How can I safely remove the direct TV cable wiring in my house that was left behind without cutting it and ensuring no electricity is running through it?
Asked by Knut Midthun 
4 months ago
Last Updated: July 26, 2024
I recently purchased a house with direct TV cable wiring in every room, and it’s really bothering me. Is there a way to remove it? Can I cut the cables? I want to make sure there’s no electricity running through them. The house no longer has a dish outside, but the cables were left behind.
Simply disconnect it and cover it with a blank plate, no need to worry about electricity.
‘t stress about electricity, you can use it to boost the internet speed in a room.
If you’re not using it, go ahead and cut it. Since it’s coaxial, there’s no power passing through.
It’s pretty much useless!
Just trim it, but keep around 18 inches inside the box. You never know when you might need it.
I have the same issue and I want to trim it as well.
I’d just push most of it back into the wall, snip it, put a plate over it, and paint the plate the same color as the wall. That way, you’ll know it’s there in case you need it in the future.
You have the option to save a few feet by pushing it into the wall and then covering it. In the future, you may want to use it again or use it to pull a different wire through.
You can purchase an adapter that fits into the wall plate and screw the coaxial cable into that. Then reattach the plate with the wire connected to it. It will be hidden and operational.
It seems like almost every house in this country has around 10 miles of cable lines running through it.
I carefully fixed and filled the outlets. The wires coming from the attic were dirty but thankfully easy to remove. The same goes for the dish, a few matching shingles will take care of that. The unsightly holes in the siding were the only marks left.
Cut the cable, leave a bit of length, tuck it in, and cover it with a blank faceplate.
Is the cable connected to anything outside? If not, just rip it out.
So, most likely there’s a main splitter either in the basement or attic that distributes the signal to each room. You can unplug it, pull the wire through the wall plate, and cover it with a blank plate or cut it off. Since it’s for Direct TV, you shouldn’t have any signal if you’re not using their service.
Connect a cat6 cable and then pull it through. Your home is now wired for ethernet. You’ve increased the value of your house.
I am planning to thread my solar panel wire through that area.
Kevin, let me tell you, this is way easier said than done.
It really depends on how much you know and how well-prepared you are. Personally, I swapped out all my coaxial cables for CAT5e around 2012, and then upgraded to CAT6 when I got more involved in homelab projects in 2020. It only took a few hours each time to do the whole house.
From my experience, if a wire is stapled where it should be, you can’t use it as a pull string.
Hey, pointed out that after-market installations, like this one, are hardly ever stapled.
Hey, , unless the coaxial cable is stapled – which it probably is if it was installed when the building was constructed. However, the locations are oddly placed as if the cable was pulled after the drywall was put up. So, you’re good to go!
Hey, mentioned that standard installation is free. Keep in mind that staples are not included. Sometimes, the installers forget to staple the outside of the house.
That’s not the best advice. Some companies still rely on coaxial cables.
It’s not a big deal unless you’re really adamant about saving the technician time. It won’t increase the cost for them. In my experience with DirectTV, Dish, and Spectrum in the last 8 years, all of them opted to install new lines regardless of the existing ones.
Oh yeah, because coax cable doesn’t come for free. When it comes to cable installation, time is money. I won’t replace a line unless it’s damaged or not suitable for the task.
Remove or detach the cover to cut and replace it.
There ought not to be any electricity running through that cable. If you ever need the reassurance of knowing whether there is electricity present, a non-contact voltage tester is an affordable tool that can provide you with that peace of mind. Klein Tools NCVT1P Voltage Tester, Non-Contact Voltage Detector Pen, 50V to 1000V AC, Audible and Flashing LED Alarms, Pocket Clip,Green,Red https://a.co/d/312SmPX
I wouldn’t necessarily call it ‘peace of mind’ – after all, they’re nicknamed ‘Widowmaker’ for a reason. Still better than nothing, though
These do not possess any electrical power. You could unscrew it from the faceplate, take off the faceplate, and swap it with a blank one. Simply tuck any additional cable behind the blank cover in case you decide to reinstall it in the future or if you sell or move out of the house.
There’s no electricity running through it anymore since everything is wireless now. Leave a few feet of it, cut off the rest, tuck it into the wall, and cover it with a blank plate. Technology changes quickly, who knows if it’ll ever be used again. How do you get your internet and TV now? I have a fiber optic cable connected to a wireless router installed right at my house’s entry point. I used the old cable as a pull rope to bring the fiber to a more central spot in the house for better wifi coverage. That’s probably the only thing it could be useful for.
