So last summer my mother was trimming bushes and cut the cable for internet i did a quick fix by twisting it and taping which seemed to work okay till now i believe its causing internet issues. Which is proper way to fix buy a set of cable crimpers and connecters and make a union or can i solder it together? Which is better and why ?
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How to fix coaxial cable.
- Thread starter Ronson25
- Start date
Metal-Marc
Well-known member
Crimp and union. Always.
GilbertoS374
Member
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2022
- Messages
- 10
On each side of the cut, place a male connector. A "barrel" connector is used to link them. Tape the connectors together to prevent them from unscrewing.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Every connection loses signal strength. So you would be going from a solid run to having two terminations and a barrel connector. Not ideal, but likely better than tape. The cable service only works within a range of signal strengths, so depending on what else you have in the system, this repair may not help.
Terminating coax isn't hard and the tools aren't expensive, but if you mess up one of them, you'll have to add a short length of wire and another barrel connector.
Can you replace the wire? I'd try that before a repair.
Terminating coax isn't hard and the tools aren't expensive, but if you mess up one of them, you'll have to add a short length of wire and another barrel connector.
Can you replace the wire? I'd try that before a repair.
If the line is coming from the service provider call them and have them replace the line. If you add splice like mentioned above make sure you water proof it
karoc
Well-known member
HD sales a wire stripping tool that’s made for that and they also sale coupling and connectors. But since it’s outside repair you have to seal it with silicone
ace10
Well-known member
Is this something she's likely to do again?
If so, perhaps get some conduit over the exposed wire or move it.
If so, perhaps get some conduit over the exposed wire or move it.
This, but make sure you have a solution for the connectors at the end of the wire. Mom & pop stores will gladly crimp the correct connectors on the cable for you.Can you replace the wire? I'd try that before a repair.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
What is a mom and pop coax supply place?This, but make sure you have a solution for the connectors at the end of the wire. Mom & pop stores will gladly crimp the correct connectors on the cable for you.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Not really a thing in the US, as far as I have seen. Maybe in major cities. But around here, if you need a coax line, the cheapest way is to order it online, from a place like monoprice or digikey and if you need one locally, Walmart, home depot, target, etc are the places to go.Same as mom & pop car related supply shops, but electrical ... I can show you three like those within a 15 min. drive from my house
hans109h
Well-known member
Not all coax is the same and it comes in many different tolerances to signal loss, however the weakest point of all coax is probably water intrusion. This could be why your fix worked for a while but is now failing. If the existing coax has been exposed to water, any sort of splice/repair might just be a band-aid and the water damage will continue down the line. If your line is rated for direct burial you'll probably be fine, but some coax insulation (the white part around the copper) is open cell foam that can wick water very rapidly. In this case you'd be best replacing the entire run, especially if the signal is being used for high bandwidth applications like internet.
On this note, not all electrical tape is created equal either, so be sure to get a roll of something quality before you do the repair.
On this note, not all electrical tape is created equal either, so be sure to get a roll of something quality before you do the repair.
FredWanaker
Well-known member
You call the cable company, tell them shame on them for putting it in an unsafe place, and that your mom was terrified she was about to get electrocuted, that they should come and fix it, only this time put it in a safe location. 20 years ago Comcast here used to lay the cable one inch under the lawn. Now they put in conduit and the cable within it. Doesn't matter how far they have to relocate it, that is their policy. They don't want it someplace it can get cut.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Lol. Conduit.You call the cable company, tell them shame on them for putting it in an unsafe place, and that your mom was terrified she was about to get electrocuted, that they should come and fix it, only this time put it in a safe location. 20 years ago Comcast here used to lay the cable one inch under the lawn. Now they put in conduit and the cable within it. Doesn't matter how far they have to relocate it, that is their policy. They don't want it someplace it can get cut.
Never seen a cable company do that.
I have Verizon relocating a fiber line on my property right now. 6-8" deep is all they do, but I got the tech to agree to pull it through my conduit if I glued it up and laid it next to the trench.
FredWanaker
Well-known member
they don't like to put it somewhere it can get damaged. We had a box cover at the street that was broken, sharp plastic pieces and wires exposed, black widows living in it galore. Waited 10 years for them to replace it, made many calls. Finally called them one day and said some kid coming home from the school down the street was playing in it with the wires, sharp edges and spiders, and next thing I knew his parents were out front taking pictures of it, and the kid had his arm in a sling. It was replaced the next day about sunrise.
Dancing Bear
Well-known member
I work for Spectrum (I'm not a field technician though, I work on the Corporate side) and I've heard many customers mention that the contractors that bury the lines at customer's homes only bury them a few inches deep. We dispatch a lot of service calls to repair cut/damaged lines. Maybe the contractors get paid by the inch?
FredWanaker
Well-known member
could be. The one here years ago got paid by the install. He cut a vee in the lawn, tossed cable in and threw the sod back. That is why I put conduit in this time, and then when they came out they said we don't allow what they did years ago. It has to be in conduit on new installs. We would have done it for you but we would have gone to the far side of the house where the electric is also, and then come back around the outside of the house.