Switchboard Upgrades & Safety Switches Installation expert on Northern Beaches
The switchboard is the nerve centre of a home’s electrical system. It affects the control of electricity flow into the home and to all the outlets and switches that are connected to electrical devices. Ensuring that your switchboard is up-to-date and well-functioning is crucial in both reliably managing your home’s electricity, and keeping your family safe.
Safety switches are another essential component in ensuring safety when using household appliances in your home – preventing you from electric shock as well as the potential of electrical fires breaking out in your home. To find out if you need to upgrade your switchboard or install new safety switches, you first need to establish what level of protection your home or office has.
For full peace of mind, call your trusted Northern Beaches electricians, Waters Electrical and Solar at 0431 894 327. We will conduct a thorough electrical safety inspection and give you our best recommendations with your family’s safety in mind.
Contact us today for the following Switchboard Upgrades & Safety Switches services:
- Porcelain fuses/circuit breakers to safety switches upgrades
- Full meter box upgrades
- Earthing upgrades – main earth stakes and water bonds
- Consumer main upgrades
Info about Switchboard Upgrades & Safety Switches
What's the harm of having old switchboards?
Your old switchboard might still work, but it doesn’t mean that it’s still safe. At best, they’re unreliable. At worst, they’re one of the leading causes of serious fires around the world.
An old switchboard can be responsible for:
- House fires
- Electric shock from wiring or electrical equipment
- Electric shock from water taps
- Exposure to asbestos (such as an asbestos panel where old switchgear has been mounted to)
- Burnt out cabling
- Hot Joins behind the inside panel of the switchboard – which can lead to a loss of power to a circuit
How do I know if I need a switchboard upgrade?
You first need to establish what level of protection your home or office has. Whether you require a switchboard upgrade or not will depend on your existing circuit protection and electrical systems. For many years, general PowerPoint and light circuits were the only circuits required to have safety switches installed. Now every circuit is required to have a safety switch installed if the circuit is deemed a new installation. This means ….adding additional “points” eg an extra PowerPoint or light fitting where extra cabling needs to be installed, is deemed as a situation where a safety switch must be installed on that particular circuit.
PORCELAIN FUSES – These definitely went out with the times. Nobody wants to have to replace wires every single time it blows – or call an electrical contractor every time a light suddenly goes out. Porcelain fuses or ceramic fuses offer the least protection – they might protect the wiring, but certainly not people from the risk of an electrical shock. And you can expect plenty of blown fuses if you’re still using porcelain fuses, because they simply weren’t built to handle the kind of electrical appliances we use today. If you’re not sure if your home still uses porcelain fuses or not, simply give your trusted professional electricians a call, and we’ll check it out for you.
CIRCUIT BREAKERS – We call circuit breakers “a glorified fuse”. To be quite honest, circuit breakers are only better than porcelain fuses because you can reset them without exposing yourself to live electrical wiring. It might be able to handle slightly more load, but its major downfall is that it doesn’t protect people at all. If you’re still using circuit breakers instead of safety switches, then your home should definitely get an upgrade. Safety switches can do everything a circuit breaker can do, but they have the additional, important factor of protecting you and your family, preventing house fires, and saving lives!
Although there is no actual law to force homeowners to update their existing switchboards, it is highly recommended updating your old switchboard to safety switch protection. You don’t want to be caught in the middle of an electrical fault with absolutely no line of defence.
What is a safety switch and why is it important?
A safety switch is the latest when it comes to electrical protection in Australian homes. This essential component can ensure immediate safety – should an electrical issue occur, safety switches can cut the power in just 0.3 seconds – before we even have the ability to react in a fault situation. This kind of speed not only prevents electrical shocks, but also cuts down the potential of an electrical fire, thus saving plenty of lives.
Safety switches can detect even small differences in electrical currents and put into action preventive measures before us humans even have a clue what might be happening behind the walls. Because of the level of protection they can provide, safety switches are now mandatory in all buildings in NSW according to the Australian AS3000 Wiring Rules, and must be added should any additions be made to any existing structures.
What is the Australian Standard requirement on Safety Switch Installation?
Australian Standard now requires all domestic and residential electrical circuits to be installed with safety switches.
