codenamecody asked:
I am trying to fix my door bell, I was looking for the low voltage transformer in an outlet so I took a blank switchplate off and there was this cableing inside of it that just ended. I’m pretty sure its not for the doorbell but im wondering what these wires are for. Pretty sure its not phone or ethernet because those both have some striped wires.
5 Responses to “What kind of in wall cabling has blue, white, green, red, brown, orange, black, and yellow individual strands?”
A blank switchplate would indicate to me that it is a junction box. First off, did you check to see if their is live current in any of those wires ? If they are very small wires , they could be the low voltage wires for not just your doorbell, but a security system. Not sure , but that is what it sounds like to me at this point. Do check for ac current though just to be safe
These particular wires are for a phone line or phone jack junction box…the transformer for a doorbell is usually right by the chime box in a hallway mostly..it can be anywhere in the house but generally a first floor and sometimes second floor hallway..all the wires for the phone are less commonly used now and go on a 2 or 3 wire system, and the rest are usually just wrapped around the main wire to keep them out of the way..all the color codes you mentioned are the phone line wires…the blank switchplate is in case you might want to add another phone jack in that area
Phone wires
That sounds like a multi-line phone system wiring. Black, green, red, and yellow are used for a primary phone line (actually, in most cases, only the red and green lines are used). The other colors would be used when a second phone system (or number) needed to be able to operate independently of the first. I used this kind of a set up back when I used dial-up service for my computer modem, and actually had a second phone number, so that my computer did not have to share the voice line. Some folks I’ve known, used a similar set up, to keep a fax machine running all the time.
Another possibility, is wiring for a thermostat…though my first guess is that those are phone line wires. Even more so, if the plate is below five feet (the required height for a thermostat, these days)
Of course, if you’re not in the USA, it could be something else entirely, hehehe
Most doorbells I’ve worked on, have the transformer IN the doorbell ‘box’ itself. Makes replacing them much easier.
Have Fun
If the cable just ended it where you can replace the plate with one that is needed. Its more than likely a multi line phone cord or a real old cat 5 cable or a cheap one. Have seen those on an RS232 plug also, that’s mid 90’s wiring for a PC.