Electrician Corio
Switchboard upgrades, safety switches and safety checks for Corio home owners, by CabledIN
As a licensed electrician Corio home owners can call, CabledIN Electrical Solutions handles switchboard upgrades, safety switches and fault finding from our base nearby in North Geelong. Switchboard work turns up in more than half of our Corio jobs, whether that is replacing an old fuse board, adding safety switches or tracing a fault.
Adding a safety switch or fixing a single fault is usually one visit. Replacing a switchboard takes most of a day. We price each job once we have seen it, and you can look our licence up on the public register.
- Area
- Corio VIC 3214
- Most common jobs here
- Switchboards, lighting, safety switches
- For home owners
- Electrical safety checks and smoke alarm checks
- Licence
- Registered Electrical Contractor, REC 30925
Electrician Corio: why our job list starts at the meter box
In Corio, our job list starts at the meter box:
- Switchboards. More than half of our Corio jobs. Most are switchboard upgrades: the old board comes out and a new enclosure goes in with a combined circuit breaker and safety switch on each circuit.
- Lighting. About half of our Corio jobs: old fittings replaced with sealed LED ceiling lights, plus new switches.
- Safety switches. More than four in ten jobs. A safety switch (RCD) is added to power and lighting circuits that never had one.
- Power points. Also more than four in ten. Worn single outlets replaced with doubles, extra points added, and weatherproof outlets outside.
- Fault finding. At least one job in three starts with something that has stopped working.
Surge protection, USB power points, TV points and inspections make up most of the rest.
Why switchboards come first in Corio homes
The council describes Corio as one of Geelong's largest suburbs, spreading west from the refinery into residential streets and north along the coast of Corio Bay.
Corio grew quickly after the refinery opened in 1956. From the late 1950s the Housing Commission built five estates here, about 2,500 houses in roughly 20 years, Rosewall among them. More than nine in ten Corio dwellings are separate houses (2021 Census), and a large share date from those two decades.
A house from that period is now 45 to 65 years old. Energy Safe Victoria says any house more than 30 years old should have its wiring checked, and it lists old switchboards, particularly those without a safety switch, among the signs that wiring may be faulty. The others are worth knowing:
- Old or broken switches and power points.
- Flickering lights.
- Sparks from the switchboard, a switch or a power point.
One more point about boards of this age. Meter and switchboard panels installed before 1990 can be made of a black or dark brown board that contains asbestos. Do not drill, cut or sand it. We check the panel before we price any board work.
Talk to a licensed Geelong electrician (REC 30925).
Safety checks for home owners in Corio
If you own an older Corio house and want to know where its wiring stands, this is the work we do:
- Electrical safety checks. A licensed electrician checks the switchboards, wiring and fittings.
- Switchboard work. Power point and lighting circuits connected to a circuit breaker and a safety switch at the board, or an old board replaced.
- A written report. It sets out the results, with the urgent items separated from the ones that can wait.
- Smoke alarm checks. Each alarm tested and its age checked.
We carry out electrical safety checks and smoke alarm checks for Corio home owners, and price any repairs separately, so you can decide what to do next.
Common electrical problems in Corio, and what is safe to check
| What you notice | What you can safely do | When to call us |
|---|---|---|
| Safety switch has tripped | Unplug the appliances on that circuit, then reset it | It trips again or will not reset |
| Power off in part of the house | Leave the switchboard and anything metal alone. Call Powercor on 13 24 12 | After Powercor has confirmed the fault is on your side |
| Whole house is off, street is on | Check whether a neighbour has power | Straight away. Your own supply may be damaged |
| Tingle from a tap or appliance | Do not touch it again. Call Powercor on 13 24 12 | As soon as Powercor has attended |
| Burning smell or sparks at the board | Keep clear. Call 000 if there is fire | Immediately |
A safety switch that keeps tripping is a warning, not a nuisance. Powercor's advice is to have the wiring and the appliances inspected when it happens often.
What happens on the day of a switchboard upgrade
- Pricing visit. We look at the board, the meter panel, the mains and the earthing, and tell you what has to be done.
- Power off. We tell you beforehand when the power will go off, so you can plan the fridge, medical equipment and working from home.
