BT Question: Phone rings continuously.

[zcacogp]

Chaps,

I have noticed a couple of BT questions on here recently, so I'll throw one in as well.

Our 'phone rings continuously. Not as in all the time, but when it rings instead of going "Ring-Ring ... pause ... Ring-Ring ... pause" etc, it goes "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing". This happens on all handsets (although, interestingly, some of them stop ringing some time before the others.)

Other than that, it works fine.

The change wasn't associated with having any work done, no adding of new sockets or plugging in new units. It just started happening one day (about 6 months ago now!)

What causes this and does it require a call to BT to sort out?


Oli.

[Merritt]

Try unplugging a couple of the other phones and see if it still happens.. you may have exceeded the REN number if you have a lot of phones plugged in to the same line.

Steve

[zcacogp]

Steve,

Thanks.

The same three 'phones are plugged in as have been previously. No change.

Removing one (or more) 'phones from the system makes no difference either.

(And I thought exceeding REN meant that some didn't ring at all, not continuous ringing? Although I could be wrong on this.)


Oli.

[Dave_ST220]

It will be a short somewhere, probably caused by water ingress.

[bimsb6]

most likely internal wiring,an earth on the bell circuit (terminal 3 )take the bottom section off the master socket and ring in from mobile with 1 phone plugged in and see what happens .



ps nothing to do with ren values .

Edited by bimsb6 on Thursday 11th June 18:46

[Sam_68]

Dave_ST220 said:

It will be a short somewhere, probably caused by water ingress.

I've certainly had this problem before - a damaged extension cable shorting between two of the internal wires in my case.

[zcacogp]

bimsb6 said:

take the bottom section off the master socket and ring in from mobile with 1 phone plugged in and see what happens

Good advice, thanks.

Doing this, the 'phone still rings continuously. I presume this means a problem with the BT side of things, and I need to contact them?


Oli.

[bimsb6]

_Deano said:

zcacogp said:

bimsb6 said:

take the bottom section off the master socket and ring in from mobile with 1 phone plugged in and see what happens

Good advice, thanks.

Doing this, the 'phone still rings continuously. I presume this means a problem with the BT side of things, and I need to contact them?


Oli.

have you tried the phone on the test socket?
Take the faceplate off the master socket and there is another plug that is connected directly to the line. If it still playing up then give BT a call.

is there an echo in here ?

[bimsb6]

zcacogp said:

bimsb6 said:

take the bottom section off the master socket and ring in from mobile with 1 phone plugged in and see what happens

Good advice, thanks.

Doing this, the 'phone still rings continuously. I presume this means a problem with the BT side of things, and I need to contact them?


Oli.

sounds like you do ,one more thing do you have an alarm system connected to the line ?
some alarm systems are wired directly onto the screw terminals on the back of the master socket so dropping the front plate off will make no difference if its the alarm causing the problem ,in this case you need to completely remove the master socket and disconnect the alarm remembering of course you will then have no alarm dialler connected .

Edited by bimsb6 on Saturday 13th June 17:06

[zcacogp]

Bims,

Does sound like an echo, doesn't it!

No alarm wired into that line. But a good idea, thanks.

I'll call BT on Monday. Anyone want a sweepstake on how long it will take them to sort it out?


Oli.

[bimsb6]

report it at www.bt.com saves talking to india and they will do a line test straight away
expect an appt within 2 days, morning or afternoon and they will want access whatever the fault reception tell you .

Edited by bimsb6 on Saturday 13th June 19:09

[bimsb6]

sorted yet ?

[zcacogp]

bimsb6 said:

sorted yet ?

No! Haven't got 'round to it (it's been a problem for nearly six months now .... )

I'm a lazy bugger. Carry on prompting me. Thanks for asking.


Oli.

[Allanv]

Not sure if this will help you but I had a similar fault years ago. It was fine for months then one day the phone just rang continually.

I narrowed down the fault to the sky box and the telephone lead that comes out of it. Where it plugs into the master socket, it was a little extension block and that for some reason had become faulty.

Unplugging it stopped the phone from ringing so I never plugged it back in.

[zcacogp]

Blast from the past ... over a year later, I got 'round to calling BT about this and an engineer has just visited.

Helpful chap, talked a lot, perhaps not the most technical type (he seemed quite unsure of the details of exactly what was going on), but he diagnosed the problem as being the main socket and replaced it.

And - joy! - our 'phone now rings in the approved "ring-ring" manner, rather than an (annoying) "rrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing"

Lovely! (No charge either, which is good.)


Oli.

[bimsb6]

zcacogp said:

Blast from the past ... over a year later, I got 'round to calling BT about this and an engineer has just visited.

Helpful chap, talked a lot, perhaps not the most technical type (he seemed quite unsure of the details of exactly what was going on), but he diagnosed the problem as being the main socket and replaced it.

And - joy! - our 'phone now rings in the approved "ring-ring" manner, rather than an (annoying) "rrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing"

Lovely! (No charge either, which is good.)


Oli.

nice one ,see we are not all useless twunts as some threads would have you believe sounds like the nte had an internal short of some sort.

[zcacogp]

Bimbs,

He said it was likely to be the (big, yellow) capacitor in the socket. He did have a name for the problem, but summarised it just as you did - "a short circuit somewhere".

Either way, I'm pleased!


Oli.