Switchboards
Switchboard upgrades in Parnell
The switchboard is where every circuit in a building starts, and in an older Parnell home it may still be a board of ceramic fuses fitted decades ago. Our registered electricians replace old boards with modern switchboards and circuit breakers, and arrange the inspection the work needs.
What an upgrade puts right
An old board is not dangerous just because it is old, but it is usually where the weak points of an older installation meet. A new switchboard deals with four of them at once.
Fuse wire that can be wrongly replaced
A blown rewireable fuse has to be rewired by hand, and fitting heavier fuse wire to stop it blowing again lets a circuit overheat. Circuit breakers simply reset, at the rating the circuit was designed for.
No protection against shock
Many older boards have no residual current devices. A modern board adds them, so a fault to earth through a person or a wet appliance cuts the power in a fraction of a second.
Not enough capacity
Boards fitted when a house had a few lights and a range were never laid out for heat pumps, an induction cooktop and a spa pool. A new board gives each of them its own protected circuit.
Circuits nobody can identify
Older boards are often unlabelled or labelled for rooms that no longer exist. Every circuit on a new board is identified, so the right one can be switched off when something goes wrong.
Where Parnell's switchboards are
Where the board is changes how the job is planned. In a Parnell villa or cottage the meter and the board are often together, on an outside wall or in a hall cupboard, and the new board normally goes where the old one was. If you want it moved, the mains cable has to move with it, and on a house in one of Parnell's special character areas a change to the outside wall is worth checking with Auckland Council first.
Apartments are different. Parnell has apartment buildings from the 1920s through to today, and in most of them the meters sit in a shared meter room while each apartment has its own distribution board inside. We upgrade the board in your apartment and arrange any access to the shared areas through the building manager or body corporate.
On Parnell Road, the board may be in the back room of a brick or timber shop that is more than a century old, or in an old house converted to offices. A business that has grown into its building often has a board that has been extended many times. For those, see commercial electrical work in Parnell. And if a new board is part of bigger work in an older home, it is usually done alongside rewiring the house.
The inspection, and why it matters
Switchboard work is not all treated the same by the law. The Electrical Workers Registration Board explains that installing a higher capacity board to cater for increased use is an alteration classed as high-risk work, and so is relocating a board where the mains are extended, jointed or rerouted. High-risk work has to be inspected by a licensed electrical inspector. Repairing or replacing a damaged fitting on existing mains work is low-risk and does not need inspection.
The electrician doing the work is responsible for arranging that inspection, and we arrange it as part of the job. When it is done you receive the Certificate of Compliance for our work and the record of the inspection.
Switchboard questions
How do I know if my switchboard is old?
If you see ceramic fuse carriers holding fuse wire instead of switches, or there is no device with a test button on the board, it was fitted before today's protection was standard. Either is a good reason to have it looked at.
Will the power be off while the board is changed?
Yes, for the changeover itself. Once the new board is connected and each circuit has been tested, power is restored. For a shop or restaurant we plan the changeover outside trading hours where we can.
Can you move the meter as well?
The meter is your power retailer's responsibility, so moving it involves them. We can tell you what is needed on the electrical side and work with the retailer on the timing.
Does every switchboard change need an inspection?
No. Replacing a damaged fitting on the mains like for like is low-risk work. Fitting a higher capacity board, or moving a board in a way that extends or reroutes the mains, is high-risk work and is inspected. We tell you which applies before we start.
My fuses keep blowing. Do I need a new board?
Not necessarily. A fuse that keeps blowing is telling you about a fault or an overload on that circuit, and the cause needs finding first. Our page on tracing electrical faults explains how we go about it.
An electrician in Parnell, day or night
Call 021 156 4005 at any hour, or send us the details and a registered electrician will get back to you.
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Contact us
Call 021 156 4005, or tell us about the job below and we will get back to you.
021 156 4005- Auckland
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