of the Twilight Zone.

And YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS.

I have a Satelite antennae for my cable tv service. No problems. But what I didn't know was that I could get my TV to act like caller id and let me know who was calling. I never knew this.

So I plug a phone line into the back of the receiver and I take my cell phone and I call my house phone. I get a message on the bottom of my screen.

"INCOMING CALL, NOTIFY YOUR PHONE COMPANY AND ORDER CALLER ID SERVICE".

Now I ALREADY HAVE CALLER ID SERVICE.

So I phone up the cable company and what do they say "Do you have Caller ID on your phones". and I say "Of course, that's how I know that I have caller id service".

The guy says "Oh, that's your problem you have to have regular phones in order to have your tv tell you who is calling your house' (I immediately knew this guy was a Bozo because THIS MADE NO SENSE WHATSOEVER).

I then thank him, I disconnected all my phones, and put a regular phone on. Guess what, SAME MESSAGE.

So I call them back. This time the guy says "Did you re-boot your box"? I said "no," He says "You must reboot your box".

I rebooted my box (I'd like to re-boot the cable tv guy), and THE SAME MESSAGE.

So I must have called the cable company 8 times. All different excuses. My notifications thing is turned on, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET A CALLER ID MESSAGE ON MY TV TELLING ME WHO IS CALLING.

So what happened?? Ten minutes ago, I AGAIN call up the cable company, telling him the whole story. He says "yeah, I can see you've called MANY times today". I said 'well do you like a challenge?, let's see if you can help me".

Guess what he says:?

"do you have a dsl line? I said yeah". He goes


AHA!!!! Do you have a filter on the line that goes from your receiver?"

I said "What difference does THAT make, I'm not making a phone call from my cable tv receiver". He said 'Believe me, that's it, go and put a filter on the phone line going into the jack".

so I politely hang up. I go and find one of the extra dsl filters that I had laying around, I hooked it up, I take my cell phone, I call my house!!!

.....WAIT FOR IT!!!

BINGO!!!! I got Caller ID on my tv now.

Life is good!!!

lol

Wonder what I'll learn when I'm 70.

Oh, I learned something else today. I can get a HD TV and use it with my regular Cable box receiver. I don't have to upgrade to one of their dvr thingees. Alan can't use anything but a vcr and he doesn't like change, so I was worried that just in case I had to buy a new tv (and they ARE mostly HD's), I had asked every guy in every store "Can you use a HD tv with a non-HD cable box?

Absolutely every single person said 'Well, I have no idea" EVERY ONE OF THEM.

Today I found out from two of the reps I called and I asked them.

They both said "of course you can use it, you won't get HD quality but you'll get the same thing you now have".

I know HD QUALITY. You can see the pimples on people's faces.

I don't like pimples.

lol

Melody

My kitchen phone is dead
 

Hi Bob:

I am certainly NOT paying $90 to any phone company, especially WHEN MY KITCHEN PHONE NOW WORKS JUST FINE. As I said, I found an OLD Conair phone (with no Caller id feature), just a regular landline phone. I slipped it on the kitchen wall, right over the filter. I plugged it in. It's been working ever since. Now why wouldn't the other phones work.(Especially when they worked for years). All of a sudden, none of my Caller ID phones would work in the kitchen), they work everyplace else but not in the kitchen.

So I now have a regular non-caller ID phone in my kitchen, and in the other rooms, I have two Caller ID phones. Everything works fine.

I will never understand this.

And thanks for he info on the wires. It's good info to keep in mind.

Melody

since it is the caller ID part that wont work, it must be a discreet damage to that ....contact....interesting