When it comes to your main switchboard, its worth while having the best safety protection you can afford. Whether it’s a domestic switchboard or a 3 phase switchboard, a local Darwin electrician can advise all options.
If a switchboard fault occurs and you need peace of mind our retrofit switch board Upgrade Package Deal could be what you need.
If you have experienced any of the following items you may need a Distribution Board upgrade –
- Fuse box has not been upgraded but circuits have been extended after 2007. Switchboard and circuit protection legislation has changed since then. For safety reasons we advise meeting all requirements when it comes to safety switches and RCD protection.
- Your old fuse box is blowing fuse wire more than twice in a 12 month period for no real reason. This can be a hot joint or loose terminal meaning you have a faulty fuse holder or any number of things. Not an ideal situation and RCD safety switches would be a better option. A safety switch protects your family to a much higher standard.
- Have you had to call out a Darwin electrician or Palmerston electrical company for a call out rather than general electrical work?
- Are the fuses getting hot? This could mean more fuse wire burning through more often. Especially if the fuses are loose?
- Do your old black Heineman or Quicklag circuit breakers trip for no reason? This could indicate a switchboard fault.
- Has there been an electrical wiring fault and they haven’t tripped ?
If you answer YES to any of these question and are worried about the safety of your work place, or infrastructure, family and pets, you need to talk to a Dunwrights Electrician about our Switchboard upgrade. If your main switchboard is older than 1988 there are some safety items to worry about.
Often these older circuit breakers don’t trip during certain fault situations on the electrical circuit. There is also a fair chance your application has asbestos in electrical switchboards if it is located in the meter box, which needs to be considered for any time you have your switch board repaired. Something else worth noting – whilst it is possible to retrofit safety switches into these boards, there aren’t any cost effective switchboard safety switch options available.
If your switchboard is this old, your power demands could also be greater than your existing switchboard can handle, even if your cabling infrastructure is fine.
With all the creature comforts of modern living the power usage in most houses has more than doubled from 30 years ago. Back when your switchboard or fuse board was installed the appliances in most households were kept to a minimum. Now we have 1kilowatt flat screen TV’s (sometimes a couple per house), convection ovens, multiple air conditioners, pool pumps, and even more electrical equipment to give you the creature comforts you demand. In a lot of houses the amount of lights has quadrupled from one wall light to 4 down-lights per room. Not only does this put a strain on your wallet (unless you have LED lighting) but your circuit protection as well.
Is Your Switchboard Up To The Task?
Outdated switchboards are highly prone to short-circuits. Their fuses are more harmful as they tend to catch and spread fire easily. Also there is more chance of electric shock with these old fuse boards rather than a fault causing your safety switch to trip. Everything in life has a ‘use by date’. Whether it’s a litre of milk or a 1960’s Ford Fairlane, your airconditioner, power points or your switchboard, nothing lasts forever. If you have old ceramic fuses or old breakers, you really should consider upgrading to a safer option.
With our switchboard upgrade and installation package priced to sell, you know you have all the safety of new RCD’s, circuit breakers that trip when they are supposed to and the option to upgrade with a hot water system timer or surge diverter. As we know that the HWS uses up to a quarter of the power in most households, having a timer installed to cut that down could save quite an amount of power.
Total cost of Switchboard Upgrade installation, testing, materials and travel (in Darwin and Palmerston) is only:
$1380.00 Excluding GST
The switchboard upgrade package includes:
- ‘Up to’ an 18 pole time and field test switchboard (single phase clipsal switchboard) surface mounted in modern white and of aesthetically pleasing design.
- Circuit protection as per Australian Standards – Meaning that your switchboard will be installed by a licensed electrician with safety switches installed through out
We can also offer you the following extras:
- 1 x Novaris 50KA surge diverter (optional extra) to protect you whole house during the storm season to prevent unnecessary repairs and replacements
- 1 x 24hour timer and contactor (optional extra power saver) for your hot water system.