Does openreach have a preemptive fault prevention programme?

It's been suggested elsewhere that BT is continuously monitoring its local loop by sending test signals to detect faults before they occur. Specifically it was in response to my suggestion that BT might still have only incomplete information on line lengths.

Does openreach have such a system? It would be a surprise to me as I always assumed that openreach only cared about faults when someone actually reported them. If a line has never had some form of DSL on it and never had a fault reported I'd assume BT didn't know how long it was.

Also on the line length - is that based purely on resistance and knowledge (assumed?) of cable thickness or can the test actually time the returned pulses and be 100% sure of length?

Edited by Andrue (Mon 16-Oct-17 12:10:36)

No, but they have mountains of data where individual faults are located and cleared, and will direct work to repair/replace nodes/joints/ cables etc
They also have pressure monitoring systems to detect possible E side cables failing

Edited by witchunt (Mon 16-Oct-17 12:38:18)

There�s teams working on FVR (Fault Volume Reduction), yes. The work they do is based on reports of underground joints letting in water, obsolete lineplant etc by other engineers.

There are systems that look for faults in underground joints or overhead DPs based on the automated line tests that are performed overnight. These would be faults that are exist but that haven�t been reported by end users. What I don�t know is how those tests tie in to the work that the FVR teams do, as I haven�t done much FVR work.

In answer to your question about line lengths, no the network records systems (I won�t name them) have actual measurements for cables, they aren�t based on resistance. The measurements are up to the DP only, not beyond, and are very accurate.

Edited by deleted (Mon 16-Oct-17 16:36:15)

Most/nearly all FVR work is based on A1024's submitted.

Ive wondered if Fibre cabs that have fans in them have automatic warning systems to alert OR if a fan fails?

Faults cost money to fix.

If there is a catastrophic breakdown of a large cable, it costs a lot of time and money to fix. The compo the providers get can mean Openreach won''t make the money spent back in line rental for those circuits for many years.

Hence they analyse network health electrically and pneumatically. As well as reports of plant requiring attention by engineers.

Network routining 1968 style.

https://bt.kuluvalley.com/view/P0xeXZtOmyy

Top clip there Partial

That's what the network needs, more Teddy boys and comma vans .....

Not so many months ago that I cleared a fault in a plugs expanding either .

Not that long ago I found a pressure fault in a 1200pr plugs expanding! They used them on lead to poly joints. Wipe one end, plugs the other/

A clip joint is just a new fangled plugs expanding really.

Edited by deleted (Mon 16-Oct-17 18:33:36)

In reply to a post by partial:

Network routining 1968 style.

https://bt.kuluvalley.com/view/P0xeXZtOmyy

+1
I love these old videos

Plus not so long ago (2 - 3 jobs back) we taught you engineers electrical engineering

Paul

Edited by PaulKirby (Mon 16-Oct-17 18:56:00)