How to tell if your switchboard is due for an upgrade

Most people never look at their switchboard until something stops working. You do not need to take anything apart to judge its age. Everything worth knowing is visible from the front, with the cover panel left on.

What an old board looks like

Stand in front of it and look for these:

• Ceramic fuse holders: white or cream blocks that hold a strand of fuse wire
• No switch with a test button on it
• A black or dark brown backing panel, common before the 1980s. These can contain asbestos, so never drill or sand one
• Handwritten labels that no longer match the rooms
• Extra breakers squeezed in over the years, with no space left

Ceramic fuses still work, but they protect the cable, not you. A fuse takes its time to blow and does nothing if current is flowing through a person. A safety switch cuts the power in a fraction of a second. Safety switches are required on new and altered circuits, so almost any work on an old board brings the question up anyway.

Signs it is struggling

Age alone is not an emergency. These are different. A warm or fishy smell near the board is overheating plastic, and it means a connection is loose or overloaded. Buzzing or crackling is the same story. Lights that dip when the kettle or air conditioner starts, or a fuse that blows whenever two big appliances run together, tell you the board was sized for a smaller load than you have now. If you notice a smell, heat or noise, do not touch the board. Call an electrician that day.

What an upgrade involves and costs

We replace the enclosure, fit a main switch, and give every circuit its own combined breaker and safety switch. That way a faulty toaster takes out one circuit and not the whole house. Each circuit is tested and labelled. The power is off for most of a working day. Switchboard work is prescribed work in Victoria, so a licensed electrical inspector checks it independently and you receive a Certificate of Electrical Safety.

For a typical single-phase house in Melbourne, expect $1,650 to $2,500. It costs more if the main earth or the cable from the street also needs replacing, and you should be told that before anyone starts.

Not sure what you are looking at? Send Fenwright a photo of the front of your board and we will tell you what we see.

Switchboard upgrades →