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Warrior_of_Freedom
08-09-2009, 11:55 PM
I don't know where else to ask and the company lines are down, but my cable TV line connected to my cable box was buzzing and I went to unscrew the line and it was very hot to the touch but I manage to unscrew it, was I was unscrewing it the lights in my room were flickering and the line itself sparked. Once I got it disconnected it cooled off immediately. Can any of you tell me what causes this? Some kind of static buildup or something? The cable box was unplugged by the way, I unplug it when I'm not using it.

Epic
08-10-2009, 12:03 AM
Can any of you tell me what causes this?

God

sparebulb
08-10-2009, 12:03 AM
It sounds to me like the cable line is rubbing up to a power line somewhere. Be careful, as this is dangerous situation. The only other thing I can think of is that I've seen static sparks come off the end of a cable line from an antenna in the vicinity of a thunderstorm. Static is not dangerous, lightning strike is. Good luck and let us know if you live through the night.

Dr.3D
08-10-2009, 12:26 AM
There is always some voltage on the cable line.

If it is getting hot, perhaps you have a short in your connector?
Look for a little wire from the shielding on the cable coming into contact with the inner wire, this would cause heat and possibly sparks.

When connecting/disconnecting the cable, it is common to see a small spark.

angelatc
08-10-2009, 12:31 AM
Dude! What channel are you watching???

legion
08-10-2009, 12:42 AM
if it was warm that means there was sustained current through the line.

as sparebulb suggested this means line voltage (120V) from you house is leaking into your cable system.

it sounded like electrical breakdown was occuring in the line, which was the buzzing noise. your cable box may still be fine, cant be sure though.

Warrior_of_Freedom
08-10-2009, 01:00 AM
i have no knowledge about this kind of stuff but thanks for your responses guys, i found out the line is actually 24/7, so I called and someone is coming to the house in 2 days

sparebulb
08-10-2009, 09:15 AM
i have no knowledge about this kind of stuff but thanks for your responses guys, i found out the line is actually 24/7, so I called and someone is coming to the house in 2 days

Please let us know what the problem turns out to be. In the meantime, learn not to burn.

AbolishTheGovt
08-10-2009, 12:24 PM
For future reference, answers.yahoo.com is terrific for getting random questions answered quickly.

Kraig
08-10-2009, 12:26 PM
If it cooled off immediately I would think it is a problem with the box rather than the line, should be fine until the repair guy shows up.

Brian4Liberty
08-10-2009, 12:32 PM
It sounds to me like the cable line is rubbing up to a power line somewhere. Be careful, as this is dangerous situation. The only other thing I can think of is that I've seen static sparks come off the end of a cable line from an antenna in the vicinity of a thunderstorm. Static is not dangerous, lightning strike is. Good luck and let us know if you live through the night.

Yeah, be careful. If your lights are flickering, it's more than your cable. It could also be related to grounding issues. You don't want to become the ground.

In my neighborhood, a high voltage line fell onto the cable tv line. Cable tv line brought high voltage into the entire wiring system via the ground (cable ground is attached to house ground). Insulation melted off of the cable line, and almost every electronic device blew out.

Warrior_of_Freedom
08-14-2009, 01:38 AM
ok so, the cable guy came and apparently thunder hit the cable lines causing them to burn and become exposed, another set were corroded.
so he replaced the cables and everything is fine now, woo!


For future reference, answers.yahoo.com is terrific for getting random questions answered quickly.

I hold these forums to a higher standard, yahoo answers is full of kids that just give random answers to questions.
I've asked questions on there in the past and literally got answers like "I don't know" or "Use google"