1. You still have ceramic fuses
If you open the meter box and see white ceramic fuse holders instead of switches, your board is decades old. Those fuses protect the wiring, but they do nothing to protect people from electric shock, and replacing fuse wire by hand is easy to get wrong.
2. There are no safety switches
A safety switch (RCD) watches for current leaking to earth, for example through a person, and cuts the power in a fraction of a second. Older boards often have none, or only one covering the power points. Modern boards protect power and lighting circuits.
3. Breakers trip when you run a few appliances
If the kettle and the air-con together knock the power out, the board may be overloaded for how the house is used today. Homes now run far more than they were wired for: induction cooktops, air-conditioning, pool pumps and EV chargers.
4. The panel is warm, buzzing or smells like burning
Heat, buzzing or a burning smell from the board is not normal. Turn off what you can and call an electrician the same day. Loose connections and overloaded parts get hotter over time.
5. Flickering or dimming lights
Lights that dim when something big switches on can point to a loose connection or an overloaded circuit, sometimes at the board itself.
6. The backing board looks old and black
Many older Australian switchboards were mounted on panels that can contain asbestos. Don't drill, cut or sand them. A licensed electrician will deal with them safely as part of the upgrade.
7. You're renovating or adding something big
A kitchen renovation, a granny flat, ducted air or an EV charger usually needs new circuits. That's the best time to check the board has the capacity and space for them.
What an upgrade involves
We replace the old fuses with modern circuit breakers and safety switches, label every circuit, test the installation and lodge the compliance paperwork. Most homes are back on power the same day. You get a fixed price before any work starts.
Need an electrician in Wollongong, the Illawarra or Shoalhaven? Get a free, fixed-price quote or call Jade on 0402 273 820.
