What Happens on Switchboard Upgrade Day

A switchboard upgrade is one of those jobs people put off because they don’t know what it involves. It’s more straightforward than it sounds. Here’s a walk-through of how it goes, so you know what to expect.

Before the day

• Inspection and quote. We look at your board, the wiring, the number of circuits and any asbestos, then give you a written quote covering scope, materials and timeline.
• Booking. You choose a day that works, and we confirm how long the power will be off.
• Access. Make sure we can get to the board and that there’s room to work in front of it.

On the day

1. Walk-through. We go over the plan with you again and check nothing has changed.

2. Power off. We isolate the supply so the work can be done safely. Expect your power to be off for a chunk of the job, often a few hours, and sometimes longer for bigger or more complicated boards. We’ll tell you how long in advance so you can plan around it: the fridge, the work-from-home setup, the air con.

3. Removing the old board. The old switchboard is disconnected and removed. If it’s mounted on an asbestos panel, that’s handled and disposed of properly.

4. Fitting the new board. The new board goes in, with new circuit breakers and safety switches wired to each circuit. Circuits are labelled clearly, so you’re not guessing later which switch does what.

5. Checking the wiring. As the circuits are reconnected, we check them for damage or problems, and flag anything we find. If something unexpected turns up, we tell you and price it separately before doing anything.

6. Testing. Before the power goes back on properly, the installation is tested. That includes checking the safety switches trip as they should and the circuits are safe.

7. Power back on. Once it’s tested and safe, the supply is restored and we check everything works.

8. Tidy up. We clean up and take the old gear away.

What you get at the end

• A Certificate of Compliance for the work
• A clearly labelled board, so you know what’s what
• A run-through of the new switches, including how to test the safety switches
• A record for your insurer and for anyone who buys the house later

What might make it take longer

• Older wiring that needs work before it can be connected to a new board
• A board in a difficult spot
• Asbestos
• Adding circuits, or connecting solar, a battery or a charger at the same time

What to do on the day

• Save any work on computers and know where things need resetting afterwards, such as clocks and routers
• Plan meals and cooling, particularly in the wet
• Keep pets and kids away from the work area
• If you’ve got medical equipment that needs power, tell us beforehand so we can plan around it

After the upgrade

Test your safety switches with the Test button about every three months, and note how your new board is laid out. If you’d like to add surge protection, it’s a quick extra at the same time, since the board’s already open and being worked on.

Ready to get one booked in? Get in touch and we’ll arrange an inspection.