discovered in the intermediate steps. This may result in the discovery of incipient troubles which may
later develop into serious troubles, necessitating another service call.
Line fault location.
a. Many troubles will be caused by faults in the line cord and in the wiring leading to the cross-
connecting box. There are four types of faults commonly encountered: Opens, shorts, grounds, and
Open Lines. Opens are commonly cause by the following:
(1) Cable wiring broken by excessive bending or twisting when the cable is place.
(2) Bullets piercing a cable or wire.
(3) Poor splices pulling out under tension.
(4) Kinks and nicks in the wire causing the conductors to break.
(5) Inside wiring nails driven too far into the insulation and breaking the conductors.
(6) Loose or dirty connections and lugs.
(7) Blown, broken, or badly warped fuses.
(8) Defects in the manufacture of the wire.
(9) Excessive strain on the wire at the terminals causing conductors to become loose.
(10) Sharp or heavy objects striking a wire and causing a break.
b. Testing for and locating line opens.
(1) Connect one lead of the test receiver to the tip or ring conductor of the line at the
connecting block. Tap the other conductor with the test pick. A click will be heard every time the
connection is made and every time it is broken if the line is good at that point. The absence of a click
indicates an open in the line toward the central office. If the line tests good towards the central office,
the open is toward the substation.
(2) The method used in locating an open is determined by the nature of the line construction
toward the substation. A quick inspection of the entire line between the ready access terminal