ETP and conduit full of water / causing VDSL disconnections

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kenkeniff

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#199084 3-Aug-2016 22:19

With all the rain over the last few days I noticed [BigPipe] VDSL starting to drop out for a few min every couple of hours.

I decided to check the ETP which is fairly standard vertical install with conduit going into ground like below (not my photo).

However as the house is below street level the conduit has filled completely with muddy water overflowing up into the ETP box itself.

The jelly-bean connectors are actually just down in the top of conduit (unlike in this photo) and there doesn't seem to be enough slack in the black cable from the road to pull them up properly into the junction box so they are currently fully submerged in water.

I'm considering drilling a drain hole halfway down the conduit to at least get the water away from the connections however I don't know if damage has already been done to the connectors and/or cable to the road in the conduit?

I've also been meaning to install a master filter I have in here but currently the water issue and not having enough slack on the incoming line would mean I may have to add a drain hole near the ground and lower the junction box / cut the conduit to access more cable.

Question is; is it worth going ahead with above or leaving it to Chorus' to resolve if incoming like has potentially been compromised due to water ingress?

PeterReader

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#1603905 3-Aug-2016 22:19

Hello... Our robot found some keywords in your post, so here is an automated reply with some important things to note regarding broadband speeds.

If you are posting regarding DSL speeds please check that

you have reset your modem and router
your PC (or other PCs in your LAN) is not downloading large files when you are testing - you are not being throttled by your ISP due to going over the monthly cap
your tests are always done on an ethernet connection to the router - do not use wireless for testing
you read this topic and follow the instructions there.

Make sure you provide information for other users to help you. If you have not already done it, please EDIT your post and add this now:

Your ISP and plan
Type of connection (ADSL, ADSL2, VDSL)
Your modem DSL stats (do not worry about posting Speedtest, we need sync rate, attenuation and noise margin)
Your general location (or street)
If you are rural or urban
If you know your connection is to an exchange, cabinet or conklin
If your connection is to a ULL or wholesale service
If you have done an isolation test as per the link above

Most of the problems with speed are likely to be related to internal wiring issues. Read this discussion to find out more about this. Your ISP is not intentionally slowing you down today (unless you are on a managed plan). Also if this is the school holidays it's likely you will notice slower than usual speed due to more users online.

A master splitter is required for VDSL2 and in most cases will improve speeds on DSL connections. Regular disconnections can be a monitored alarm or a set top box trying to connect. If there's an alarm connected to your line even if you don't have an alarm contract it may still try to connect so it's worth checking.

I recommend you read these two blog posts:

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chevrolux

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#1603937 3-Aug-2016 23:10

This is super common. Generally not such a big deal. It is more likely that there is a badifference joint out in the feeder cable and it's not yours that is the issue.
That cable looks fairly new, and is gel flooded so no worries there. Same as the connectors, they are gel flooded too so I wouldn't worry. Also, they look to be in really good condition - it's when they start looking green/blue is when issues arise.
A splitter may help, but more than likely your fault is out in the network and you need to log a fault with your provider.

chevrolux

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#1603938 3-Aug-2016 23:15

Also, I don't get what you mean about not having enough slack to install a splitter?
That ETP is in pristine condition and will fit the splitter perfectly. The splitter is also encased in resin so is waterproof so a bit of what is no big deal.

If it's really filling up I would just pop a hole in the bottom of the ETP box.

kenkeniff

628 posts

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#1603940 3-Aug-2016 23:17

chevrolux: This is super common. Generally not such a big deal. It is more likely that there is a badifference joint out in the feeder cable and it's not yours that is the issue.
That cable looks fairly new, and is gel flooded so no worries there. Same as the connectors, they are gel flooded too so I wouldn't worry. Also, they look to be in really good condition - it's when they start looking green/blue is when issues arise.
A splitter may help, but more than likely your fault is out in the network and you need to log a fault with your provider.

That photo is taken from another post for reference as I didn't have my camera handy (i.e. that's not my box but similar in terms of distance from ground etc). As above my connectors are submerged in water at the top of the conduit.

The wiring isn't as new as that, 70s-80s perhaps.

Bung

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#1603992 4-Aug-2016 07:01

If the cable is pulled back into the conduit maybe something has moved the conduit. If you aren't in Christchurch you may have something like tree roots pushing on the conduit.

kenkeniff

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#1603996 4-Aug-2016 07:29

Bung: If the cable is pulled back into the conduit maybe something has moved the conduit. If you aren't in Christchurch you may have something like tree roots pushing on the conduit.

Yes seems that way, ground has shifted over time...or I'm just not pulling hard enough however I'm cautious against ending up with no internet at all. I'm in west Auckland.

The wiring in the house isn't that flash either so I'm hoping to kill three birds with one stone by;

1) Running a new dedicated cable from jack to ETP.

2) Connecting master filter.

3) Sorting out flooding issue in ETP junction box.

I'm happy to do 1 & 2 myself however currently can't get proper access to the incoming line and I know it's going to turn into a massive headache if I start trying.

However if I get Chorus out to fix up the ETP wiring / drainage issue (will they see this as a problem or acceptable?) will they be happy to connect the new cable I've run or will they want to charge me for wiring?

Perhaps @BigPipeNZ can confirm the best course of action?