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Recent Install - Quality Workmanship?

6K views 90 replies 16 participants last post by  peds48 
#1 ·
I had an upgrade this week. During the install, I added a box upstairs, so the tech had to run a line from outside and up into my attic. As part of this, he also had to add a module (splitter maybe?) on the outside lines. He shoved all of this into my Bellsouth telephone box. Since it wouldn't close (as it previously did), he threw a zip tie on it and he left it in the state shown in the pictures

My concerns are the fact that water can now get into the box and cause corrosion (to the phone block terminals and the DTV equipment) and the fact that some of coax in the bottom of the box is bent pretty severely

Should I be concerned?
 

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#2 ·
I am not an installer but from all that I read those splitters are designed to be used outside in the weather.
I do not think he is allowed to put it inside the telephone box. The phone company would not like that at all.
My install has 3 of those splitters on the outside of the house, under the eves.

They should come back and fix that, unless you can just pull it out and put a couple of screws to fasten it to the wall.
 
#4 ·
Yes you should be concerned,

Looks like he tried to place a SWiM splitter inside the telephone network SNI. Very bad idea.

The splitter can be mounted inside or outside, and it should be outside on the wall someplace in this case. If he left his number call the tech. back out to come do it right, or call DIRECTV and complain.

There are central boxes in homes designed to place cable splitters and what not in with phone connection terminal blocks, but not in a telephone SNI like that.
 
#5 ·
Having the box open like that defeats the one of the reasons for the box: protect the equipment from the elements.

I'm only guessing, but I think the first time the phone company comes out, they'll pull that equipment out and seal the box the way it should be.

As others have said, get it fixed.
 
#6 ·
TorinTPG said:
I had an upgrade this week. During the install, I added a box upstairs, so the tech had to run a line from outside and up into my attic. As part of this, he also had to add a module (splitter maybe?) on the outside lines. He shoved all of this into my Bellsouth telephone box. Since it wouldn't close (as it previously did), he threw a zip tie on it and he left it in the state shown in the pictures

My concerns are the fact that water can now get into the box and cause corrosion (to the phone block terminals and the DTV equipment) and the fact that some of coax in the bottom of the box is bent pretty severely

Should I be concerned?
Well that's illegal. As an retired tel tech, the first thing I would do is remove off foreign hookup on telco equip if I had to go to your home on a TR..
 
#12 ·
A few years ago we moved into a temp. rental property for a few months till a better rental property was ready to be moved into... We where required to by the landlord to have Comcast installed since we where only going to be there a short time... one of the other units ( without permission ) had Dish Network installed. The installer was nice enough to stuff his connections into my units Comcast box...

When the Comcast tech came out to install my service he just took out a pair of ****'s and snipped all the wires going into the box. He then installed my service and put a padlock on the box... Then the other tenants came home at found out they had no service.. They confronted the tech and he said "not my problem" and got in his truck and went to his next customer...

with that said, Yes i would call Directv and i would make sure they are well aware of how it was installed... i can assure you the telco esp. if its Verizon will remove all the DTV stuff out of there box when they come out to replace it after your telephone service fails from being in the elements...
 
#14 ·
So I called DTV on Sunday and they setup a tech to come out (via Mastec) to correct the issue. I spoke with Mastec on Monday and asked them to send a tech, but not to send the same tech that performed the original work. They confirmed this was possible

I get a call today that they are coming out and the tech will call when he is on his way. Turns out it was the same tech and he told me "it doesn't matter if water gets inside the box" and the phone company "will not care if these wires are in there". His solution (after trying to force the box shut when it clearly wouldn't shut) was to slap another zip tie on upper half of the box. The top portion is now mostly closed, but the bottom is still wide open.

I didn't feel like arguing with the guy and he clearly didn't plan on staying long because he didn't even turn his van off. He didn't need me to sign off on anything, so my guess is that he was there "under the radar" so that he did not get docked or written up. What should my next step be? Would it just be easier to purchase a weather proof box on my own and move everything inside of it?
 
#15 ·
In addition to contacting DirecTV, I suggest you notify your local phone company and provide them the contact info of the local Mastec office, since if they're doing it to you they're probably doing it to others in your area, which will cost the phone company in parts and labor when they have to go around and fix it.
 
#16 ·
KyL416 said:
In addition to contacting DirecTV, I suggest you notify your local phone company and provide them the contact info of the local Mastec office, since if they're doing it to you they're probably doing it to others in your area, which will cost the phone company in parts and labor when they have to go around and fix it.
You really like to stick it to them :)

Thanks for the suggestion
 
#17 ·
TorinTPG said:
So I called DTV on Sunday and they setup a tech to come out (via Mastec) to correct the issue. I spoke with Mastec on Monday and asked them to send a tech, but not to send the same tech that performed the original work. They confirmed this was possible

I get a call today that they are coming out and the tech will call when he is on his way. Turns out it was the same tech and he told me "it doesn't matter if water gets inside the box" and the phone company "will not care if these wires are in there". His solution (after trying to force the box shut when it clearly wouldn't shut) was to slap another zip tie on upper half of the box. The top portion is now mostly closed, but the bottom is still wide open.

I didn't feel like arguing with the guy and he clearly didn't plan on staying long because he didn't even turn his van off. He didn't need me to sign off on anything, so my guess is that he was there "under the radar" so that he did not get docked or written up. What should my next step be? Would it just be easier to purchase a weather proof box on my own and move everything inside of it?
If you have the local number to Mastec, call them and ask them to send out a supervisor. I had one instance like this and when the supervisor came out he took pictures of the mess and told me that the tech that did the install was to be fired over this. He then sent a different tech that was appalled at what he saw. He did the job very professionally and then came inside to check out the inside. He found that the H23 receiver was bad. He said he would be back the next day with a replacement. he did that and all was well again.
 
#18 ·
Id not let that stand at all. Id already be on the phone with masts now. No way on earth should you spend a dime of your money on a box yourself or time to install it right.

Before it was questionable but now I say that guy should be fired after his follow up visit. What a lazy person.


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#25 ·
The words that come to mind are ones I can't use on this site. ;). Seriously that sharp coax turn wouldn't pass qc all in its own not to mention the rest of that mess. Again get a supervisor out then it'll get fixed right.


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