It trips all the time
The kettle and the heater together, or the air conditioner on a hot afternoon, and the power goes. The board cannot carry the load the house now draws.
Switchboard upgrades · Newcastle and surrounds
A switchboardthat keeps upwith your home.
Safety switches on every circuit, capacity for the induction cooktop, the air conditioner, the solar and the car charger, and a Level 2 crew that can do the mains and meter at the same time.
- Lic. 354927C
- Level 2 ASP AUB 6511
- SAA S9022865
- Family-run since 2018
- 5-year workmanship warranty
- 5.0 on Google
Why boards get replaced
Old boards werebuilt for adifferent house.
A board from the seventies was sized for a fridge, a kettle and a black-and-white television. It had ceramic fuses instead of safety switches, and if it is black and brittle around the edges, the backing panel is probably asbestos. It was fine for the house it was built for. It is not fine for the house you live in now.
An upgrade is not just a new box. It is RCD protection on every circuit so a fault trips the power instead of going through someone, circuit breakers you can reset yourself, and headroom for whatever you add next. Because we are Level 2 accredited, the consumer mains, service fuse and meter work that a lot of upgrades need is done by us on the same day, not by a second contractor two weeks later.
- RCD safety switches on every circuit
- Asbestos backing panels removed and disposed of properly
- Consumer mains and metering done by the same crew
- Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work at the end
Signs it is time
Six things yourboard is telling you.
Any one of these is worth a look. Two or more and the board is overdue.
Ceramic or rewirable fuses
If you have ever replaced fuse wire by torchlight, the board predates safety switches. It will not protect anyone from a shock.
No safety switches
Circuit breakers stop overloads. RCDs stop electrocution. Older boards have one of those, or neither. Current rules expect RCD protection on every final sub-circuit.
Warm, buzzing or scorched
Heat marks, a buzz, or a smell of hot plastic at the board is a loose or overloaded connection. Please ring us about that one today.
A black backing panel
Dark, brittle panels on pre-1990 boards are usually asbestos. They are safe left alone but have to be removed and disposed of correctly when the board is replaced.
You are adding something big
Solar, a battery, an EV charger, an induction cooktop or ducted air conditioning. Each one needs its own circuit, and sometimes three-phase supply the old board cannot give you.
What happens on the day
From the quoteto the certificate.
Dak looks at it
The board, the mains, the meter, the earthing and what you plan to add. You get the options in writing, including whether three-phase makes sense for you.
Isolate and replace
Power off for part of the day. The old board comes out, the asbestos panel if there is one, and a new enclosure goes in with an RCD on every circuit, all labelled.
Level 2 work, same crew
If the consumer mains, point of attachment, service fuse or meter need upgrading, our Level 2 crew does it on the same visit and handles the Ausgrid side.
Test, certify, warrant
Every circuit tested, every RCD tripped and timed, a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work issued, and five years of workmanship warranty behind it.
A review that did not believe the reviews
When I first saw all the glowing reviews for DJM Electrical & Solar, I thought, 'Surely no company is this good, either their mums wrote a few or Dak's got multiple Google accounts and is writing them himself.' But I was wrong. Turns out, they really are that good.
Orr · Home battery and consumer mains upgrade
Straight from Google
What people sayafter the job is done.
Live reviews from our Google Business Profile, rated 5.0. Read them before you ring us.
Good to know
Switchboardquestions,answered.
How much does a switchboard upgrade cost?
It depends on the board, how many circuits it feeds, whether the mains and meter need work and whether there is asbestos to remove. Anyone quoting a number over the phone is guessing. Dak looks at it, and you get an itemised quote in writing with no deposit until you decide.
How long will the power be off?
Most residential upgrades are done in a day, with the power off for part of it. We tell you the window beforehand so you can plan around the fridge and the work-from-home day.
Do I need a Level 2 electrician for this?
Only if the consumer mains, service fuse, point of attachment or meter need upgrading, which is common on older homes. The difference with us is that we are Level 2 accredited, so that work happens on the same day with the same crew instead of being handed to someone else.
Are safety switches compulsory?
For new circuits and for most alterations, yes. The current wiring rules expect RCD protection on final sub-circuits in homes. If your board has none, that alone is a good reason to upgrade.
What if the backing panel is asbestos?
Pre-1990 boards often have one. It is harmless until it is cut or drilled, which is why we remove the whole panel intact, bag it and dispose of it through a licensed facility, and fit a new enclosure in its place.
Should I go to three-phase?
If you are planning ducted air conditioning, a bigger EV charger, an induction cooktop and a battery, often yes. It also needs the Level 2 side done. We will tell you honestly whether it is worth it for your place.
Will I get paperwork at the end?
Yes. A Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work for the installation, plus the Ausgrid notifications for any Level 2 work, and your itemised quote becomes the record of what went in and what is warranted.
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Where we work
Obligation-free quotes
Get your boardlooked at.
Tell us what the board is doing and roughly how old the house is. Dak comes out, has a proper look at the board, the mains and the meter, and you get the options in writing.