Phone Line Voltage?

[molo]

I would like to know how much voltage is flowing through phone lines? I had the cover off of a phone jack, and was told it had alot of volts running through it. Does anyone know how much voltage they have?

TIA,
Molo

[jimbo]

Historically, the telephone battery voltage has been around 48 volts. Yes, they run the phones on batteries, which is why they ALWAYS work. Your home cordless phone or answering machine of course does not work without power, but any POT (plain old telephone) will always work.

More modern switchboards can be as low as 37 volts.

The ringing voltage can be anywhere between 40 and 90 volts.

In all cases, because of the amount of line resistance, the amount of current you could get through your body is not enough to hurt you, although if you put you fingers across the line just as it rang, you could get a tingle.

[jadnashua]

Ring voltage can really hurt...from personal experience! The static DC voltage you probably woundn't notice unless the conditions were just right, but watch out for it when it is ringing!

[molo]

The guy found 55 volts DC on my phone jack with his volt meter. Am I overreacting or does it seem strange that this much voltage is allowed to run through a box that is often very flimsily mounted on walls. I mean look at the strict code related to residential 120 wiring and the boxes. Phone lines are often housed in boxes that are attached to the wall with sticky tape. Am I missing something here?

TIA,
Molo

[CHH]

Don't know if you're missing something or not but teleco voltage is not a safety issue.

Voltage in and of itself is not an indication of safety once the system is above a given minimum level.

Voltage is just the driving potential for current to flow through a circuit. If a large current is unavailable, no harm can be done by the system. The descriptive equation is V=I*R so if R is big, I can't be big no matter how big V gets (for practical values of V). V is voltage, I is current , R is resistance

Either the source of the voltage or the wiring system can restrict the available current. In the teleco case, the wiring system resistance ensures that large currents won't develop. A Van Der Graaff generator is an example of a source that can't develop much current even though it develops very large potentials (>50,000 volts). A VDG generator can produce artificial lightning but it is safe to have the spark discharge into your body because there is very little real current available.

[snafflekid]

The 48 Volts will cause a tingle as well! I found out while working on a line inside an attic, hot and sweaty.

[jimbo]

The voltage at your house comes from a battery which is anywhere from a few thousand to 20,000 feet away at the central office. Due to several hundred ohms of resistance, it will not drive enough amps through even a dead short to hurt you, and your body resistance is usually quite high.

As a comparison, in a dry winter , you may have experienced a spark from your finger when touching a doorknob,, etc. The charge on your body generally exceeds 20,000 volts, hence the arc, but resistance limits the current to an amount which is not harmful.

[Mr_Pike]

Historically, the telephone battery voltage has been around 48 volts. Yes, they run the phones on batteries, which is why they ALWAYS work. Your home cordless phone or answering machine of course does not work without power, but any POT (plain old telephone) will always work.

More modern switchboards can be as low as 37 volts.

The ringing voltage can be anywhere between 40 and 90 volts.

In all cases, because of the amount of line resistance, the amount of current you could get through your body is not enough to hurt you, although if you put you fingers across the line just as it rang, you could get a tingle.

Jimbo is right on with his #'s.

And yes, you can get a shock if the phone rings while you have your fingers on the wires. I can't recall the exact sequnce of events that lead to me finding that out personally, but I do recall being upset with the person calling.

[molo]

Any ideas on how bad the "worst shock" from a phone line would hurt a little kid?

[cwhyu2]

It might teach him not to touch again.

[jimbo]

Any ideas on how bad the "worst shock" from a phone line would hurt a little kid?

How would a kid have access to any live phone wires?? If he does, that is a the issue to deal with. If he has a tendency to stick paper clips into things like phone jacks and electrical outlets, the parents need to figure that out, or else he will be a candidate for a Darwin award ( given to people who do such stupid things that they are removed from the human gene pool)_

[CHH]

Any ideas on how bad the "worst shock" from a phone line would hurt a little kid?

Probably not as bad as an electric fence. I've never gotten the ringer shock from a phone but I do remember a strong "nip" from a fence charger 40 years ago...