leave them alone. Just cut back the amount you need to not interfere with your

patch. Those wires are dead.

This isn't really much of a safety issue, so probably you can do as Kalining suggests.

IMO the better thing to do is make sure the wires can never again be made active. If you're sure the cable's wires are disconnected from the phone line punchdown block or other source, you're good there (though I like to cut the cable off with diagonal cutters at the first staple or clamp after the source).

Ideally, you then go to the cellar below the disabled jack (or maybe the attic above), and pull the disconnected phone cable out of the stud bay or down through the floor. Cut the cable off at the last staple or clamp supporting it before the hole into the stud bay.

If the cable is stapled inside the wall, you can't pull it out. In that case, just cut it off at the last staple and where it goes up (or down) into the wall.

Then you can either fasten a blank plate from the hardware store over the hole in the wall, or patch the hole. To patch, cut a piece of 1x3 that's 2" longer than the hole is wide. Insert it into the hole, hold in place, and put a drywall screw or two through the wall into the wood at each end. Then drywall-screw a piece of drywall to the wood. Mud, tape, sand, paint.

Unlike regular electrical wiring, you can abandon telephone wires in the wall without having to disconnect them where they come into the house or at the connection interface. If you want to disconnect phone wires you can, but there is no requirement or safety issue. If they are coming through a small hole in the wall where you no longer want a jack, unscrew the jack from the wall, snip off the excess wire, push the stub into the wall, and spackle over it.

As kudzu9 explained, cutting off and abandoning phone wire in the wall is fine, since its low voltage wiring. Even if it was reconnected, its not going to hurt anyone because its extremely low amperage. If it was 120 or 140 volt wiring, you would need to verify the routing and cut it off at the source before sealing it in the wall.

Bruce

I agree it isn't necessary as it is with mains voltage (though ring tone is 90vac). I just think it's preferable to remove it, if possible.

Your respondents SHOULD get to know a little bit about RFs (RadioFrequencies) and EMFs (ElectroMagneticFrequencies) BEFORE advising you to "not to be concerned" about abandoned wiring in your walls... RFs are attracted to metal ~ and old left-over wires are the "perfect" type of metal for RFs, as they act as "mini antennas" for the RRs. These RFs carry low-level non-ionizing radiation that can/DO damage your body's cells! Also ~ EMFs are created by active wires (also running thru your walls). When these wires run in a live a current, a magnetic field is will created. If there are OTHER wires running along in the same vicinity , they will interact w/those wires and create a LARGE MAGNETIC FIELD ~ which also carries low-level non-ionizing radiation that cause GREAT DAMAGE to your body's cells!

"VOLTAGE" ISN'T THE ONLY ISSUE TO BE CONCERNED WITH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAKE-UP PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEFORE YOUR HEALTH IS SWEPT AWAY FROM YOU!

See:

https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/radiation-electromagnetic-fields

https://www.healthline.com/health/emf#TOC_TITLE_HDR_1 --> According to some scientists, EMFs can affect your body's nervous system function and cause damage to cells. Cancer and unusual growths may be one symptom of very high EMF exposure. Other symptoms may include: sleep disturbances, including insomnia.

As for me, it's easiest to take and completely remove it from the cutters. In order to have good wire cutters at home, I recommend checking out this blog https://gordonstoolsblog.com/wire-cutters-review/, which details the best models of 2020. I hope I can help you.

So, the tin foil hat poster who warned about EMFs cited an article from the World Health Organization. Either they didn’t read it or assumed people reading their comment wouldn’t. Here’s what the WHO found:

”Based on a recent in-depth review of the scientific literature, the WHO concluded that current evidence does not confirm the existence of any health consequences from exposure to low level electromagnetic fields”

and

“Some members of the public have attributed a diffuse collection of symptoms to low levels of exposure to electromagnetic fields at home.... To date, scientific evidence does not support a link between these symptoms and exposure to electromagnetic fields.”

https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/radiation-electromagnetic-fields

@Am Rose: "WAKE-UP PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEFORE YOUR HEALTH IS SWEPT AWAY FROM YOU!"

"Man Gets Cancer from Exposure to Dead Phone Wires Buried in Wall, Sues Verizon for $100 Million" -- National Enquirer

wdcruise-

I just hope you are aware that the use of all caps certifies a statement as scientifically correct. When you also add an exclamation point, it makes it medically true as well...😂

@kudzu9: And if I could use a larger font, it would be certified as scientifically, medically, and biblically correct!

Amen!

I'm living [roof of what I've posted ~ unfortunately.

Thank you, all, for your response..

@Am Rose, thanks for your posts, I'm currently trying to minimize RF exposure and am looking for how to remove the unused coax and landline wires from my walls. Appreciate the confirmation that they act as antennas. For some reason the walls of my new place emit insanely high RF levels, even when power to the whole city block was out.

I wish someone actually responded with how to remove the wires from the walls XD Thanks for your input though, and sorry you have symptoms from RF exposure... I've found that earthing my bed on the ground floor, or at least sleeping in a very low RF area (with no cell phones or wifi) as near the ground as feasible, helps. As well as staying hydrated, so that the body can recover from the taxations of the day.

@Mel Mor: "I'm currently trying to minimize RF exposure and am looking for how to remove the unused coax and landline wires from my walls. Appreciate the confirmation that they act as antennas."

Tin foil hats prevent RF exposure.

@wdccruise Your mom prevents RF exposure.

Unused wires will have no RF fields; even used ones in residential applications will be minimal.

@mtvhike For some reason the new place I'm in has much higher RF readings than my previous apartment. Here's the meter for reference: https://www.amazon.com/TriField-EMF-Meter-Model-TF2/dp/B078T2R64C. Very high (constant, not fluctuating) readings are present near the bundle of coaxial cables running up the outside of the unit, and approaching any wires with the meter makes it go exponential (unused phone lines, coax, electrical wires). I'm here because I'm still trying to figure it out, not because I've got all the answers. Hopefully you're right and the impact is minimal, but in this day and age reducing any exposure, especially in the areas where a person spends most of their time, is worth it imo.

"Your mom prevents RF exposure."

If moms prevent RF exposure, I'd suggest you invite yours to dinner and have her to sit between you and the wires. If unacceptable levels of RF continue, have her wear the tinfoil hat.

@wdccruise Just your mom. She said she's too busy being disappointed.

@Mel Mor: "Just your mom. She said she's too busy being disappointed."

She may well have been disappointed but she still knew that I wasn't a whack job who suffered from wirephobia.

@wdccruise I love wired things... it's the wifi that gets ya. Maybe I should use the phone lines in the walls to pull ethernet cables and hardwire everything... Thank you, mister troll, for bringing me to this realization before I ripped those glorious conduits straight out. Cheers!