How to Use Bead Techniques for Installing a Phone Jack

While the ideal time to install wiring for a phone jack is when a home is built, that's not always possible, especially in existing homes. Many families today live in multi-phone homes, with phones in the living room, kitchen and bedroom. Here's a technique using a bead chain to fish the wire through the wall for a phone jack.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bead chain
• Phone wire
• Electrical tape

1. Get a bead chain to help fish the phone wire through the wall. This chain is like the pull chain used for a light, but it is extra long. You probably need at least 12 feet and 20 will give you any extra you need.

2. Position yourself above the hole for the phone jack. Likely you will be working from the ceiling down.

3. Feed the bead chain down the interior of the wall. If you are dropping it through a hole in the wall, keep working it until part of the chain falls through the hole, and the weight of the chain will pull it down.

4. Look for the chain to appear in the phone jack hole below.

5. Strap the bead chain to the phone wire with electrical tape. Cover the end of the wire with the tape so that the wire doesn't stick out and hang up on any obstacles on the way up.

6. Pull the chain back up through the hole to lead the wire up so that the phone jack can be hooked up.