Moving a wall mounted BT overhead line bracket

[ollie_gb]

I've read a couple of threads and useful posts about moving fascia mounted brackets and wiring etc but haven't managed to find anything on this type of wall bracket (photo attached, hopefully), it's a galvanised corner bracket supporting a downward loop / drip with an upside-down cup on the end that the cable is wrapped round (to help tension it?) before being wrapped round itself, fixed by binding with another wire and routed around the wall to the incoming BT master socket.



We're extending over this corner of the house and I'm hoping to move it myself as I'm happy with rewiring the internal sockets / connections.

Does anyone know if you can buy similar / suitable fixing plates to fix to a wall face opposed to a corner, and if I'm opening up a whole box of worms by attempting it myself? I know that the cable is tensioned and I have to be careful that it doesn't pull me off the wall but I should have a scaffold / tower up by then.

It sounds like I may as well give it a try as the worse case scenario is that I fail and have to pay Mr Bt the money I'd have to in the first place? (save being pulled off the face of the wall, the cable whipping into a Tesco delivery lorry which in turn drives into a gas tanker which hits a substation next to a train carrying toxic waste and somehow starts World War III)

Thanks!

[jempalmer]

Given that scenario I'd recommend that you ring BT for a quote

[ollie_gb]

Photo link didn't seem to work!

http://tinypic.com/r/334tdap/6

---------- Post added at 21:39 ---------- Previous post was at 21:36 ----------

I'm pretty confident that it wont cause World War III..........

If you ask and they say no they have a trail and record - would they every check up?!

[jempalmer]

It has now. I personally wouldn't take the chance. As you say it will be under tension, quite a lot of it. Play safe and get BT to do it for you.

I don't think they'll refuse if you explain why it needs to be relocated.

[Rob]

Anything that is on the telecoms provider's side of the phone master socket should only be touched by the telecoms provider.

Having got that out of the way, the overhead wire is unlikely to be tensioned, but depending on the distance between the telegraph pole and your fixing there can be a lot of weight. If the wire crosses over a road you're going to need to exercise care not to let it droop.

I would however expect most fixings can be released somehow (perhaps simply cutting off the heads with a drill or grinder) so you can relocate the hook, providing new bolt fixings into your wall. But if the new fixing location is further from the pole than the existing one, your going to need added cable, and that means getting BT in to do the job anyway.

[Peter_]

I removed mine in similar circumstances when building our extension and found the cable to be to heavy to relocate as we did not have the correct tool for tensioning the wire, so as we now had cable broadband I just wrapped it around the telephone pole and some time later BT removed it.

Do not attempt to move as it will droop across the road and potentially cause an accident get BT to resite it.

[progers]

No doubt at all, BT need to do it! The tension if you release the bracket would certainly cause you problems

[ollie_gb]

Cheers guys, I feared as much. Luckly it just goes over a small cul-de-sac and the new fixing is towards the pole so this helps. I can't get BT to relocate it until the new wall is there and the new wall can't go up until the cable and fixing are moved! I'll try and carefully relocate it to one of the scaffold poles and then get BT out (hopefully before 2013) to fix it back properly. I'll try and keep a phone connection but you wont hear if I don't as I wont be on line!

More money flying off to the good old service providers for probably a 1hr job .

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by ollie_gb

Cheers guys, I feared as much. Luckly it just goes over a small cul-de-sac and the new fixing is towards the pole so this helps. I can't get BT to relocate it until the new wall is there and the new wall can't go up until the cable and fixing are moved! I'll try and carefully relocate it to one of the scaffold poles and then get BT out (hopefully before 2013) to fix it back properly. I'll try and keep a phone connection but you wont hear if I don't as I wont be on line!

More money flying off to the good old service providers for probably a 1hr job .

The weight of the cable may surprise you and not a good idea attaching to a scaffolding pole.

[ollie_gb]

First floor joists have been put up and so I'm able to access it safely now. Had a quick check of the weight / tension and it's incredibly light!

Not sure if it's a diffreent cable to the one everyone thought but it seems to have 2 principle wires to it (possibly copper coated steel wires?) and it's only about 20m to the post. I haven't disconnected or stripped any of it yet though. The existing bracket looks overkill and although most of the neighbours have a similar one there seem to be eyelet ones else where which would be much simpler to face mount on the new brickwork.

Cheers for everyone's concerns, hopefully I'll be able to re-route and reconnect it without the help of Mr BT's henchmen.

[jempalmer]

Good luck dude, keep us posted (unless we see you on the National news heh heh)

[martyh]

Originally Posted by ollie_gb

Photo link didn't seem to work!

http://tinypic.com/r/334tdap/6

---------- Post added at 21:39 ---------- Previous post was at 21:36 ----------

I'm pretty confident that it wont cause World War III..........

If you ask and they say no they have a trail and record - would they every check up?!

Originally Posted by jempalmer

It has now. I personally wouldn't take the chance. As you say it will be under tension, quite a lot of it. Play safe and get BT to do it for you.

I don't think they'll refuse if you explain why it needs to be relocated.

i've moved loads of these type of brackets and the facia mounted ones .there is not a lot of weight and can easily be re sited and BT couldn't give a hoot,none of the sites i have worked on have ever got bt in to move them they always just get a labourer to do it .The only thing i will suggest is to make sure there are two of you as it makes it easier with this type of bracket and as already suggested make sure there will be not extra sag due to the new location

[ollie_gb]

Thanks Martyh

Sounds like a good plan and what I was going to give a go first. Nice to know that I'm not going against everyone's advise!

Cheers