phone taps how do you tell if?

You really can't because if it's an official tap, it's done at the central office of the phone company and you won't see anything at your house.

So if your not doing anything that would make you a candidate for a tap, you could call the phone company and ask them to check.

Sometimes a phone line gets crossed with another and it sounds like an echo or you can hear others talking but a phone tap would be quiet.

Why would someone want to tap your line? It takes a court order to place a legal wiretap on a line. If there is one it will be quiet and discreet and you will be the last one to know about it.