Make sure your Switchboard is Compliant with a New Electrical Panel
An electrical panel sits inside your meter box and runs the power to your home. It’s more commonly referred to as a switchboard and holds the fuses, circuit breakers, the main switch, and the safety switches.
Without a perfectly functioning electrical panel you wouldn’t be able to enjoy a nice, warm slice of bread from your Sunbeam bread maker or heat the water for your cuppa with your Breville kettle.
In other words, electrical panels or switchboards supply all the electricity to your home.
How do you determine if your electrical panel needs to be replaced?
There are many factors to consider when deciding to replace your switchboard. These include:
- Your fuses are constantly blowing, or your safety switch is tripped when using multiple appliances.
- The lights in your home have a tendency to flicker.
- Your switchboard has outdated ceramic fuses.
- You have appliances that are short-circuiting.
It’s important to remember that a switchboard or electrical panel needs to be replaced by a licensed electrician so you should contact your local electrical contractor if you have any of the above issues.
In fact, in Australia, it’s illegal to install or replace a circuit breaker in your switchboard unless you’re a licensed electrician. This could not only land you with a hefty fine and/or up to 5 years in jail but could also void your insurance.
Purchase the parts and have them professionally installed
Even though you can’t install or replace your electrical panel yourself, you can purchase the parts and then have an electrician come around and install them for you. You just need to ensure that you get the correct parts and an electrical panel or switchboard that is compliant with Australian regulations.
For example, you might be looking for a special style of electrical panel that your electrician doesn’t normally stock, or you might want to add additional switches for different appliances or even a separate power point in the panel itself.
Some homes even have separate electrical panels in the shed or the garage. There are special switchboards designed for just this purpose that you can purchase and then have them professionally installed.