Switchboard Upgrades in Sydney

At Positive Vibes Electrical we specialize in all your domestic and commercial needs. This includes your electrical switchboard. Your switchboard is the central hub of your home’s electrical wiring. It’s responsible for directing electricity from the main supply to various circuits and protecting these circuits all around your home. It is generally located either inside your home, near your front door or inside your meter box on the exterior of your home.

If your switchboard is getting on in years, it might be time to consider a switchboard upgrade. A switchboard’s electrical integrity is crucial to ensuring your family’s safety. Plus, we’re all familiar with the annoyance that comes with fuses that blow unexpectedly or circuit breakers which trip continually.

Here is a simple list of common signs that indicate you need a switchboard upgrade:

• Flickering lights. Sometimes the reason for a light flickering is as simple as the light bulb not being screwed in properly. However, flickering lights can also be caused by loose wiring and hot joints in old or damaged switchboards. If you have a continuously flickering light, there may be danger of a house fire.
• Appliances short-circuiting. Older switchboards tend to short-circuit or ‘trip’ when overloaded due to a preventative mechanism which protects the circuit from overheating and causing an electrical fire. The majority of older switchboards are not designed to handle the high wattage loads of today’s homes. The most straightforward solution for appliances that constantly short-circuit is to upgrade your switchboard or add a circuit to accommodate your load.
• Rewireable fuses. If you have an old house and your switchboard has rewireable fuses instead of circuit breakers and safety switches, you need a switchboard upgrade sooner rather than later. Rewireable fuses constitute a significant safety hazard as they contain copper fuse wires. Whenever there is an overload in your system, the copper fuse wire melts down or blows. This can have grave consequences for those living within the dwelling. While simply replacing the blown wire may seem like an easy solution, most people (and some electricians) tend to use regular copper wires to replace the melted fuse wire. The two do not perform the same way, and when a replacement wire has a larger density than the capacity the electrical cable can handle, the electrical wiring in your home can catch fire or prove fatal if someone was to come into contact with live wiring.
• Overcrowded appearance. If your switchboard’s wiring looks overcrowded, do not take chances. A switchboard upgrade is a sound investment in safety and peace of mind, especially if you plan to introduce additional loads and appliances in the future. New additions such as an air conditioner or pool pump require dedicated circuits, so if you’ve installed electrical appliances recently and haven’t upgraded your switchboard, talk to Positive Vibes Electrical today.
• Safety Switches. Current legalisation states that all modern domestic switchboards and circuitry must be protected by safety switches. Safety switches protect you and your wiring from a range of potentially dangerous and hazardous situations. Safety switches work by constantly monitoring the power leaving and returning to the switchboard. For example: If there is 3amps leaving the switchboard and only 2amps returning, the device will determine this as unsafe and in turn trip as there is a leakage of 1amp. This trip is called Earth Leakage. Safety switches protect against earth leakage as well as Overload protection. Safety switches is a minimum standard for circuit protection and should be implemented in all domestic installations.
• Surge Protection. Surge protection is becoming more and more popular in domestic installations across Sydney. Have you ever purchased a power board with a built in surge protector to protect your expensive T.V or computer? If you have, it’s been for good reason. Surges from power stations and lightning strikes can reek havoc with your sensitive and often expensive electrical equipment. Items like fridges, T.V’s, Computers, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, Air Conditioning, light fittings, power points and switchboards can all be damaged and rendered useless once they have been subjected to the harsh voltages and currents caused by surges. These items are all very expensive to replace and can likely all be damaged with a single surge. It often impossible to prove to insurance companies that a surge was the cause of these damage. These items would then have to be replaced and can usually cost tens of thousands to do so. Surge protection installed at the man switchboard protects your home and everything inside it from surges.

If you have an old switchboard, flickering lights or thinking about upgrading, Call Drew at Positive Vibes Electrical Services for an obligation free estimate. Phone: 0401 265 809