- Old board out, new board in. Each circuit gets its own protection and a label.
- Testing. Every circuit is tested, including the trip operation of each safety switch.
- Independent inspection. In Victoria a new main switchboard counts as prescribed work, so a licensed electrical inspector who does not work for us checks it before the board is energised. We book that inspector.
- Certificate. You receive a Certificate of Electrical Safety.
Old wiring sometimes fails its tests once a safety switch is protecting it. If that happens we show you the result and price the repair before going any further.
Not sure what you need? Tell us what is happening and we will talk it through.
Which other electrical services do Corio homes book?
Two smaller jobs show up in our Corio records: surge protection fitted inside the switchboard, and USB power points in place of standard outlets. Both are simplest to add while an electrician is already working on the board or the power points, so we raise them when you book a switchboard upgrade or new outlets.
The rest of the home list is the same as anywhere we work:
- Switchboard upgrades and safety switch (RCD) installation, plus circuit breakers.
- Power points, USB outlets, lighting and downlights.
- Rewiring, ovens and cooktops, electric hot water, ceiling and exhaust fans.
- Smoke alarms, TV points, CCTV, data cabling and EV chargers.
Night-time faults are covered as well. Our emergency call-outs reach Corio 24/7, and someone answers 1300 025 555 at every hour of the day.
Nearby northern suburbs we also cover
The same electricians work in Norlane, Corio's next-door suburb, where the Housing Commission homes are older again, and in Lara to the north, which lists Corio among its neighbours. Lovely Banks, Bell Park and Bell Post Hill are on our regular run, and every suburb and township we cover is listed on our Geelong electrician page. You can check our registration, REC 30925, on Energy Safe Victoria's public register.
Recent switchboard and electrical jobs around Corio
Our own work, photographed on the job.
Frequently asked questions
Electrician Corio: who answers an emergency call at night?
Ring 1300 025 555 at any hour: our emergency call-outs cover Corio 24/7, seven days a week. More than half of our Corio work involves the switchboard, so a safety switch that will not reset is a call we know well. Where there is fire or someone is hurt, ring 000 before anyone else.
What does an electrical safety check of a Corio home cover?
A licensed electrician checks the switchboards, wiring and fittings in your Corio home, then gives you a written report of the results and any repairs needed. The smoke alarms can be tested and their age checked on the same day.
Can you add safety switches to an older Corio home?
Yes. Where the board has sound circuit breakers we usually fit a safety switch to each unprotected power and lighting circuit; an old fuse board is better replaced. You approve the price before any work starts, and we tell you when the power will be off.
The power in my Corio house keeps tripping. What should I do?
Unplug the appliances on that circuit, then reset the safety switch. If it trips again or will not reset, call 1300 025 555, at any hour.
Is the old black panel in my meter box asbestos?
It can be. Many meter and switchboard panels installed before 1990 were made from asbestos-containing board, often black or dark brown. Do not drill, cut or sand it. We check the panel before pricing any switchboard work, and we tell you what we found before the job starts.
Should surge protection go in with a new Corio switchboard?
It is one of the add-ons that comes up regularly in our Corio records. A surge diverter sits inside the switchboard, so the easiest time to fit one is while the board is already open for an upgrade. It is not a safety switch and does not replace one: the safety switch is what cuts the power when it detects a leak that could harm a person.
Is the wiring in a Housing Commission-era Corio house safe?
Testing is the only way to know. For any house older than 30 years, Energy Safe Victoria's advice is to have a licensed electrician check the wiring. In Corio's Housing Commission-era houses we look first for a board with no safety switch and for a meter panel installed before 1990, which may contain asbestos.
Who inspects a new switchboard?
An independent licensed electrical inspector. Replacing a main switchboard is prescribed work in Victoria, so the new board cannot be switched on until it has been inspected. We arrange the inspection, and you receive a Certificate of Electrical Safety for the work once it is done.
Can you fix a power point or light that has stopped working in my Corio house?
Yes. A dead power point or light is a common call in Corio. We test the circuit, find the fault and repair or replace what has failed, then tell you what we found and whether anything else on that circuit needs attention.
Still have a question? Ask the CabledIN team.