Remove the plates. Cut the cables. Install a small frame and door over the hole, then gather a collection of tiny books for mini-libraries throughout the house.
You might want to consider hiring an electrician 👀
Why did you see Soto? Is it not an electrical cable?
With a plumber.
Sarcasm alert!
I see what you mean about interpreting that as sarcasm. It seems like many people comment here just to recommend hiring someone, but I didn’t interpret it like that.
Yeah, I took it as them joking when they said to call an electrician, especially since it’s just a cable for TV.
If you insist
So you’d recommend calling an electrician?
No way. Please, just drop it. I didn’t catch the sarcasm in the comment I responded to, that’s all. I tend to assume people are being literal.
Hey Bruce, it’s okay to let it go and calm down
Ah, I see now that you were being sarcastic when you asked if I would have called an electrician. 😄
It’s hard to tell from the picture, but that looks like RG6, which is good quality and can be used for Ethernet / MOCA. MOCA 2.5 can support up to 2.5 Gb, so it’s still useful. I recommend cutting it, leaving about 8 – 12″ of slack, tucking it into the box, and covering it with a blank plate. Avoid trying to add a new connector yourself unless you have the right tools and connectors (not the screw-on type from big box stores, you need the compression ferrule type). Also, no voltage concerns to worry about (but it’s always a good idea to check, I’ve come across energized things that were supposed to be off).
Make sure to leave a little extra space in the wall in case you decide to set up an OTA TV antenna in the future.
Or dish or directtv or possibly a local cable and internet provider
Remove the wall plate first and carefully push the wires into the wall, leaving only the connector protruding. This will keep it accessible for future use or in case you change your mind.
You should listen to this
This is definitely the answer.
Is a genius
If you figure out the path, you can run Ethernet cables all over your home
Keep it hush-hush like a 9v battery. 😉
The DirecTV receiver supplies power to the dish. It’s disappeared. Just stick it in the wall. I’ve removed the box, fixed and repainted the wall beforehand
I used to work on ‘Roughs’, where we would pull wires into the skeleton of a house before the walls were built – including the TV lines. Nowadays, with Internet and Smart TV’s, these are no longer necessary for many. You can remove them, take off the plates, drop them into the wall, and patch it up. Since they’re not ‘electric’, you don’t need an electrician to remove them – contrary to what someone suggested (still finding that funny – haha)
Some companies still utilize coaxial cable for internet or TV. It’s not a good idea to cut and patch the wall.
Typically handles things on their own here. When I switched to Spectrum, I had to set up my own cables. 🤷♀️
Is puzzled as to why someone would want to do that unless it was a faulty connection. It could also be because of the signal strength. Spectrum usually works well on different frequencies.
I won’t install a new line if there is already one there. You can also purchase a mocha adapter, which essentially converts coax to Ethernet
Truths
Is the one who comes out to do the job and he gets paid for his work. They always install new cable for a fee.
I have fiber optic, so there’s just one cable coming into the house and then everything is wireless. I had to go through the basement, crawlspace, and the rest of the house to cut and remove all the coax and Ethernet/phone cables. You can cut all of them, but there’s likely a box outside your house that they’re connected to, which you can’t remove on your own.
The guy who comes out, gets paid by the hour or by the job. He might charge additional fees for extra work.
In my area, people like are usually independent contractors who get paid based on the amount of work they complete.
Hey , that’s pretty neat. We are compensated based on the job rather than the specific task. We can actually charge extra for wire management (installing new lines). Each task is assigned a certain number of points which then translates to a dollar amount.
Hey , usually they handle that themselves if a dish is included. I’m a bit confused why you’re addressing me, I didn’t pose the question. I simply responded. It would be more beneficial if you directly provide YOUR answer to HIS question instead of burying it within mine.
Hey , were you referring to rough ins?
Can you remove the cover first? Then push the wire back into the wall and finally put the cover back on.
You can trim it down a bit, expose a bit of the dielectric and the center conductor, and just push one of these male connectors on without any tools:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/IDEAL-RG6Quad-TLC-Tool-Less-Compression-F-Connector-4-Pack-85-079/206810397
After that, you can use a plate like this with a female F type feed through:
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Leviton-80781-W-Video-Wall-Jack-w-F-Connector-White?utm_source=google_ad&utm_medium=Shopping_withoutdata&utm_campaign=Shopping_Without_PLTV_data&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxuCnBhDLARIsAB-cq1oViZar5LnBcL1-pBNR7eqxeHK7Ec1VlMFH3xhtWD596L9frfiVE18aAtY9E
Those are an improvement over the twist-ons, but they’re still pretty low quality. They work well for TV signals, but when you try to transmit data, they allow a lot of interference.
