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Cut cable

pacreanor
Tuning in

Hi

I have cut through my cable while doing some gardening, total nightmare!

I have booked an engineer using the on-line system but have been unable to speak to anyone to tell them what the problem actually is. Is this the sort of thing that the engineer will be able to fix tomorrow or will it need something else?

Thanks

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@Tudor wrote:

If it’s fibre I don’t think a normal technician will be able to fix it. It’s a very tricky job the splice fibre and the may well need to blow a new fibre connection from the cabinet. Let us know how you get on, as I’m interested what they do in this case.


Also interested myself to know what the 'fix' is for a cut VM fibre cable. I know a mechanical cut/splice/'glue' approach can be done as a quick fix but the most-reliable method is via a fusion process. Doubt the average VM tech has the kit for that on their van. Do post back @pacreanor with the 'what happened next' bit of your story. For general info on the forum, it would be useful to know what the fibre repair process is.

See where this Helpful Answer was posted

8 REPLIES 8

goslow
Alessandro Volta

If it is copper cable (coax or phone) they would probably fit a waterproof joint box to get you working again. Depending where the break is, they may reinstall a new cable at a later date (although the 'temporary' joint box may remain temporary for a long time based on some past forum topics).

Don't know what the deal is with a fibre optic connection direct to the home and what specialist kit a VM tech would have available to fix that. Someone else may be able to comment and clarify.

Thanks for the response. 
it is definitely a fibre optic cable. There is not much of a run from the junction box to the house box, maybe 5m and it is all over grass. 

goslow
Alessandro Volta

If you're sure it's fibre then you'll have to wait and see what happens ...

However, VM is regularly and generically referred to as a 'fibre' connection but the historical connections to the customer's home will largely be coax cable, apart from new area installations.

If the outside box on your house is as the one on the left in the pic's at the bottom of the article below, then it is probably a coax connection. If it is like the one on the right, fibre.

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2019/12/identifying-bt-and-virgin-medias-uk-broadband-street-f...

If you have a dual 'shotgun' cable (two cables bonded alongside each other, one larger diameter than the other) going into your outside box, that would be a coax and copper phone connection (photo in message #2 below).

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Networking-and-WiFi/Incorrect-wall-socket/td-p/4558947


A fibre connection will have additional equipment inside including a power adapter which powers the fibre converter outside as per photo in message 1 below

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/QuickStart-set-up-and/missing-power-plug-for-white-box-on-the-w...


If the technician is coming tomorrow, you'll know soon enough what the options and outcomes are!

Thanks for the information.

I have the additional kit inside the house so I am guessing it is fibre.

We will see what can be done tomorrow. Fingers crossed it will be sorted soon because my son has an on-line race on Tuesday night and I will not be popular if he can't take part!

Tudor
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

If it’s fibre I don’t think a normal technician will be able to fix it. It’s a very tricky job the splice fibre and the may well need to blow a new fibre connection from the cabinet. Let us know how you get on, as I’m interested what they do in this case.


Tudor
There are 10 types of people: those who understand binary and those who don't and F people out of 10 who do not understand hexadecimal c1a2a285948293859940d9a49385a2

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@Tudor wrote:

If it’s fibre I don’t think a normal technician will be able to fix it. It’s a very tricky job the splice fibre and the may well need to blow a new fibre connection from the cabinet. Let us know how you get on, as I’m interested what they do in this case.


Also interested myself to know what the 'fix' is for a cut VM fibre cable. I know a mechanical cut/splice/'glue' approach can be done as a quick fix but the most-reliable method is via a fusion process. Doubt the average VM tech has the kit for that on their van. Do post back @pacreanor with the 'what happened next' bit of your story. For general info on the forum, it would be useful to know what the fibre repair process is.

Will do. 

Cut BiDi fibres are just blown out and a new fibre re-blown from the ONU back to the patch field in the cab. we don't fusion or mechanical splice them back together. The break in the micro duct will be repaired with a push fit coupling or two (just think john guest speed fit)

If the services are through HFC RG6/7/11 coax siamese, it'll get a splice with gel seal pack or a full repull if it can't be spliced. 

Hope this helps!