Safety switches must be fitted to all powerpoint circuits. This means you need safety switches on all power, kitchen appliances, hot water systems, air conditioning, lights and such. Should you need to add additional lighting or new powerpoint outlets to your home, then additional safety switches will also need to be added.
The best way to find out if the safety switch installation in your Northern Beaches home is up to code is to consult your local licensed electricians. Here at Waters Electrical and Solar, we have depth of experience and extensive knowledge of electrical faults and fault finding, current Australian standards and requirements, and safety switch installation. We confidently provide the safest level of electrical service to all our Northern Beaches clients.
How much does it cost to install a safety switch?
The cost for safety switch installation generally depends on your current electrical setup, and what’s missing or already installed in your home. The best thing you can do is call us at 0431 894 327 to make an appointment with us. We are happy to come by to conduct a thorough assessment and report, so you are not caught off guard by any potential electrical problems that might arise with time.
By offering you full details and upfront pricing, you can definitely make plans for what kind of electrical upgrades you wish to do in your home in order to protect it – and your family – in the best ways possible.
Why upgrading your switchboard and installing safety switches actually saves money
Making such electrical changes in your home like upgrading your switchboard and installing safety switches might seem like a huge expense, but you’re actually saving money in the long run.
It is still very common to find old, dangerous switchboards in Sydney and the northern beaches area, so it is vital to make sure your level of protection is up to the task.
Relying on unreliable electrical components means having to call professional electricians to figure out new electrical faults every time they happen, or rewire fuses after they’re blown. This kind of recurring cost is something you can prevent by upgrading your electrical system.
Upgrading your switchboard so that it is up to date also means it is safer for your home and family. This means lowering your risk of electrical shocks and electrical fires… all of which can lead to mounting costs as well.
If you feel the urge to take on the work of a switchboard upgrade yourself, don’t! There are so many electrical products being sold online and by wholesalers these days, it might seem “cheaper” to just go the DIY route. But settling for “cheaper” doesn’t mean safer. For true peace of mind when it comes to the protection and safety of your family, make sure you are opting for quality electrical components for your home, from the switchboard, to the electrical wiring, to the safety switches installed, so that they actually provide protection as they should.
For peace of mind and the best service on the northern beaches when it comes to anything switchboard or safety switches related, give us a call at Waters Electrical and Solar on 0431894327. Maintaining your safety switches at home
One thing that you can do at home with regards to your safety switches without calling your local electrician is to do a simple maintenance check. The Electrical Safety Office recommends that such testing should be done every three months.
Check your safety switches and simply push the button marked ‘T’ or ‘test’. If it’s working properly, it will immediately flick off and cut the power to the circuit. If you notice a light or appliance being turned off, congratulations, it worked! This means they are currently still being protected by that safety switch.
If, however, no power is turned off as is supposed to happen, then you may be experiencing a defective safety switch. You will then need to contact a licensed electrician to diagnose the issue and suggest a resolution, so that your home can be protected once again.
Don’t forget to turn your safety switches back on after doing any testing. If you’re not sure if you have enough safety switches installed for all your circuits, then it’s good to definitely ask your local electricians to do a check and confirm this for you. Don’t leave these things up to chance – the chance of it failing! Specialising in switchboards, safety switches, emergency services & other electrical solutions
When a problem arises, you don’t want to realise that you need an electrical switchboard upgrade or new safety switches installed. At that point you may be stuck in a home with a power outage and nothing you can do but sit in the dark.
Contact your qualified electricians at Waters Electrical and Solar at 0431 894 327 and let us do the necessary checks for you so you’re always well-informed and well-prepared for any electrical issues. Being caught unexpectedly is certainly not fun — nor safe!
With our 24/7 emergency services across all Northern Beaches, our emergency electricians are on call anytime you may need us, with immediate and fast electrical solutions to make sure you’re back up and running in no time.
As your trusted Northern Beaches electricians with more than 40 years of combined experience in the business, we will always first assess the situation, and provide you with all possible options of electrical services with upfront pricing first. Whatever you decide to do, you can trust us to provide quality service, a lifetime guarantee on all our workmanship, and a free electrical safety check of your entire home before we leave your premises. No more wondering if you’re safe – your safety is our top priority!
For any electrical queries, just call us at 0431 894 327 and put your mind at ease knowing we are here for all your electrical needs.