Just to give you peace of mind, it’s actually not dangerous at all.
I don’t feel like trimming all of them from the EXTERIOR of the house, 😂 I’ve got a bunch of cables leading to nowhere 😑
I heard that you can connect a roof mounted antenna for digital channels over the air using them. If you’re interested in doing that.
There is no power in the wires, only coaxial – I had an extra one so I removed it and swapped the cover plate with brushed steel.
Make these yourself?
One thing that bothers me about the internet and social media is the abundance of incorrect information from people who may not be knowledgeable. This is actually a coax cable. I suggest not removing it as some companies still use it for TV or internet. What are your plans for TV and internet? When they come, you can ask the technician if they can install a wall plate to make it look better. Offer them a sandwich and a drink. You could even offer them some cash to install the wall plates.
Take a look at the other comments. Some are pointing out that it’s outdated and mentioning that everything now operates on Ethernet cables. Some are suggesting cutting and patching the wall.
I did go through the comments, and I wanted to clarify which of the various suggestions you disagreed with, as you didn’t specify your preferred approach.
I mentioned before that you shouldn’t remove it. When you have your TV and internet set up, remember to ask them to install wall plates. I understand if it was a bit lengthy and you might have stopped reading halfway through. I’ve been there.
I suppose you just wanted to take the opportunity to criticize everyone who had a different suggestion than you. I hope it boosted your ego.
Not really, just offering a suggestion like everyone else. Some were even warning about the dangers of electricity and how risky it can be. If someone is not completely sure, it’s best not to comment. Just keep scrolling.
These cables are not powerful enough to cause any harm to you. I suggest trimming it to about 3 feet in length, adding a new end (I recommend Compression F-connectors, they come with tools for 10 of those which should be plenty for the entire house), tucking it back into the wall cavity, and then attaching the new male end to a wall plate and screwing it back in where the old plate was. This will give it a cleaner look and create an access point in case you need to use the wire in the future. Leaving 3 feet of slack will make it easier for the next person who has to work on it inside the wall.
There are adapters available to convert coax cable to ethernet, so it’s not obsolete. You also have the option of using pressure connectors and a crimp tool to shorten the wire or tuck the extra back into the wall or basement.
You can simply remove the plate and thread the wire through the wall, leaving only the tip visible.
If you decide to leave it, you always have the option to set up an antenna outside for free TV in case the cable goes out.
I would simply remove the plate, push all the wires into the wall, and cover it with a blank plate for now – maybe indefinitely.
Barrel connectors are available for the wall plate, I personally prefer streaming everything through a single wire which can easily be tucked away in the wall and concealed.
Attach an f81 to the current plate, tuck away any extra wire if you don’t have a crimp tool. This way, you’ll have a plate with a connector ready for future use. Just ensure the f81’s include a small nut for attaching to the plate.
I have two of these placed next to each other. I attempted to push them against the wall after removing the plates, but there wasn’t enough space. So, I had my husband create a box around them since my toddler kept playing with them and they were not pleasant to look at.
To those laughing, we had to do this quickly. It only took my husband about 30 minutes. Ensuring a safe toddler/baby-proofed area is our top priority, even if it means having an unsightly box in the corner. We plan to remove and repair it properly in the future, but it’s not feasible right now.
Pull until it won’t move
Snip
Push the remainder into the wall
If you contact direct tv and explain the situation, they should be able to remove it properly without any additional charges. This happened to me with AT&T when we relocated to our new home.
Use those spaces to replace with Cat8 ethernet cables and set up your own internet mesh network 👍❤️👍❤️
Have you tried connecting one of them to a TV? I had a similar situation in my house, and when I connected one of them to a TV, it turned out they were all somehow wired to the outside, and I was able to access many local channels. I connected other rooms to different TVs and had the same outcome. It was a pleasant surprise because I had no plans to subscribe to any TV service, so these channels were perfect for me.
That wire is probably working like an antenna. Clever trick
For sure. They all run up to the attic and then out through an air vent.
Peter oh yeah, a lot of folks don’t know that any wire can pick up local channels.
Simply tuck the wire into the wall and leave it there. Coax wires do not carry power. Replace the plate with the one shown below in the picture and you’re finished.
Trim them or push them against the wall.