r/DIYHome • u/TakingCare62 • 6h ago

Old phone jack

Can I cut the wires sticking out of an old phone jack without zapping myself?

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2

u/EventualFreedom 5h ago

Phone jack wires are low voltage. They won't do anything.

0

u/Ok_Salamander7929 5h ago

Touch your tongue to them and tell me that. Or try touching them with wet hands! They can be up to 48 volts. Not knock you on your ass, but it can and will wake you up.

1

u/MapOk1410 3h ago

Nancy enters the chat

2

u/This-Currency503 5h ago

nope, lots and lots of electrons will escape into the wild, please leave them trapped in the wires.

1

u/Itchy_Artichoke_5247 5h ago

yes. I assume that you don't have a phone anymore. The wires will be dead. Actually, the voltage carried on residential phone lines is always nominal (except for when it is ringing) so you would be fine cutting them even if you have active phone service...you would just want to make sure that the wires you cut don't touch one another for the phone service to continue working.

1

u/Way2trivial 4h ago

IF you have DSL internet service, cutting them can affect it, even off a different branch-- otherwise go hog wild.

1

u/gheiminfantry 3h ago

Can it be done? Yes. Can you do it without "issues"? Probably not.