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Plate cover for phone jack

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Nov 28, 2016
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Out west

Plate cover for phone jack

Wife wants to not see the phone jack on a lower portion of the wall. Fine, if it bothers you that much. We still have a home land line, but this jack is not used.

So question is

1. Can a person just disconnect the jack inside and then just put a blank on it, or does that affect the entire house?
2. If the above isnt possible, do they make covers that go over the jack.

Its honestly in a dumb place. Lower part of the wall close to going up the stairs from the rec room. Not in the middle of the wall that it would basically be covered by a shelving
17 replies
Sr. Member
Mar 10, 2004
897 posts
376 upvotes
Remove jack from face plate. Push jack into electrical box. Put blank face plate.
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tempperm wrote: Remove jack from face plate. Push jack into electrical box. Put blank face plate.
Never realized you could do that, thought they were a solid piece.

Thanks
Deal Guru
Jan 25, 2007
12695 posts
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Paris
WikkiWikki wrote: Never realized you could do that, thought they were a solid piece.

Thanks
Some are, some aren’t. Just put wire nuts on it. We tiled over one in the kitchen as it was in a terrible spot and we have a cordless set with 6 phones.
Sr. Member
Mar 10, 2004
897 posts
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WikkiWikki wrote: Never realized you could do that, thought they were a solid piece.

Thanks
Some of the older faceplates may be builtin. I would just cut out around the jack.
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tempperm wrote: Some of the older faceplates may be builtin. I would just cut out around the jack.
No it can come off with 2 screws. Ill check when I get home tonight
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Jerico wrote: Some are, some aren’t. Just put wire nuts on it. We tiled over one in the kitchen as it was in a terrible spot and we have a cordless set with 6 phones.
If I do have to tie off the wires, that just effects that outlet then?
Deal Fanatic
Nov 21, 2013
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Montréal
Don't forget that usually those are connected in serial. If you disconnect one jack the others after this one in the circuit may not work
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DoorCrasher wrote: Don't forget that usually those are connected in serial. If you disconnect one jack the others after this one in the circuit may not work
Ill look at the outlet first. If its a two piece, then Ill push the jack part in. If its not, ill take a picture of the wiring and disconnect. If the other phone quits working, Ill hook the wires back up
Jr. Member
May 9, 2014
166 posts
78 upvotes
Toronto, ON
LOL!! No they in parallel or else if you unplugged 1 phone the others wouldn't work.

Op, you can also clip the wires and tuck them into the wall.
DoorCrasher wrote: Don't forget that usually those are connected in serial. If you disconnect one jack the others after this one in the circuit may not work
Deal Addict
Sep 13, 2016
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Mississauga
As mentioned already, most of the times the wires are connected in parallel. So you can simply put all the connected wiring inside the wall cavity and put a blank face plate on.
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Oct 14, 2010
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Barrie ON
They are connected in parallel, but often the wiring is daisy chained from one jack to the next.

For example the demarcation point from the phone company may be located outside near the hydro meter. From the demarc point a cable (containing 4 conductors) will run to the first jack in the house. From that jack, a second cable will be run to the next jack in the house. From that jack, another cable will be run to the third jack in the house. This daisy-chaining will continue until the circuit is connected to the last jack in the home.

As a result of this wiring scheme, each jack will have 2 cables entering the box. The red, green, black , and yellow conductors of both cables will be attached to the R, G, B, and Y screws on the jack. The connection of both cables to the screws is were the "parallel" wiring takes effect.

If the OP wishes to remove a jack, and it only has a single cable, all he has to do is cut the cable, and cover the hole with a blank plate. If the jack is connected to 2 cables, he needs to remove the 8 conductors (4 in each cable) and reconnect the similar colors together before putting on a blank plate.

Some homes also use "home run" wiring were a single cable is run from each jack to a central distribution point in the house. The same rule applies, if the jack only has a single cable, just cut it off and cover up the hole.
Deal Fanatic
Jun 24, 2015
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if its older house its daisy chained, just put butt connectors, yes thats what theyre called on the wires to give continuity to the other jacks on the loop.. so just take a picture of the wires before you remove it, then put the same ones in the butt connector and voila, done you can cover the hole with blank wall plate
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Deal Guru
Jan 25, 2007
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Rick007 wrote: As a result of this wiring scheme, each jack will have 2 cables entering the box. The red, green, black , and yellow conductors of both cables will be attached to the R, G, B, and Y screws on the jack. The connection of both cables to the screws is were the "parallel" wiring takes effect.
I've never seen that in the box itself, but stranger things have happened for sure.
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Nov 28, 2016
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Im going to restore like I always do on Fridays after work, and find a cover plate.

House is 2006, and I dont think these are in series.

To me, the look of it doesnt matter, its the usual white. But it is in a dumb spot, probably a quick install for the builder. Nothing close to it,
Jr. Member
May 9, 2014
166 posts
78 upvotes
Toronto, ON
Just a different way of explaining it since I didn't understand your post upon first read. But basically the same thing.

I only can speak to the houses I've lived in and done some wiring, one build it 1970's and one in 2008. The wire enters the home and there's a termination block by the main electrical panel. The wire in the 1970's home had 4 conductors and only could support 2 lines (2 conductors for each line. The wire for the 2008 home has 6 conductors and can support 3 lines.

The 1970's home was daisy chained on the 2nd floor, one cable (4 conductors) was run to the 2nd floor and each jack was connected in parallel to that first jack. Except when dial-up BBS/internet happened and we ordered another dedicated line for the computer, the jack in the computer room was wired to the other 2 conductors and at the termination block.

In the 2008 home each room has it's own "cable drop" to the basement and is wired directly to the termination block in parallel.

In the 2008 home you can clip the wires. In the 1970's home if you clip the wires, the jacks/telephones down stream if daisy chained will not longer function so use wire nuts. You'll know if they're daisy chained because there will be more than 1 cable going into the jack box.
Rick007 wrote: They are connected in parallel, but often the wiring is daisy chained from one jack to the next.

For example the demarcation point from the phone company may be located outside near the hydro meter. From the demarc point a cable (containing 4 conductors) will run to the first jack in the house. From that jack, a second cable will be run to the next jack in the house. From that jack, another cable will be run to the third jack in the house. This daisy-chaining will continue until the circuit is connected to the last jack in the home.

As a result of this wiring scheme, each jack will have 2 cables entering the box. The red, green, black , and yellow conductors of both cables will be attached to the R, G, B, and Y screws on the jack. The connection of both cables to the screws is were the "parallel" wiring takes effect.

If the OP wishes to remove a jack, and it only has a single cable, all he has to do is cut the cable, and cover the hole with a blank plate. If the jack is connected to 2 cables, he needs to remove the 8 conductors (4 in each cable) and reconnect the similar colors together before putting on a blank plate.

Some homes also use "home run" wiring were a single cable is run from each jack to a central distribution point in the house. The same rule applies, if the jack only has a single cable, just cut it off and cover up the hole.
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Nov 28, 2016
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Well it only had two wires to it. Unhooked them and tested the phone jack the cordless is plugged into. Worked fine, incoming and outgoing. Put electrical tape on the two bare wires and a regular blank plate. Keep the old jack just in case for the future

Thanks for the tips everyone. It actually does look better capped off.
Deal Fanatic
Jun 24, 2015
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if there was only 2 wires in it, it likely was the end of the line, so yes safe to clip off the exposed copper wire and put electrical tape over the wires so they dont short out.
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