Installation of a new phone jack

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There is not that hard to install a second line into your home. The problem appears when you don’t have any jacks in a certain room. But don’t worry. This is an easy job as well. You’ll just need a few tools.

Screwdrivers – Phillips and straight
Wall fish, or a metal hanger that’s straightened out
Drill with 3/8″ diameter phone installer’s drill bit
1/2″ spade drill bit
Phone wire connectors (butt-type)
Phone wire
Drop cloth
Cable stapler with 9/16″ staples
Wire strippers
Surface mounted phone jack

1. Find a phone jack in the rooms next to the one where you want the new jack installed. We will call the old room, Room1. Disconnect the phone from the jack, if there is one, and unscrew the plate from the wall. Disconnect all the wires from the phone jack.

2. With the 1/2″ drill bit, drill a whole in the bottom of the box. You may not need to do this step if the existing wires are coming from the bottom of the box. There might just be enough space for more wires.

3. With the 3/8″ bit, drill a hole in the wall directly below the phone jack, right above the baseboard. Put the wires into the hole and use the hangar to pull them through.

4. Drill a 6″ hole with the same drill from where the phone line is coming out of the wall. Drill it all the way to the room where you want the jack installed.

5. Once the hole has been drilled, go to Room 2 and push the hangar through it. Then go back to Room 1 and tie or tape the wires to it. Go to Room 2 and pull the hangar.

6. Take the cover off of the surface mounted wall jack. Secure the back of the jack to the wall. Strip the phone cable back to reveal the four wires. If you’re using this jack only for the second line, then tape the red and green wires. Screw the cover back on.

7. In Room 1 cut away the excess wire, strip the wire back and use the butt-type phone wire connectors to connect the black to black and the yellow to yellow wires.

All that is left now is clean up and plug the phone and listen for a dial tone.